Hillary gets true flavour of Kiwiana at BBQ

Hillary Clinton and Kura Moeahu. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Nelson scallops, whitebait fritters and pavlova - the spread awaiting one of the most powerful women in the world at John Key's barbecue last night had a distinctly Kiwi feel to it.

Seafood was a major theme, including oysters, which greeted the 12 guests as they arrived, and crayfish and hapuka as two of the mains.

For starters Hillary Clinton nibbled on whitebait fritters, wild boar sausage, Nelson scallops and paua fritters.

For the main course, the smorgasbord included crayfish barbecued in garlic butter and grilled limes, hapuka and venison rack.

There was no shortage of greens either with a kumara-potato salad, grilled Mediterranean vegetables, steamed asparagus, and rocket mesclun leaf salad.

To ensure the satisfaction of bellies, there were three desserts: mini-pavlovas with passionfruit curd and kiwifruit sorbet, toffee milk creme brulee and - for the less adventurous - strawberries and blueberries.

Several good Kiwi drops accompanied the dinner - Seresin sauvignon blanc and Pyramid Valley riesling (Marlborough), Neudorf chardonnay (Nelson), Rippon pinot noir (Wanaka), Stonecroft syrah (Hawkes Bay), and the Pegasus Bay Encore Noble riesling.

Beers and juices flowed freely.

The dinner was sourced and prepared by Steve Logan of Logan Brown Restaurant.

Mr Logan was also on hand to explain to the diners what they were eating, and from which part of New Zealand it came.

Mr Key gifted the US Secretary of State six bottles of Craggy Range red wine - 2008 Le Sol syrah, RRP $108 a bottle.

The guest list of 12 included Mr Key, Foreign Minister Murray McCully, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade John Allen, Ambassador to Washington and former Prime Minister Mike Moore, Mr Key's chief of staff Wayne Eagleson and senior minister Judith Collins.

It is understood that Mrs Clinton was joined by US Ambassador David Huebner and Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.

Today she will be flying to Christchurch to visit the United States Antarctic programme, celebrating 50 years of joint scientific co-operation, an event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce, and a town hall meeting to reach out to citizens that suffered in the September 4 earthquake.