Monthly Archives: November 2017

Top 5 Sabato Christmas Stocking fillers for any Foodie

From beautiful fragrant oils to the most seductive cheeses, delicious Pâté, mousses and pickles, relishes and chutneys and mouthwatering pastries served with intensely satisfying coffee, Sabato are purveyors of fine foods. Fine Foods sourced from around the world and every corner of New Zealand.

Our favourite treasures at Sabato are all New Zealand made and perfect for stocking fillers for the foodie in your life (or secrectly pop them in your one!) and include;

Hazels Hazelnut Oil, sourced from the finest South Island Hazelnuts and cold pressed into a “as-if-you-are-actually-eating-hazelnuts” oil. Super delicious dipped into Dukkah with bread or use your imagination making salad dressings and marinades.

Aromatics Wine Barrel Smoked Mushrooms

Smokey from the Manuka and the wine barrel oak and combined with aromatic wines, these mushrooms are a must for your next antipasto platter, risotto or paella.

Coppersfolly Pure Wasabi, is not your ordinary green ‘stashed-into-your-takeaway-sushi-box’ wasabi, this is the REAL stuff and you might even surprise yourself that you may even like it. Grown in Canterbury, New Zealand, it is not mixed with horseradish and contains no synthetic flavourings or colours. It goes beautifully with steak, ham, chicken, lamb, sushi, fish and seafood and on any great antipasto platter.

Stams Apple Syrups made with 100% pure New Zealand apples, produced in the beautiful Bay of Plenty and  with no added sugars this syrup is to die for! Try it drizzled over ice cream or pancakes or with roast pork or bacon, divine!

Line’s Knaekbrod Crackers, although Dutch sounding and very much a traditional Dutch fare, this delicacy is made right here in Auckland, New Zealand. Any topping goes perfectly or simply on their own they are absolutely moreish.

These are just a few examples that your tastebuds will discover on our exclusive samplings at Sabato.

We at the Big Foody are privileged to be able to treat our tour guests to these tastings, join us on one of our Big Foody Food tours to experience these ultimate taste sensations for yourself.

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Joe-Ann's First Giapo Experience

Scents of rich dark chocolate waft through the air as I step into Giapo’s entrance, from there one can only be mesmerised by what is not just an ice cream, but a work of edible art. As we are treated to testers of the various most imaginative flavours, one can only trust one's gut to make a decision on which flavour to go with. With slight hesitation (as one flavour is as good as the next and this decision suddenly seems like a life and death decision) I decide on the Kiwifruit and Coriander sorbet. Yip Kiwifruit and Coriander! Dotted with edamame beans and sprinkled with poppy seeds! As strange as this combination sounds, it is the most rewarding flavour combination that my taste buds could ever have imagined!! The sweetness of the kiwifruit followed by the uniqueness that can only be fresh green coriander and the occasional soft crunch of an edamame bean or poppy seed. An absolute taste rendezvous!! Giapo’s ice creams are crafted to your specific order then and there, and let me tell you, you will not be disappointed, by the taste or its artistic flair.

Join a Big Foody Food Tour today  - the ultimate way to taste and experience New Zealand yourself.

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Tucked away throughout New Zealand, Artisan producers, who with the goodness of New Zealand's produce, create morsels that will leave your taste buds asking for more.

We at the Big Foody love discovering these innovative foodies and make sure that they become part of our tours, so that we can share their delights with you.

This month we showcase a few of our favourites, that we either visit or taste some of their products when you come along on one of our Big Foody Food tours.

We asked them questions about what they love about Auckland and it's food scene. Meet them below or even better, join us on a Big Foody Food Tour to meet them or their products in person!

First off, meet Jenny’s Kitchen Tamarind Chutney;

Jenny's Kitchen Tamarind Chutney
At the end of last century, on Waiheke Island (an island just off Auckland), Jenny Stewart created a Tamarind chutney that would go on to become "World Famous on Waiheke Island" and win a multitude of awards. Handed over and now owned and run by Cathy Knight and Grant Hunter since the late 1990's, Jenny's Tamarind Chutney is still going strong and exciting taste-buds everywhere! Cathy and Grant adore Auckland's geography, "To clamber up a Volcano (their favourite is Mt Eden) and watch the sunrise over the many islands of the Hauraki Gulf is pretty special. And where else can you jump on a boat and in less than an hour be on an island with its beautiful beaches, fabulous food and famous wine."
Their favourite place to eat is sitting on Little Oneroa Beach with a Dragon Fired Pizza, or in Auckland city itself they love Pla Thong Thai Restaurant in Mt Eden, which coincidentally is also their favourite food suburb "Mt Eden is spoilt for choice when it come to great places to eat".

Dan and Jo Pearson, owners and creators of Wild Fennel Co, makers of gourmet seasonings, recently relocated themselves down to Dunedin, but  are originally from Auckland and still have very fond memories of Auckland’s food scene;

Wild Fennel Co.

Inspired by traditional flavour pairing from around the world, Wild Fennel Co. is gourmet seasoning at it's finest!

Originally a part-time hobby at Farmers Markets, creators Dan and Jo Pearson have grown the business to now be available in butchers, grocers, deli's, gift stores and supermarkets across New Zealand.

When asked what they love about Auckland, they answered "The beaches and the wine!" "My two favourite places in Auckland are Awhitu and Clevedon, both of which boast some of the most beautiful hidden beaches in the city and some of my favourite drops of red. In Awhitu you have Cliff Edge wines who do a beautiful Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon. In Clevedon there is the quaint Rannach vineyard with their delicious creamy 2008 Merlot."

Their favourite food suburb is "K Rd without a doubt. Lots of choice, Madame George, Bestie Cafe, Satya to name a few favourites, followed by a night out in The Wine Cellar" and their recommendation for something to eat is "Kura for epic Japanese".

Book your Big Foody Food Tour now to experience tastes like Jenny’s Kitchen Tamarind Chutney, Wild Fennel Co. seasonings and many more innovative New Zealand foodies.