Plenty of love on a plate at Food Show

NZ Herald

29 Jul, 2015 05:00 PM3 mins to read

O'Lelei Yo chief executive Matt Billington (right), 16, preps his almond yoghurt with Buster Milani, 15, and Frances Haagh, 17. Photo / Nick Reed

Medicinal Maori tonics with an Asian fusion kick, a grandmother's curry recipes, classic cheeses with a local twist and a dairy-free yoghurt created by schoolkids are just some of the artisan, handmade and time-honoured treats that will be served up at this year's Food Show.

The event runs from today to Sunday at Auckland's ASB Showgrounds, showcasing much of what is on offer to anyone who loves food, including close to 300 stalls and cooking demonstrations from chefs like Nadia Lim, Simon Gault, Ray McVinnie, Chelsea Winter and Ben Bayly.

Among the stallholders is an innovative group of Kiwi kids from Henderson High who have spent six months creating what they claim to be New Zealand's first almond milk yoghurt, O'Lelei Yo, which unlike normal yoghurt is suitable for vegans.

Matt Billington, a Year 12 student at the West Auckland school, said the idea to make yoghurt came to them at the start of the year.

"There were two people in our group that were dairy free so we decided to come up with a dairy-free product," he said.

The eureka moment came when they saw someone eating yoghurt and realised there was no almond yoghurt producer in New Zealand. A lot of online research and some tweaking of recipes led to the team developing what was to become O'Lelei Yo.

With the help of a Kiwi cheesemaking company, which supplied them with a dairy-free culture, they were able to perfect the recipe, which is being sold for $5.99 per 250ml at the food show.

There is also something at the Food Show for those keen to try a Kiwi classic in the truest sense.

Ahi Ka Tonics makes tea using native New Zealand plants based on traditional Maori herbal remedies like kawakawa and kumarahou leaves, combined with ingredients like ginger, turmeric, wheatgrass, manuka honey and lime juice.

And curry lovers can try pastes from Naaz - a company founded by Riyaz Jalil and his wife Nazra - which are based on her grandmother's 150-year-old recipes.

Cheese lovers can check out Glenbrook Cheese Company, whose cheesemaker creates each batch by hand from guernsey cow's milk.

Food Show organiser Dona White said artisan foods had been trending for about seven years, but time honoured family recipes were starting to emerge in new ways.