Talking to Deirdre and Ken Field makes you feel as if anything is possible and that "now" is always a good time to start something. Married for 54 years, Deirdre, 74 and Ken, 80, are proud to have spent a life of "working hard, doing this and that and basically enjoying life", and now that they've relocated their wild game meats store from Huntly to Epsom, this couple feel like they've come full circle.
"Thirty five years ago we sold antiques from this same location and now we've come back as the antiques," jokes Deirdre with her wild and husky laugh.
For more than nine years they've been dedicated to sourcing the best wild game meats from around New Zealand to stock their Huntly outlet with cuts most other butcheries didn't - goat and wild venison osso bucco, rabbit shoulder, wild pork belly, beef cheeks and the rest - and travelling north each week to sell their wares at La Cigale's French Market.
They built up such a loyal following of chefs and cooks in Auckland that when considering what to do with their next decade, they decided to relocate to Auckland and, as luck would have it, their old shop space on Manukau Rd was available.
That was enough of a sign for them.
If you love game meat then pay them a visit. Deirdre will be on hand with a quick tip (beetroot with your beef cheeks cuts the cooking time in half) or recipe (her simple rabbit stew is divine), and next week they're expecting a delivery of fresh mutton birds and South Island rabbit.
• Epsom Wild Game, 471 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Ph (09) 630 1040. Open Tues to Sat 10am-6pm.
