James Beck’s must-try Hawke’s Bay ceviche, summer pudding and truffle recipes.
Degustation dining in luxurious lodges. Brilliant café brunches with produce plucked fresh from the garden. Tastings at wineries nestled in the rolling green landscape. If Hawke’s Bay sounds like paradise for gastronomes, there’s good reason for it — the region is New Zealand’s Food and Wine Country, renowned for its producers, chefs, winemakers and hospitality.
Award-winning chef James Beck (formerly of Bistronomy) has spent more than a decade in Hawke’s Bay, working with growers, producers, artisans and farmers, and now, has created recipes for you from their ingredients (try them below).
Easy to make, delicious to eat and filled with ingredients from the region’s innovative and passionate producers, James’ recipes are a culinary itinerary of the region.
Discover the producers’ fascinating stories and then follow James as he showcases their products and creates a feast that will impress even the most refined palate.
Or, for the ultimate Food and Wine Country experience, plan a visit to discover the operators and businesses for yourself.
Hands Down make 100 per cent natural corn tortillas made fresh in Napier’s CBD. Using Hawke’s Bay-grown corn, Hands Down tortillas are the perfect addition to any summer dish.
Chef James Beck likes to use them with Better Fishing ceviche and avocado salad with passionfruit granita.
Or visit them yourself at their next taco party!
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Advertise with NZME.With more than 35 cellar doors and over 70 wineries, Hawke’s Bay is Aotearoa’s second largest wine-growing region.
Its warm Mediterranean climate produces full-bodied Bordeaux reds, silky smooth Syrahs and award-winning, Chardonnays.
And while delicious to drink, Hawke’s Bay wine is also the perfect addition to many recipes. Check out how Chef James Beck uses Clearview Sparkling Rosé in a summer pudding.
Or plan a trip to Hawke’s Bay and visit your favourite wineries in person.
Known as ‘black diamonds’, truffles are incredibly tricky to produce but can be found at Hawke’s Bay’s hidden truffières each winter as chefs, nationwide, wait with bated breath to get their hands the elusive ingredient.
Renowned for their earthy, musty and pungent taste and aroma, truffles are typically found by dogs who are specially trained to sniff out — but not eat! — the truffle. Traditionally used in pasta, egg, potato and poultry dishes, truffles are now used across a wide range of meals and mealtimes, with shaved truffles an incredibly versatile garnish. James has created an entire menu using truffle, which you can enjoy too.
A number of Hawke’s Bay operators run truffle events each winter, but keep an eye out for Wallingford and The Manse, who team truffle hunts with truffle degustation dinners.
