The Food Show News Updates

NZ sweet cherries - the answers to quality sleep

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:18:00 GMT

Donna and Simon Musgrave, founders of Christchurch-based Tru2U Ltd, are the protagonists of a 100% kiwi success story. What makes the Musgraves' story special is that their personal experiences have always been the drive behind their business.

Donna and Simon would never have thought that their daughter's sleeping problems would lead them to a miraculous health product, as well as a successful business, when they discovered a natural source of phytomelatonin.

This plant-sourced form of melatonin supports regular sleep patterns for a quality and restorative sleep.

When they first gave this to their 2 ½ year old daughter, she slept for 12 hours straight, for the first time ever! "I know how it is to be a sleep deprived parent! I wanted to help lots of other parents who would have been in the same situation." says Donna.

The Musgraves were excited with the discovery of useful melatonin levels in NZ Sweet Cherries grown in Central Otago due to high UV exposure and long sunshine hours.

They have taken that a step further as after considerably testing, they discovered that the highest melatonin levels are in the skins of NZ Sweet Cherries.

Even more exciting is that these cherries are usually a waste product as they do not qualify for export or local markets.

Since they are not "perfect" in their form and appearance, they are usually left to rot, so using these cherries will open up a whole new opportunity for cherry growers. "We want to create an export market for this. To be proud as Cantabrians and loyal Kiwi's to our heritage. We have succeeded in producing an amazing product that works!" says Donna.

Like all Cantabrians, Donna and Simon had a rough time during the earthquakes that changed their lives and Christchurch forever. Like many others, they thought about leaving the city or even the country, and they even thought about ending their business.

But they stayed - "We wanted to be a part of the city's recovery after the earthquake! We wanted to help!" says Donna, recalling those days with tears in her eyes. The huge sleeping problems that people started to experience after the quakes, especially children, gave the Musgraves' the determination to carry on.

They decided that it was the right time to create a New Zealand grown natural sleep aid for all the family - Tru2U Sleep Support - a specialty product made from NZ sweet cherries.

Donna and Simon are proud that their products are 100% natural, with absolutely no additives, preservatives or colouring agents. They are dairy and gluten free, and are independently tested for over 200 agricultural residues to ensure exceptional quality.

Martin Jimmink, Tru2U business coach for the past three years, says that Donna and Simon are lovely people whose business in health products, as well as the name of their company, say a lot about them.

"Tru2U means exactly what it says: it is important to be honest to yourself and to your customers and this is what we do", says Donna before answering her cell phone to talk to her daughter, now a healthy and beautiful 8 year-old girl whose sleeping problems are over.

You will be welcomed to a free tasting and to also learn about 'Why you can't sleep?' at the Wellington Food Show, Westpac Stadium 24th - 26th May

For more information: 0800 87 82 82 or www.tru2u.co.nz

View Tru2U's profile page

Can ‘YUMM’ Give NZ Sweet Cherries a Little Sparkle?

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:53:00 GMT

The world's first New Zealand sweet cherry juice, Yumm, is available for the first time at The Food Show in Wellington this year, made entirely of New Zealand grown sweet cherries, and you can be among the first in the world for a free tasting!

New Zealand sweet cherries are renowned for their high quality, clean green image, their sweet and succulent taste for export, but now they will be famous as a world first as New Zealand's only sweet cherry 'ready to drink'.

Grown and hand picked from our very own Central Otago region, the cherries are now used to produce a juice that is bursting with flavour, has a smooth velvety texture with massive health benefits. This 100% pure and natural fruit juice has absolutely nothing added and is for the entire family.

The "Yumm" juice, which will be launched at The Food Show on 24th May at the Westpac Stadium, is not only 100% yummy, but all natural, with no added sugar, no preservatives, and is suitable for many diabetics. Yumm will be presented in both still and sparkling ready-to-drink bottles, as well as a gourmet concentrate.

The new Yumm products will be distributed through supermarkets, restaurants and cafes nationwide, as well as being available online.

For more information contact: www.yumm.kiwi.nz or call 0800 00 YUMM

View Yumm's profile page

New steaks for steak lovers

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:49:00 GMT

Introducing the new Māhaki Valley Lamb Steaks and Haumako Hills Venison Steaks from Silver Fern Farms.

They've put so much effort in to these little beauties that they are virtually impossible to mess up - so home cooks can take all the credit.

The experts at Silver Fern Farms have skillfully selected the best tasting, leanest and most tender cuts of lamb and venison for their take on this classic cut - and these new steaks are the perfect example of good things coming in small packages.

The 220g pack size makes them an ideal meal for two any night of the week. The perfect portion size mean there's no wastage and cooking is simple. You'll be surprised just how satisfying they are!

To keep things convenient, the vacuum-sealed packaging allows the steaks to age and tenderise, keeping them refrigerator fresh for up to 30 days.

Healthy and tasty don't always go together but the new Silver Fern Farms steaks are both. They carry the Heart Foundation Tick and these lean and boneless cuts of meat come completely ready to pop in the pan (or on the grill or BBQ) - there's no fat trimming needed.

Each steak only takes 3-4 minutes each side to cook, so in less than ten minutes from start to finish they'll be ready to serve up and impress. The team at Silver Fern Farms has even put recipes right on the pack for inspiration. It's never been easier to cook a restaurant quality lamb or venison steak at home (and at supermarket prices).

The only hard part is choosing which product to cook.

Silver Fern Farms Māhaki Valley Lamb Steaks  The Maori word Māhaki reflects the subtle and unique taste of our lamb - Silver Fern Farms' lamb steaks are lean and juicy with a subtle sweetness. It's a flavour that comes from lamb grown in the calm quiet of the lush pastures and valleys of New Zealand - and even though its subtle, it'll hold its own in any recipe you choose.

Silver Fern Farms Haumako Hills Venison Steaks   Haumako reflects the delicately rich taste of Silver Fern Farms' naturally lean and healthy venison steaks. It's a distinctive flavour that comes from venison grown on the fertile rolling hills of New Zealand. If you've never tried venison before, now's your chance. You might just find your new favourite steak.

At Silver Fern Farms they don't mind doing the hard yards. Not if it means delivering the best, restaurant quality cuts to you, every time. They reckon the results are worth the extra effort.

"We go to great lengths so you don't have to."

View Silver Fern Farm's profile page

Name that cheese!

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:29:00 GMT

This will be the first chance for the Wellington public to taste all of the Neudorf Dairy Gold Medal winning cheeses since the New Zealand Champions of Cheese Awards in late February - and you are really in for a treat Wellingtonians!

Neudorf Dairy won 3 gold medals for their well renowned Mt Arthur with it's unusual hint of pineapple, the recently launched Mt Cobb Gouda which is typically smooth and creamy, as a good young gouda should be, and the Richmond Rougette which is a young washed cheese with a mild caramel flavour and beautiful red rind - 'Rougette' means little red.

Neudorf cheeses and yoghurt are available from a wide selection of local outlets including Moore Wilson, OnTrays, Urban Harvest, Commonsense Organics on Wakefield St, in Lower Hutt and Paraparaumu, New World supermarkets in Island Bay, Khandallah and Levin.

You may also be able to order dishes containing Neudorf Dairy cheese from some of the more parochial restaurants in Wellington. These chefs and restauranteurs do an amazing job of foraging and finding out about local artisan products sometimes even going so far as to visit factory to meet the cheesemaker, which is then reflected beautifully and meaningfully in their menus. Neudorf Dairy would like to set the challenge for more Wellington restaurants to name the cheeses they use in dishes and sell as cheeseboards in their menus. That's why every chef who has Neudorf Dairy cheeses named on their menu, just needs to bring a copy of their restaurant menu to the Neudorf Dairy stand at the Wellington Food Show to be given a selection of 3 Neudorf Dairy cheeses of their choice to take away.

The Neudorf Dairy team would like to see increased support for New Zealand artisan cheese by the restaurant industry in the same way they support local vintners. When dining out we all expect to see a wine list with the name of each vineyard, style of wine, year it was produced and a possibly even a short description and suggested food matches.

Luckily for us long gone are the days when the only options were 'House Red' or 'House White' with the choice between medium or dry! However it is still very common in even some of our most prestigious New Zealand restaurants to read on the menu 'A selection of New Zealand Cheeses' or the marginally better 'Selection of Local Cheeses'. When the reality is that these cheeses may have been produced in an automated factory as part of a huge production run for the export market, or alternatively they could have been cared for during every step of the manufacturing process from animal health, to production using traditional recipes and with a hands on approach to looking after the cheeses through every step of the aging process.

Customers now want to know at the very least which dairy produced the cheese, plus where menu space allows what type of milk the cheese is made from, the style of cheese and even suggested beverage or food matches. New Zealand artisan cheese manufacturers work hard for this recognition, producing these delicious cheeses - and restaurant patrons have a right to know more about what they are eating.

The Wellington restaurant industry is more innovative and vibrant than ever and can lead the charge with educating their chefs, wait staff and customers about good artisan foods. Artisan producers need to embrace this thirst for information, or hunger for information in the case of cheese, by encouraging this curiosity and sharing their own experience and knowledge about their products. It's time to name that cheese Wellington!

View Neudorf Dairy's profile page

Natural winemakers axe the traditional & bring a fresh perspective to Supermarket wines

Fri, 10 May 2013 14:53:00 GMT

For the traditionalist a young wine might be sniffed at, but in the progressive winegrowing region of Hawke's Bay this little winery is turning all that on its head.

Unafraid to boldly march into the world of lively, fruit forward wine styles that are unashamedly young, Moana Park Winery's Crush Pad series are described by owner and chief winemaker Dan Barker, as "the cheeky younger sister to our more 'serious' Moana Park labels. While we love making seriously fine wines at the super premium level, we also like to have a bit of fun." he laughs.

"Wines don't have to be the age of your grandfather to be any good. With Crush Pad we wanted to show it's possible to crush grapes straight off the pad and have them fresh, fruity and ready for the drinking within a matter of weeks, while still meeting the strict quality and natural winemaking measures we impose on ourselves, and of course being affordable for the supermarket consumer. That's what Crush Pad is all about, and it's been pretty fun to make."

Dan explains that the popularity of this new label has taken them largely by surprise, and is really starting to take off. "What started as a sideline for us has swiftly exploded into a huge chunk of our production."

Crush Pad sales have been gaining traction in key Wellington stores and Moana Park will be showcasing the range at The Food Show later this month in an effort to expand their fan base within the Wellington set.

Available at selected Foodstuffs supermarkets (New World/Pak n Save) and stores across the country, Crush Pad wines offer affordable natural wines with added benefits for the body and the land. Made under sustainable and organic principles, without the use of copper, and with very low preservative and sugar levels, these wines are all that and a scoop of chips.

Crush Pad wines will be available for tasting at The Food Show in Wellington 24th - 26th May 2013, alongside Moana Park's premium Estate Series wines, at Stand 106. Visit www.crushpad.co.nz for a complete list of stockists and further information.

Food events to excite as Port Douglas Carnivale Showcases its best

Fri, 10 May 2013 14:35:00 GMT

Running from May 17 to 26, event organisers of the Port Douglas Carnivale said there was a lot to look forward to this year with new events, surprise celebrity appearances as well as the gourmet favourites festival goers have come to love.

Port Douglas Carnivale manager Ken Dobbs said the 2013 event programme was the largest and most diverse ever to be put together by the team at Carnivale. "Port Douglas Carnivale has continued to grow and evolve into one of Australia's leading festivals and these new events prove that people are hungry for more," he said.

Building on last year's successful gourmet weekend opener, Mr Dobbs said Port Douglas Carnivale had introduced additional food events on the second weekend to round out the festival programme and increase attendance across the 10 days of the festival.

The opening weekend will comprise of the Sheraton Mirage Longest Lunch and the Macrossan Street Parade on Friday, May 17 and Food, Wine & A Taste of Port and the Family Beach Day on Saturday, May 18. Kicking off the second weekend of food events will be Palates of Port on Friday, May 25. On Saturday, will be the launch of a new event, A Taste of Paradise, which Mr Dobbs hopes will grow to become one of the region's most significant food events.

This one-day free event, which will be held from 9am to 5pm at the Sugar Wharf, has been created to showcase the food, the restaurants, the chefs and the beverage makers of the far north region. Hear celebrity chefs including Ben O'Donohue share tips of the trade with cooking demonstrations, learn new skills but most importantly enjoy the food and wine on the day.

Daryl Braithewaite will also perform that night in an outdoor concert at the Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas. The Meridian Seafood Extravaganza, held along Port Douglas' marina on Sunday morning, will conclude the weekend.

"This is a day for families, couples and friends to come together and enjoy free entertainment and great seafood all along the boardwalk at the marina," Mr Dobbs said.

The festival program will be further bolstered by some old favourites including Carnivale Club featuring comedy acts, the Exemplar Clipper Cup as well as other sporting and community events.

"Port Douglas Carnivale has come of age. For 19 years this celebration of life in the tropics has been going strong and this year will be the biggest yet and with the callibre of celebrities such as Ben and Darryl as well as gourmet food events across both weekends, we are extremely excited."

For more information, visit www.carnivale.com.au.

Nespresso at The Food Show Wellington

Wed, 08 May 2013 11:08:00 GMT

The pioneers of premium portioned coffee Nespresso, will be a welcome sight at this year's Wellington Food Show as Nespresso staff offer visitors a much needed caffeine boost with a complimentary tasting experience.

At Nespresso, coffee is at the heart of what they do and consumer pleasure is why they do it. There are 16 Grand Crus that are created by sourcing only the top 1 - 2% of coffee grown globally.

New Zealand is a nation of coffee connoisseurs who appreciate high quality coffee and all guests who want to create the Nespresso experience in their own home will receive a Discovery Tray, with any Nespresso machine purchased.

The Discovery Tray, which retails at $80, is an elegant wooden box, which comes complete with 36 capsules, providing a complete experience of Nespresso's permanent 16 Grand Crus. Nespresso offers innovative and cutting edge designs across a wide variety of machine choices, so there is one to suit every kitchen.

Nespresso will be positioned at Stand 160 at The Food Show Wellington, which takes place from Friday 24th May to Sunday 26th May 2013. For the full Nespresso range, visit www.nespresso.com.

View Nespresso's profile page

Snooty Fruit

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:42:00 GMT

Snooty Fruit products have been and are being developed for the discerning diner, people who are passionate about good food, who enjoy experimenting with different flavour combinations using high quality additive free ingredients.

Our small batch, handmade preserves created in the Snooty Kitchen, north of Wellington, will compliment almost any type of dish, both sweet and savoury, at times teasing and definitely pleasing most palettes.

All the fresh fruit we use is sourced directly from the grower or distributer, enabling us to buy fruit at its prime ripeness and quality.

We are constantly looking for interesting and new flavour combinations - and being a small boutique style company, we are able to respond to identified market trends in a relatively short time frame, depending on availability of fruits.

Queensland - State of events

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:34:00 GMT

Queensland - State of Events

Queensland's events calendar is practically overflowing state wide, with a vast array of events on over the coming months.

Starting up in Tropical North Queensland, the annual Cairns Blues Festival on 11 May, features a fine selection of performers from Australia and overseas. Blues music is showcased at this friendly, open air festival set amid the tropical splendor of Fogarty Park, on the Cairns Esplanade. This festival values hospitality, fine quality music, the Far North Queensland tropical lifestyle, and welcomes people of all ages.

Set in one of the world's most tropical locations, the Cairns Airport Adventure Festival takes place from 2 - 10 June and features 10 jam-packed days of events for people of all ages and abilities, including; Urban Hotel Group Ironman 70.3 Cairns, Coral Coast 5150, RRR Mountain Bike Challenge, Great Barrier Reef Ocean Challenge, Quicksilver Reef Swim - Green Island, The Cairns Post Run for Cairns and McDonalds Ironkids Cairns - a triathlon designed especially for kids! Plus there's plenty of entertainment with a free community concert.

The pinnacle of the festival is 'Cairns Airport Ironman Cairns' a gruelling iron-distance triathlon that features a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike leg that travels one of the most scenic coastal roads in Australia towards Port Douglas and a 42.2 km run that includes the Cairns Esplanade before finishing in the heart of Cairns.

The Noosa Long Weekend Festival on the Sunshine Coast is back for its 12th year, with more than 85 events, including theatre, cabaret, drama, forums, literature, food, film, supper clubs, workshops and even a Viennese Ball. Known as one of Australia's leading regional arts festivals, this year from between 14-23 of June, visitors can attend a variety of free and ticketed events. Early release events, such as the opening act night, Bobby Fox's 4 seasons in 1 night went on sale Friday March 22. The remaining ticketed events will go on sale on Friday May 3 with the release of the full festival program.

The 35th annual Gold Coast Airport Marathon takes place from July 6-7 this year with the event comprising of several races including the full marathon but also the ASICS half Marathon, 10k, 5.7km Challenge and Junior Dash. Adopting the mantra 'Come for the run, stay for the fun', entrants from more than 30 countries participate annually in this increasingly popular event, staying around after the event to enjoy the region's many attractions. Registrations are open now.

Last but not least, Brisbane's impressive line-up of cultural events includes the Bolshoi Ballet who will present the ballets Le Corsaire and The Bright Stream at QPAC (Queensland Performing Arts Centre) from May 30-June 5, also a number of exciting exhibitions at GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art). These include 'My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Australia', 'Quilts 1700-1945' in collaboration with London's Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), explores more than 200 years of British patchwork and quilt-making, 'California Design 1930-1965 Living in a Modern Way', a major study of modern Californian design from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and finally, leading international artist, Cai Guo-Quiang will have free reign to transform the GOMA gallery spaces this summer.

Best known as the Director of Visual & Special Effects for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese-born, New York-based artist is internationally recognised as one of the leading masters of contemporary art. He will showcase popular pieces and a collection of works that draws upon Queensland-inspired history, landscape and culture and his Chinese heritage.

More information available from www.queenslandholidays.co.nz/iss/new-zealand/events/events-calendar.cfm

Prenzel's special Food Show recipe competition

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:53:00 GMT

A warm welcome (and if it's a cold day, a glass of mulled wine or hot lemon; honey; ginger cordial) awaits all Prenzel lovers on Stand 337 at the Wellington Food Show 24-26 May.

All the old and some new favourites to taste and buy - plus some wicked special offers. Ma Prenzel will be there in person, alongside her tried and trusted oils and vinaigrettes, she will be introducing you to her all-new (actually very old, but only recently out of its barrel and into its bottles) balsamic vinegar, made from Marlborough grapes. Ma knows your taste-buds will be rocked.

If you are looking to cook up a storm, or have a party, let Prenzel add the zest. Visitors to the stand can collect an entry form for Prenzel's special Food Show recipe competition - open only to visitors to the Show. You could be in with a chance for the first prize of a $500 Prenzel hamper. In return, back in Marlborough Prenzel staff are planning to have a feast on entrants' ideas!

The recipe competition is not the only competition Prenzel has going at the moment. At www.prenzel.com there are details of the on-going photography contest. Already, there are some pretty cool entries and, you never know, the coolest are yet to come!