Food writer Peta Mathias says India is her favourite spot for a foodie tour. Photo / Supplied.
Food writer Peta Mathias says India is her favourite spot for a foodie tour. Photo / Supplied.
A top local TV chef believes our tourism board is “behind the eight ball” in promoting New Zealand’s culinary scene.
Peta Mathias has been a household name and one of the country’s most beloved celebrity chefs, after she moved back here in the 90s after years working in London and Paris.
With multiple cookbooks and TV shows under her belt, Mathias branched out in 2006 and started organising gastronomic tours around the world.
Speaking to Lorna Riley on the Herald’s travel podcast, Trip Notes, Mathias said this was borne out of a desire to go back to France.
" It happened because I wanted to get back to France and have someone else pay for it,“ she joked.
“That was my motivation. It love it. So... I just arrived back in New Zealand from living 10 years in France and I was doing various things working as a chef and then I thought, oh God, I really miss France and I didn’t wanna go back to France unless I had a really good reason to go there.
“So [I thought] I will take people to my France and I will show them the food, and I’ll do a week long culinary tour. And somebody else will pay for it. And that’s what I did!”
Over 20 years of these tours, Mathias has visited a range of countries, from France to China to Portugal, but India is her favourite.
“A lot of people are afraid to go to India because they think it’s gonna be hot, it’s gonna be weird, it’s gonna be spicy, it’s gonna be overwhelming, there’s too many people.
“So they like to go with a group like mine, an organized group the first time. And they think, this was fabulous, I’m not afraid to go back a second time now.”
When those trips took a hit during Covid, Mathias pivoted to local cuisine instead.
And speaking to Lorna Riley on the Herald’s travel podcast, Trip Notes, she believes our cuisine is world class.
“As far as I’m concerned, the tourism board is behind the eight ball on gastronomic tourism in New Zealand. We have lots of great food, we have lots of great cooks, we have lots of great restaurants, and New Zealand is never marketed as a culinary destination.”
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If you are looking to go on a culinary adventure by yourself, Mathias said the main thing, whilst be cautious of where you are going, is to be “fearless”.
“Don’t be a wimp. Try everything. Be safe but travelling on your own is fantastic. People talk to you, they see that you’re on your own, especially if you have a little notebook and you’re writing things down.
“Before I organized my own tours, I would never have gone on an organized tour. It was of no interest. I was too independent. So I think it depends on your personality.”
And there are ways to do both if you are unsure where to eat.
“If I was going to completely and I was on my own, I would look up cooking schools, I would look up culinary tours.,” Mathias said.
“And even if it’s a half day culinary tour in a strange city, I would do that and then I would pick the brains of the guide.”
Listen to the full episode for more food travel advice from Peta Mathias, including which countries’ cuisine surprised her the most.
Trip Notes is an NZ Herald podcast hosted by Lorna Riley, a keen travel writer and enthusiast and host of Coast Days. New episodes are available every Tuesday.
