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In August 2021 I agreed to help the Utakura 7 Investment Group open their first venture into tourism, the magnificent Riverhead Villa. 

Riverhead Villa sits on the hill looking over the inner Hokianga Harbour. A grand old lady relocated from it's original home in Kaiwaka, it has been beautifully restored and is open and welcome for guests. Having driven past many many times on my way to the villa, this week I decided to pull of SH1 and see what delights were in store at the Paroa Bay Oyster Factory shop.

Every time I have driven past in the last 12 months I found an excuse not to stop and boy was I regretting it the moment I walked in the door. From the outside it's a dreary building with a big sign saying Oysters and a pile of shells on the hill behind that gets bigger and bigger by the day. The dreamy smell of fresh oysters was contaminated by something almost as delicious, fried oysters. Half a dozen fried oysters and chips for only $22 or a full dozen oysters shucked for $25. I was honestly tempted to get both. Instead to take something for the table after our meetings at the villa I watched as my dozen was picked from a pile and shucked in front of me.

I love oysters. I love the difference in texture, flavour and ability to describe their origin in one shell. I love how they are so ridiculously unattractive, but make mouths water around a table. I love how they really are best when they are raw and are so forgiving to being accompanied by so many different accompaniments. Last week on a Tastebud Tour in Auckland a guest was completely overwhelmed by an oyster he tried at the excellent modern Korean Gochu in Commercial Bay. Served with a kimchi juice, leek oil and pickled radish, it is without doubt one of the most mouth watering wasy to enjoy an oyster I have come across. 

 One of my favourite memories of oysters was when I was invited by Ruth Reichl to a BBQ at the playwrite John Markus house in 2015. John had a brilliant chef from the Gramacy Tavern with him who had driven up to Upstate New York and cooked the most amazing meal. We started with delicious briny oysters from the East Coast that were cooked very gently on a Weber BBQ while resting on damp hay and drenched in brown butter. They were without doubt simply amazing. So simple and so amazing. Auckland genius Chef Des Harris recreated them for me at our inaugural Vineyard Cottages Long Lunch in 2021 and even the biggest oyster haters loved them. 

You can't beat Depot and The Shucker Brothers in Auckland for being great oyster bars. Eating a plate of oysters at Soul on the waterfront has always been my favourite way to spend an afternoon. I can never go through Matakana on my way to Leigh without stopping at the Oyster shed there, so why..... why had I not found the time to just pull of SH1 in the past 12 months and just pick up a punnent of juicy plump and ridiculously fresh Paroa Bay oysters, I will never know, but I can promise you it will happen every time from now on! 

March 2020 was the busy month in our history. We had tours running throughout the country, hundred of people every week joining our fabulous guides on a discovery of New Zealand through their taste buds. Then it stopped. We knew it was getting bad around the world but on March 14th Jacinda Ardern announced everyone coming into New Zealand would have to quarantine and it was at that point, I realised life was changing rapidly. My parents were with me in the South Island. We had travelled from Christchurch down the coast to my favourite Dunedin stopping at restaurants and fabulous little towns along the way. I felt like Covid was creeping up behind us and then there it was. We sat watching the media release that the country was slowly shutting non citizens out. The cruise ships turned on their tails and headed away from the country at the demands of the PM. Our inbox was full of cancellations and refund requests.

Going to the supermarket became a nerve wracking thing. We ate in, I didn't want to eat out. We tried to stay positive, but by the time we got on a plane back to Auckland, it was very definitely a different city.  We had a couple of nights in the city at our new apartment trying to support the restaurants but it was all very weird. I had a tour on Saturday 22nd and neither guest really got social distancing or the fact Covid was a real thing. In the car I realised I was actually scared of these guests, his cold and their proximity to me. We stopped touring from that day on. 

Back at Vineyard Cottages the business was in the same state. Weddings, events, tours and bookings all cancelling. Within a week we were heading into a Level Four lock down which basically meant we were not going to be doing anything for a month. My staff from the USA and France were with us, my parents stayed instead of flying back across the world in this dubious environment. By day two of lockdown there was plenty of fear and strain amongst us and we decided to get the aged exercise bike out of the wardrobe and do a virtual tour across the country.  That little battered bike became everyone's saving grace. By the time lockdown finished, it was on a definite lean. 

We're now a year away from the anniversary of that lockdown date. It was actually my 40th birthday and all I could see was a decade of The Big Foody just disappearing in front of me. It was not easy. 

But.....

We're back. The company looks and feels very different. Our tours will not run daily for a long time, we will have more focused experiences and some delicious culinary escapes at Vineyard Cottages. It is still home, we will still make it work. It will always be the best way to show off New Zealand!

Welcome to day one of our Tour de Vineyards or The Big New Zealand Food and Wine Virtual Tour. We’re starting right up here in Northland in the historic town of KeriKeri. KeriKeri is the largest Northland town where the sunshine is endless and the area is rich in history and culture. 

Our tour starts at the The Old Pack House Farmers Market run by Warwick and Judy Hyland who have dedicated the last few years turning an old fruit pack house into the thriving market hub it is today. Everytime we visit the farmers market there is something new and exciting happening. The onsite bakery pumps out breads, cakes, pastries and delicious delicious pies. To be honest I'm not the biggest pie person, but there is no way I am going to miss out on the beef and oyster Pie, made using oysters from Warwick's farm. On Saturday mornings it is full farmers market day with produce so local and so fresh it's very easy to fill shopping baskets to the brim. 

You can find excellent olive oil, beers from a local brewery, honey, eggs, some glorious crafts and weaving. One of the stalls makes delicious fritters! I love a good mussel fritter and theirs is one of the best I have found in New Zealand. Make sure you take away some of the local sausages and keep an eye out for all the seasonal goodies too. I love the Macadamias when they are super fresh and very creamy. We bring bags of the shells home for the fire places at Vineyard Cottages.

Just across the road from the Old Pack House market is the Makana Chocolate Factory. The company has three branches in Blenheim, Auckland and Kerikeri. There are big windows into the factory so you can see the chocolate being made right in front of you and generous samples are handed out when you walk through the front door. 

I'm totally partial to the macadamia crunch. It's not often I managed to get away from the Chocolate Factory without at least two or three boxes - obviously to share with friends and family!

If you're going to stay the night in Kerikeri, The Kerikeri Park Lodge is right across the road from the farmers market and only a 10 minute walk into the main town. it's clean spacious rooms are much more than your average motel room and it is tucked down the driveway away from the road creating a very peaceful and tranquil location to stay. In Kerikeri town a favourite place to eat is the Jerusalem Cafe. It's off the main road down an alleyway and can always be found full of happy diners. The best thing about the menu is you can pretty much try everything with their generous portions and combinations of mezze options. Whatever you do, try the aubergine dip and the Israeli wines

Follow the road out of the town and down the hill to the Stone Store. A favourite stop on the tourist route, it was built beside the river in 1832 by the missionaries as a warehouse. Today it is a wonderful shop full of all kinds of knick-knacks souvenirs and artefacts of a bygone era.

One of our favourite wineries in Northland is the Marsden estate. It is a family run Vineyard set on 10 acres growing varietals are not often found in New Zealand including pinotage, a hybrid grape originally from South Africa. With fellow hybrid Chambourcin (say what?) grown in the vineyard, a trip to Marsden is a must if you are looking for the unusual.  You can enjoy breakfast or lunch and there beautiful restaurant or down by the lake looking out over the vineyard.

Now if you're going to head all the way up to Northland you really can't leave without a bottle of the local limoncello from the team at Sovrano.  It is liquid gold or liquid antidepressant if you need to put a smile on your dial. It has long been one of my favourite drinks morning noon or night! The Limoncello cream comes with a highly addictive health warning and we're very partial to the chocolate and coffee liqueur as well. Many of our guests have looked at me oddly over the years when I have told them it is a compulsory tasting, with many declaring “But we have been to Italy and had the real thing.” or “Oh but, I make Limoncello at home and my friends say it’s amazing.” I refrain from saying what I want to say and smile when they all drop to their knees in love with Sovrano’s bottles of joy!

You can find them at the Old Pack House farmers market on a Saturday that rumour has it they are opening a new factory very soon! If you’re only visiting Auckland, Parnell Market and La Cigale are your places to head to at the weekends to stock up. 

So we're off on the bike heading south and within 10 minutes were at the Mahoe cheese factory. owned and run by a Dutch family making some of the most extraordinary cheeses in the country, Mahoe produces the crack cocaine of cheese AKA The Very Old Edam. It’s a story we tell every day that out of all the thousands of people who have done our Tastebud Tours over the years, only two didn’t fall in love with the cheese and were instantly banned from New Zealand. 

Mahoe is down a tree lined driveway and if you’re in the know ask them if they have any camembert out the back. It is delicious! The cooking cheese is fab for pizzas, grilled cheese and mac n cheese! 

I can highly recommend taking the detour around to Paihia to jump on the ferry over to the beautiful town of Russell to watch the sunset outside the Duke of Marlborough with a glass of wine in hand and dinner on the deck at the Historic Hotel. But for now, we head South!

Sometimes you meet a group of people in this job and you know that you've made some great connections forever.

Last weekend I had the great privilege of hosting a group of global visitors all visiting New Zealand through the Friendship Force Organisation.

The group is in New Zealand with three weeks to explore the North Island through the different farming communities, connecting with the local producers farmers and growers throughout their time in the country.

The group came to stay with me at Vineyard Cottages and we spent a full day in the North West Auckland region discovering the diversity of growers and farmers in this area.

Our first stop was to Highland Cow breeder where we were introduced to nearly 30 different cattle, learning from the farmers Jenny and Doug the importance of blood lines pedigree and commitment. We were able to see the management of their farm block through mapping and learnt the perils of plastic silage wrap. The group was lucky to meet an award winning gentle cow who was happily tied up to the fence and enjoyed the attention of the enthusiastic group.  During our time with Jenny and Doug, Doug explained the importance of the horns to the breed, the reason they chose Highland cows over other beef breeds, weaning, placating the cattle and told stories of survival of the fittest during calving season.  While most of our tours are focused around what you can eat in the country, learning where our meat comes from is one of the most interesting areas we work in. 

After coffee in one of the area’s most well-known farm shops where everyone took full advantage of fruit season and the home made pastries,  we visited Vishna who is growing table grapes, purely because she was asked to by locals if she would! During dinner the night before I had explained to the group how when we moved to Vineyard cottagers, I have been to the local vegetable market and tried these incredible grapes. To me they tasted like a childhood sweet. They almost tasted fake because the flavour is so intense and not like generic supermarket grapes at all. We were able to wonder underneath the arbour of grapevines while Vishna, the grower picked some of the ripest and  the most delicious grapes for us. We did buy a couple of boxes to take home to be added to what is now affectionately known as the friendship Force fruit pizza and most of the group agreed with my description of the grapes!

We concluded our morning touring by visiting one of my favourite honey producers on their property on the way out to Bethells Beach. Terry and Karlene have been producing their Manuka honey the nearly 20 years. Not only of honey in jars but also using the wax for medicinal purposes in balms and creams and lotions. We bought some of the delicious Apple cider honeygar to have as part of dish created for our evening meal. After a spectacular dinner of barbecued lamb (thank you gents for your very dedicated work on the grills) salads and a requested second serving of our famous roast potatoes, I was very embarrassed to bring out a super sticky pastry laden with stone fruits and grapes from our visit Vishna's. However, everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and I was delighted to claim the recipe as my own and it will forever be called the Friendship Force Fruit Pizza.

Waving goodbye the next morning and returning the lodge, the dining room it was eerily quiet and I have to say, I would very much like it if the Friendship Force group were back in town every week. Happy travelling gang!

Lots of love

Elle

The welcome warmth of the bonfire dried our hands and took the chill off while we giddily rehashed our first experience in the woods with Stella and Sunny. We were surrounded by Douglas firs rising above our heads, atop a hill overlooking historic vineyards and hazelnut orchards in the distance. Beneath our feet was Savannah Ridge, the small backbone of sedimentary rock laid down over millions of years by ancient oceans, lava flows, and most recently, the Missoula Flood. (As “recent” as fifteen thousand years ago.) The latter are facts only geologists and wine growers are passionate about.

Well, and us.

We were comrades who had just crisscrossed the spongy forest floor for two hours, bouncing from one spot to the next behind Stella, the Lagotto Romagnolo, and her intrepid owner, Sunny Diaz. Stella’s got a keen nose and propensity for praise. Sunny is driven by connection - to the natural world and to her foodie-inclined, forest-christened pupils. Stella is driven by treats, every once in a while that’s a small white truffle that she gets to before anyone else notices she’s unearthed it. Both are adept at finagling fruiting bodies from the earth and delivering them to the people best at wrangling their intoxicating aromas: the Pacific Northwest’s best chefs and bartenders.

Prior to the 17th century, truffles were eaten by peasants, hunted by farmers and pigs who learned to harness the sow’s natural predilection for these “diamonds of the earth,” as Brillat-Savarin would come to call them. Before they were considered aphrodisiacs by well-to-do diners, they actually were aphrodisiacs for the sows who mistook the volatile compound dimethyl sulfide found in truffles, for andrestenol, a sex pheromone in boar saliva. These days a white truffle shaved over buttery, cheese-laden pasta noodles almost elicits the same response from truffle lovers around the world as it did for the humble sows of yesteryear.

These days truffles are a very expensive delicacy in many parts of the world, with the white Alba truffle from Italy commanding up to $4000 US per pound and the Perigord from France coming in around $1600 US. Oregon truffles, by comparison, fetch only about $400 per pound. Why is that, you ask? Unfortunately, we’re considered “the bad boys of the group,” but not in the James-Dean-Rebel-Without-a-Cause way. While most Oregonians, including James Beard in the late 70’s, proclaim that Oregon truffles rank up there with the best in the world, we have suffered from a bad reputation on the world stage.

One factor for this is our market is much younger and less developed. In France, cultivation of truffles has been productive since America declared its independence from Britain. In fact, according to Wikipedia, back in the 1700’s the French figured out they could cultivate truffles by planting acorns from truffle-producing trees. Today 80% of truffles produced in France are cultivated, rather than wild foraged. On the other hand, it’s still a bit too early to tell if American truffle groves are sustainably producing because it takes at least 10 years to develop the mycorrhizal network that will sustain a crop.

Perhaps the biggest reason for our being snubbed, though, is because we have a habit of raking in the PNW. It’s perfectly legal here to head out into the forest with nothing but a rake and a prayer on the hunt for truffles. The problem with raking is that you’re harvesting all of the truffles in the ground, ripe or unripe, and unripe truffles are useless, culinarily-speaking. Unripe truffles taste like nothing and are lacking in the intoxicating aroma that is the reason we want to eat them in the first place! In Italy, by contrast, it is a law that truffles must only be hunted with the aid of a dog’s nose, ensuring only the most pungent are harvested. Since Americans don’t have a long culinary tradition of coveting only those most stinky, we have used both in our cooking to our reputation’s detriment.

However, Oregon truffles are on par with those from Italy and France and attitudes are changing due to the good work of people like Sunny Diaz and the folks at the Oregon Truffle Festival. Charles LeFevre, forest mycologist, New World Truffieres founder and OTF co-founder, was quoted in a New York Times article as saying, “... industry oversight to ensure the use of dogs, combined with cultivation efforts and careful management of the truffle habitat, could raise the value of Oregon’s crop (worth $300,000 to harvesters at the time) a hundredfold by 2030, and benefit the region’s economy through increased sales, exports and culinary tourism.” As Bob Dylan fatefully sung, the times they are a-changin.

Meanwhile, back in the Doug Fir stand, Sunny describes black truffles as fruity on the nose, think tropical fruits with a musky amaretto and vanilla finish, to a group of foodies and industry folks. White truffles are a bit different: garlicky, nutty and faintly citrusy. We experience this immediately as Stella has zeroed in and starts digging at the base of a Douglas Fir. After a few seconds, anyone standing within a 3 foot radius is hit by the intense garlic aroma of an Oregon winter white (Tuber oregonense). Sunny plucks it out of the ground and Stella is rewarded with a treat from Sunny’s hip pouch, and off she goes again, nose to the ground, her long, neon orange leash trailing behind her. Next stop: a multi-course, post-foraging meal, made all the better by wine and my new forest-baptized compatriots.

Stay tuned for more truffle stories in the coming weeks, or sign up for a foray and create your own truffle-scented memories!

Vineyard Cottages Plum Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups chopped plum (the sweeter the plum the better), plus an extra cup 1 cup milk

2 cups cream

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup vodka (you could use flavoured vodka for another level of flavour!)

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

zest of 1 lime

1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Freeze an empty freezer-safe shallow bowl or pan. Anything stainless steel works really well here but do avoid any bowls that may shatter once frozen (i.e glass)

In medium sauce pan, combine 1 cup of cream, all of the milk, sugar, and sea salt. Stirring often, heat over medium heat just until the mixture begins to steam and the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, puree 1 1/2 cups of plums, and set aside. Cover the remaining cup of chopped plums, along with any juices, and set in the fridge for later.

Combine the cream mixture, pureed plums, remaining cream, vodka, and lime juice and zest and pour into your pre-frozen bowl or pan. Place it in the freezer. After 20-30 minutes, check on the mixture, once the edges start to freeze, take out the mixture and beat it using a hand mixer.

By breaking up the ice cream, you’ll help make it smooth and creamy. You cannot beat the mixture too much.Return the pan to the freezer. Every 30 minutes or so, take it back out and beat the ice cream again. Repeat until it is firmly frozen, usually around four or five mixing sessions. On your last misxing session, add the extra cup of plums and juices. Once it’s frozen, the mixture should be smooth and creamy.

If at any time the ice cream becomes too hard, place it in the refrigerator until it becomes soft enough to beat, and then continue the process.

Store the ice cream in a covered freezer container until ready to serve

The Big Foody's Favourite Ice Cream Spots

If you are only going to indulge in one cold, creamy and indulgent treat on your visit to Auckland, it will have to be where we send and recommend all our guests to visit and whom we have even created a special tour for, for our exclusive cruise customers, namely, Giapo! featuring handmade ice cream, gelato & sorbet in traditional & adventurous flavours, presented in the most amazing and creative ways!

However, there are other Ice Cream spots dotted around Auckland that are must visits too including;

• On the outskirts of the city, as you exit suburbia and enter the rural outskirts, predominantly south, east and west, you will stumble across the small road-side Ice Cream stalls serving up the most delicious fresh berry ice creams. Often placed right beside a strawberry farm and its fields of strawberries, these fresh berry ice creams are a bit of a tradition and a must stop for locals heading out of the city on the weekends and can therefore get pretty busy!

• If your are heading north, make sure that you stop in at Charlies Gelato in Matakana. One of our favourites of our lovely tour guide Colleen and her family. Charlies stocks over 40 flavours using fresh and local ingredients. It’s all handmade in small batches on a daily basis just for you. Whether you are after something fun, fruity or decadent, there will be a flavour to suit your tastes and mood! Make sure that you visit regularly so not to miss their monthly seasonal flavour.

• Juicy Gelato situated on State Highway 16 heading into Kumeu, is a dream come true for gelato, icecream, sorbet and coffee lovers. With bean bags spotted around outside to enjoy your gelato on and the never ending amount of flavours, Juicy is a hot spot over the summer months.

• You may know it better for it’s cheese, it’s scrumptious cheese toasties and maybe even it’s coffee, however the Kapiti Store also sells its own Kapiti ice cream, with amazing flavours like, Spicy Apple Crumble, Lemon Shortcake, Chamomile and Salted Kamahi Honey, Summer Nectarine plus your traditional flavours of course, your taste buds will be tempted for sure (ours are!)

These are just some of our favourites here at the Big Foody Food Tours, but there are many more, so join us on one of our Big Foody Food Tours and we’ll let you know more hidden ice cream gems.

Top reasons to go on a Food Tour with the Big Foody Food Tours

1. The Big Foody Food Tours, named in the World’s Best Destination for Travel Experiences according to TripAdvisor travellers and the only food tour provider in New Zealand to be recognised by this. Now that’s a good reason to join us!

2. We are a dedicated FOOD TOUR COMPANY, not a tour company that does food tours. It is what we do! We love it and wouldn't want to do anything else.

3. The BEST guides. Whether you get Elle or Colleen, they are local foodie experts from forever ago and experts in guiding, you will be entertained for hours. Bubbly and friendly, they know Auckland and it’s food scene, they will be able to make personalised recommendation for any foodie and their quirks. They are more than just food guides, you’ll finish the tour having made a new friend.

4. DELICIOUS stops! Taste Auckland like a local. We visit the popular, must do experiences of Auckland, but also the hidden delights only the locals know of. We take you where we take our friends and family, only selected favourites make the cut for their tastes and the best people and their stories. It’s not just about the food, it's’ about our people, our land and our producers. We serve up the stories behind our favourite spots and their incredible food.

5. Meet the LOCALS. Our suppliers and who we visit on our stops are considered part of our family. On our tours, we treat you like family too. Our relationships with our suppliers therefore make you part of their family. You will get insights into their passion and their livelihood so that after your tour, you will be filled with knowledge about New Zealand’s artisans and producers to take with you on your travels and back home.

6. Best RECOMMENDATIONS on dining in Auckland and New Zealand. Don’t end up at soulless tourist eateries, join a Big Foody Food tour for our insider knowledge of where to dine. Venture off the beaten path to experience the best of Auckland cuisine just like a local. As we have said before, we are foodie experts and we love food and dining out and we KNOW the restaurant scene. You can be guaranteed to come back from the tour with a loooong list of recommendations for dining out in Auckland and throughout New Zealand.

7. RELAX -  We lead the way around Auckland on our organised and customer focused tours and we are are pretty laid back and love to have a laugh! Rely on us to take care of everything and enjoy the tastes of Auckland. And even better, on our most popular tour, The Tastebud Tour we drive you around Auckland exploring the best spots in town. What better way than to explore and taste Auckland whilst sitting back and relaxing.

8. PERSONALISED service. Our tours are small and personalised, we try to customise (to a degree) to what you are passionate and interested about. It is about you, the customer after all. You will be able to hear every word that comes out of our guides mouth and there are always enough samples, no mass tour groups here.

9. HISTORIC SIGHTS - The Big Foody Food Tours is more than just a food tour - we take you to and point out the iconic buildings and architecture of Auckland. We talk about New Zealand’s and Auckland’s culture and what we have to offer on the entertainment scene.

10. TRUSTED AND EXPERIENCED Food Tour company. We have been touring around Auckland and tasting with our guests since 2009. We know what we are doing and work in the industry. We run food tours throughout New Zealand and in Portland, Oregon in the United States. We work with many large travel agencies and get referred to many private and media tours, as well as picking up many of the pre-arranged day excursions from the Cruise liners. Trust us to take you on a a food tour that is small and personalized, friendly and laid back but professional and in-the-know. We know how to create an unforgettable experience for you.

11. REVIEWS We love our guests and we treat them like family and the bestest friend. We thank every single one of them for the FANTASTIC reviews that they leave us. We are so thankful to them all for our Overall Traveller rating on Tripadvisor of 5.0. THANK YOU. Read some of the reviews here.

Come away with a new friend, a smile, a full tummy (puku in maori) and history and stories about places you’ve been and people that you have met, The Big Foody Food Tours is the Ultimate way to taste Auckland (and the rest of New Zealand and Portland, Oregon).

New Zealand is precious, and everyone who lives and travels here has a responsibility to look after it.

The Tiaki Promise is a commitment to care for New Zealand, for now and for future generations.

By following the Tiaki Promise, you are making a commitment to New Zealand. To act as a guardian, protecting and preserving our home.

At The Big Foody Food Tours our commitment to preserving, nurturing and respecting New Zealand is one of the reasons we set us the business. We care deeply about the country we live in and adore and commit to the protection of its future. 

Honey and Lemon Toddy

To celebrate Bee Aware Month and the glut of lemons on our trees, here is a Hot Toddy recipe with a twist (whiskey is optional!)

1 Tablespoon Honey

1 Cinnamon Stick

1 Cardamon pod

Juice of 1 Lemon

A (sneaky) nip of Whiskey

Put honey (and whiskey, if using) in a mug, along with the cinnamon stick and Cardamon pod.

Add lemon juice.

Pour in hot (notboiling water) and pop in the sprigs of thyme for a couple of minutes.

ENJOY!