KEY POINTS:
To help usher in Matariki, Northland chefs are hosting special dinners at restaurants across the region this month. Paihia restaurants and cafes have added prizes for accommodation and dining to the menu. The Maori New Year celebrations culminate in a special indigenous festival dinner in Whangarei on Sunday, June 24, combining the talents of five top chefs. Art exhibitions, celestial viewings and cultural displays have also been organised as a draw for visitors. The dinner is at Barge Park Showgrounds and cooking up a storm on stage will be Whangarei's Brenton Low of a deco and Brad O'Connell of Tonic; Paul Jobin from puretastes, Paihia; Matthew Lee, Blue Water Bar and Bistro, Opua; and Hughie Blues, Waikokopou Cafe, Waitangi. Tickets are $130 a person for food and wine. Book online at info@puretastes.co.nz or at puretastes (09) 402-0003 or a deco (09) 459-4957.
To find out more about Matariki and the special celebrations check www.taitokerau.co.nz
New beerings
After nearly 50 years of making Steinlager, a new beer has been added to the range. Steinlager Pure was launched on Auckland's waterfront last week. It features 100 per cent pure New Zealand ingredients and uses a new hop variety to deliver a smooth, refreshing taste. Steinlager Classic, the country's top-selling premium lager, remains on the shelves and Pure is now in bars. It retails at liquor outlets for $24.99 a dozen.
Treat and eat
Auckland's Stamford Plaza hotel is launching Gourmet Cooking Weekends. These exclusive events will be held quarterly, giving serious foodies the chance to combine their interests with a luxury weekend away from home. The first weekend is on June 23-24, in time for the Stamford's monthly Sunday market in the hotel lobby. Check in early on Saturday, then visit the Auckland Fish Markets for a shellfish cooking class with Stephen Roberts. A food and wine matching session follows back at the hotel with Pernod Ricard's wine specialist Chris Telford. Later, a seven-course degustation menu will be led by the hotel's executive chef, Lance Beamiss. After a leisurely breakfast on Sunday it's time to learn to cook paella with Joaquim Gines from the Barcelona Spanish deli and to enjoy tapas and wine during the session before a Spanish lunch. Then there's time for a quick siesta before a 3pm checkout.
The weekend in a five-star room with food and wines is $375 (plus GST) each or $275 (plus GST) without accommodation. Numbers are limited.
For more information and bookings email sarahthomson@spak.stamford.com.au or ph (09) 912 3006 or www.stamford.com.au
In a jam
Always keen for new things to put on our toast, we were excited to come across Moutere Gold. Traditionalists should take a shine to Mandarin Marmalade with Whisky, while those wanting a modern take on an old favourite may opt for the Kiwi Rhubarb and Raspberry Jam. But if you're looking for glamour, the Citrus and Passionfruit Curd's your spread. We imagine it would also be perfect in a sponge roll. Prices start at $8.95 for 310g from Farro Fresh, ph (09) 570 7071.
Sacre bleu
New French President Nicolas Sarkozy faces a threat from a shadowy group of "wine terrorists". They've issued a one-month ultimatum threatening unspecified action unless he helps the wine industry by raising prices to growers. The Regional Committee for Viticultural Action (CRAV) has been known to hijack tankers of foreign wine and dynamite government buildings or supermarkets. While nobody will own up to being a member, Britain's Daily Telegraph reports it is an open secret that the CRAV is the armed wing of winemakers' unions of the Languedoc and Roussillon, the highest-producing wine region in the world, where production far outweighs demand and there is hostility to European Commission plans to "grub up" 200,000ha of vines and review subsidies. The general manager of the French wine bottlers and distributors' association, says the militants are refusing to face the realities of the open market.
