Feast Monthly June 2018 by Farro Fresh

FREE COPY: JUNE 2018

JUNE EATING WITH FARRO This month we are comfort eating as the evenings get a little bit darker, a little earlier… we’re craving soups and stews and all things slow cooked. JUNE EVENTS IN STORE

We’re eating the new Farro Kitchen ready-to-go meals this month. If you’re looking for a quick dinner on the hop, the new range is made daily by our team at the Orakei Farro Kitchen. We use only the freshest ingredients, free-range chicken, NZ-raised, grass-fed lamb and beef and Freedom Farms pork too! Try our southern Thai chicken curry, lamb tagine or pork and beef ragu and finish off with some sticky date pud.

SEEDLIP MOCKTAIL MASTERCL ASS 28 JUNE

5 WAYS WITH Flavour Fiend Finishing Butters Flavour Fiend finishing butters have been created by Owen Sinclair and Michele O’Brien to make life easier and bring a little gourmet into your everyday life. New Zealand butter is infused with all-natural ingredients that are bold and pack a flavour punch. They pair perfectly with cooked meat as a simple accompaniment, or melt them over steak, lamb or chicken. We also have some other ways we’re enjoying them:

Farro Grey Lynn, 7-9pm Seedlip’s mixologist Jasmin Rutter will be showcasing how to make Seedlip non-alcoholic cocktails. For ticketing details, visit www.farro.co.nz

Win a Lucky Taco Food Truck to your casa!

Add an extra dimension to your Sunday roast chicken by spreading one of the amazing Flavour Fiend butters between the skin and the flesh of the bird before roasting.

Make your own garlic bread by cutting slashes into a baguette, spread room-temperature Flavour Fiend Garlic & Sea Salt Butter into the slashes and heat in a hot oven until the butter has melted into the bread. Steam clams or mussels in a splash of white wine until they have opened then strain in a colander set over a bowl. Whisk Flavour Fiend Butter of your choice into the shellfish liquor until combined; this is called Monte Au Beurre, then serve poured over shellfish with a generous sprinkle of parsley and crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

$6.99 each Save $1.00 Valid 28 June to 24 July

Sauté diced onion and quartered button mushrooms until soft before adding pork chops. When the chops are browned on each side and cooked through, add a Flavour Fiend finishing butter to the pan and, when melted, spoon over the chop and mushroom mix.

WINTER ESSENTIAL Farro Grey Lynn Wed 20 June – 7.30-9pm Farro Constellation Drive Thurs 21 June – 7.30-9pm Enjoy an evening with Oonagh from SHE. Connect with the ancient power and medicinal properties of cacao. Understand the art of tempering chocolate. Enjoy chocolate fondue with some unusual ingredients and taste the SHE range. For ticketing, visit www.farro.co.nz for details.

AN EASIER WAY TO SHOP AT FARRO ORAKEI We’re delighted to let you know that we now have free two-hour parking at Orakei Bay Village – no tickets required! The new lift, also gives you easy access from the lower-level carpark (near King’s Plant Barn) to Farro so you can get up and down with ease and a shopping trolley!

FLAVOUR FIEND FINISHING BUTTER

SHE UNIVERSE CHOCOLATE MASTERCLASS 20-21 JUNE

Pop in and visit some familiar faces in our newest store in Mt Eden. You’ll find us on the corner of Dominion Road and Milton Road in Mt Eden. 422 Dominion Road

Roast cauliflower florets in a very hot oven until tender and the edges are nicely charred then add Flavour Fiend Toasted Indian Spice Butter, toss to coat and serve sprinkled with fresh coriander and toasted cashews.

Buy a Lucky Taco kit in June, swipe your Friends of Farro card and you could win a Lucky Taco experience at your home for your closest friends and family!

Farro Mt Eden is here!

4 JUNE QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR HOURS

Foundation Foods stocks and jus

Some might ask, why you’d go to all the trouble of making your own stock when you can get such fantastic ready-made stocks that are full of flavour from our friends at Foundation Foods. This Canterbury-based company they use classical recipes, fresh bones and vegetables delivered daily and the traditional open kettle method, carefully simmering and then reducing stocks over time so you receive a chef-quality product every time. Their stocks and jus have no preservatives, no added

flavours and contain no gluten. They are 100 percent natural, just the way we like them! Stocks are an absolute essential over winter, to add to slow cooks and casseroles or to whip up a quick soup. The Foundation Foods chicken stock works well with almost anything. While this chicken stock is delicate in flavour and aroma, it will intensify well if reduced. Great for risottos, soups and consommés. The beef stock delivers a real, hearty gourmet beef flavour. This is a very heavily gelled beef stock. As well as having a nice colour and clarity, it is also inexpensive, economical and very easy to use; which makes using it a convenient, fine-quality basic beef stock. It’s the beef jus that really takes our fancy as a super-quick way to enhance your beef roast or steak without having to go to the trouble of making your own from scratch. The jus is made from beef stock reduced by a third to intensify the flavour and lift the aromatics, before being finished with red wine. All you need to do is heat it and serve – and pretend you made it yourself! You won’t be disappointed.

Delaney Mes

At this time of year, my basket is full of winter fruit. Always golden kiwifruit for that much-needed vitamin C hit, as well as pears and rhubarb. I like to buy them fresh every few days. Even though I love slow cooking and soup making, it’s my daily porridge that gets me excited through winter. I’ll make oats on the stovetop with water and a tiny pinch of sea salt and usually a sprinkle of ground linseed too. I’ll serve it with a dollop of Cyclops natural yoghurt and a chopped kiwifruit, or pear. Sometimes I’ll have some stewed rhubarb in the fridge (which I usually cook with a bit of orange zest) so that occasionally goes on top too. If I’m feeling flush, I’ll sneak a jar of Forty Thieves Salted macadamia butter with maple and vanilla into my basket too, and stir a spoonful of that into my porridge while it’s cooking. It’s so luscious! It’s also great on toast with banana, and for dipping slices of apple or hard pear into. It’s not much of a recipe, but there’s a fruit salad I make in winter that always makes me feel like I’ll survive any bugs thrown my way. It’s just a chopped kiwifruit, half a banana – sliced, half a pear chopped up, and a peeled and chopped NZ navel orange. Served in a bowl, it’s such a fresh combo and perfect for something sweet after dinner.

WE’D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK about Feast magazine: Email us your feedback and be in to win a $200 Farro voucher. Email feast@farrofresh.co.nz

IN SEASON

WHAT’S FOR DINNER TONIGHT? Tamarillos are the perfect autumnal fruit both in colour and flavour. The vibrant red, deliciously tart and fleshy fruit can be eaten scooped straight from the skin or in a variety of fresh or cooked forms. Tamarillos were first introduced into New Zealand from Asia in the late 1800s originally as yellow and purple varities. The red kind we know and love came a little later in the 1920s, propagated by an Auckland nurseryman from seed from South America. Slices of tamarillo set off a cheeseboard, can be added to salads or poached, fried, grilled or baked into both sweet or savoury dishes. They make great friends with apples, especially when stewed or in a delicious chutney. Mary’s No Shortcuts Tamarillo Chutney is an absolute favourite (if you don’t fancy making your own).

Tamarillo Muffins MAKES: 12 PREP TIME: 15 MINS COOKING TIME: 25 MINS This cosy treat makes a welcome addition to any autumnal morning tea or lunch box! INGREDIENTS For the muffins ▢ 2 cups self-raising flour ▢ ½ cup caster sugar ▢ 100 grams butter, melted ▢ 1 egg, lightly beaten ▢ 1 cup milk ▢ 3 tamarillos, peeled and roughly diced For the topping ▢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar ▢ ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon ▢ 1 tamarillo, peeled and sliced METHOD Preheat oven to 190°C. Lightly grease a muffin tray. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Combine the dry muffin ingredients in a bowl. Combine the liquid ingredients and diced tamarillo and mix into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Fill the muffin holes with the mixture. Top each muffin with a half slice of tamarillo and sprinkle with the brown sugar mix. Bake for 25 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. cool on a wire rack.

We have so many people asking for easy dinner ideas, we thought: why not make life easy and make dinner for you! We have bought together some of our favourite local suppliers to offer a menu that brings you convenience, variety and flavour. Whether you’re looking for something simply to heat and eat or a foodkit with the ingredients all ready to make yourself, we’ve got you covered.

FRESH FROM THE FARRO KITCHEN We have created a range of ready-to-heat meals to make life easy for you. Southern Thai chicken curry, lamb tagine with fig and green olive and pork and beef ragu with penne pasta. All of the meals use only the best ingredients. The recipes are just like you would make at home. If you need something to finish off the night, we have sticky date pud with caramel sauce – the ultimate in winter comfort food! JUK We’re so delighted to have Jess’ Underground Kitchen fresh meals available now! Jess started out in 2013, making meals in her Ponsonby kitchen for friends and family. Since then she’s opened two delis in Auckland and serves up an ever-changing menu of seasonal meals - so you can enjoy a healthy, home-cooked meal without having to do any of the leg work! We’ve been selling Jess’ frozen meal range, and are excited to now have her daily fresh meals in-store, ready to heat and eat. Jess’ single-serve fresh meals change daily and are vibrant, healthy and inspired by flavours from around the world.

ORGANIC KITCHEN REAL FOOD MEAL BOXES Made with fresh organic ingredients, these meals are all gluten, dairy and refined sugarfree and both vegetarian and vegan options are available. GRAND CENTRAL KITCHEN Firm favourites with Farro shoppers, Grand Central have been making their healthy and delicious meals, like chicken korma, with passion, innovation, and care. Their chefs only use fresh, natural, free-range ingredients. no added preservatives and nothing artificial. The range includes Smoked fish pie with mash, Italian meatballs and Malaysian Penang curry with rice. FARRO IN STORE FOODKITS Get all the ingredients for a delicious dinner, complete with a recipe, ready to cook. Our Farro foodkits for 2 or 4 people change weekly so you can mix up your cooking repertoire. Easy-to-follow, seasonal recipes that take 30-40 minutes to prepare. All meals are available in our ready to go chiller in store.

5 ways with sausages 1 TOAD IN A HOLE SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 10 MINS COOKING TIME: 35 MINS PLUS 1 HOUR RESTING TIME

This English classic is delicious for brunch or as an easy dinner. If you don’t have an oven proof frying pan, transfer the browned sausages to a preheated baking dish that has been heated with oil until smoking. INGREDIENTS ▢ 1 cup plain flour ▢ ½ teaspoon salt ▢ 250 mls milk ▢ 3 eggs ▢ 1 tablespoon grainy mustard ▢ 2 teaspoons chopped thyme leaves ▢ 50grams melted butter ▢ 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil or lard ▢ 1 packet favourite pork or beef sausages

METHOD Preheat the oven 200°C. Whisk together the flour, salt, milk, eggs, mustard and thyme until smooth. Stir through the butter. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight. Heat an ovenproof, heavy-based frying pan and add some of the oil or lard. Add the sausages and brown, then put

into the oven with the remaining oil until very hot. Pour around the batter and bake for 35 minutes until the batter has risen up and golden. Serve immediately with your favourite relish.

PORK AND FENNEL SAUSAGES WITH TOMATO RAGU FOR PASTA Crumble coarse pork and fennel sausages in a pan and brown well, add chopped onion and garlic along with some fennel seeds and chilli flakes. Add a tin of tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste and simmer for 20 mins until thick and well flavoured, adding salt and fresh herbs to taste. Serve with your favourite pasta.

Roast pork belly with fennel and hazelnuts SERVES: 4-6 | PREP TIME: 10 MINS | COOKING TIME: 60 MINS

Start this the day ahead to ensure you have perfect, crisp crackling. INGREDIENTS ▢ 750g - 1kg pork belly, skin on ▢ 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt ▢ 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted and ground ▢ 2 onions, peeled and sliced ▢ 1 large fennel bulb, sliced ▢ 1 cup dry white wine or water ▢ 100 grams rocket leaves ▢ 1 radicchio, roughly torn leaves ▢ juice ½ lemon and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if required ▢ ¼ cup roasted hazelnuts

METHOD The day before cooking, score the skin of the pork belly with a sharp knife (or use a clean stanley knife). Pour ladles of boiling water over the skin to open up the pores. Dry the pork very well. Rub the sea salt and the fennel seeds into the meat and skin of the pork ensuring that you get some salt into the cuts of the skin. Put on a tray and refrigerate uncovered overnight (this ensures the skin will dry out even more). When ready to cook, preheat the oven 220°C. Layer the onion and fennel in a roasting dish, add the wine and lay the pork on top of the vegetables. Put into the oven and roast for 40 mins. Turn down the heat to 160°C and roast for a further 20 mins, adding extra liquid to the roasting dish if the vegetables start to catch.

Remove from the oven. If the pork skin hasn’t completely crackled, put the belly on another tray and slide under the grill to finish popping (be careful though, as it can burn very quickly). Leave the meat to rest for 10 mins. Meanwhile, mix the cooked vegetables with the rocket leaves and radicchio so they wilt slightly and use a little of the juices (ideally there will be around ¼ to ½ a cup) to dress them. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and some olive oil if needed. Season to taste. Slice the pork and serve on the vegetables and scatter with the hazelnuts.

L AMB MERGUEZ WITH CHICKPEAS Wilt spinach leaves in a pan and set aside. Fry an onion and garlic until soft, add broken up lamb merguez sausages and brown. Add harissa paste and cumin seeds then a tin of tomatoes and slivers of preserved lemon and cook for 15 mins. Add drained and rinsed tin of chickpeas and heat through. Add the wilted spinach and chopped fresh coriander leaves.

SAUSAGE AND LENTIL SOUP Fry slices of your favourite chorizo sausage and set aside. Fry onion, carrot and celery until soft. Add garlic, chilli flakes and smoked paprika then return sausages to the pan, add a tin of tomatoes, ½ cup green lentils and chicken stock and simmer until the lentils are cooked through. Add plenty of flat-leafed parsley to finish.

CRACKED NEW POTATOES WITH PORK AND FENNEL SAUSAGES

Woody’s Sausages

Woody’s Free Range Farm began in 2013, after several years of dreaming and planning by its founder Daniel Todd. Daniel hails from Peterborough, UK. He moved to Australia in 2005 and then on to New Zealand in 2013. After working for a consumer electronics company for 17 years, he decided to throw it all in after developing a curiosity for pig farming and, in particular, the ethical farming of rare-breed pigs. And so the journey began. Together with his wife Claire and dog Woody (the farm’s namesake), neither of whom have any farming experience, Daniel moved to a 32-hectare farm in Manakau, just south of Levin, and began raising Large Black and Berkshire pigs. We now get to enjoy Woody’s fresh-fromthe-farm sausages for the first time at Farro.

Lightly crack new potatoes with a rolling pin. Sprinkle with salt and set aside. Meanwhile remove sausages from casings and brown in a frypan pan until crisp. Set aside. Add the potatoes to the pan and fry for a few mins, adding more oil if necessary. Add the sausages to the pan, cover and cook for 20 mins or until the potatoes are tender, shaking the pan occasionally. Add a dash of white wine, some capers and slivers of preserved lemon. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 mins before serving with a green salad.

Freedom Farms Pork Belly

$22.99/kg SAVE $4.00 *Special prices valid 4 June - 1 July

Moroccan-spiced Osso bucco SERVES: 6 | PREP TIME: 10 MINS | COOKING TIME: 2¼ HOURS

Beef shin is an excellent and economical choice for this fragrant slow-cooked dish. The Besaha ras el hanout does have some heat, but if you wish to make it spicier, just add a chilli to the mix.

Beef cheeks with orange and baby carrots SERVES: 6-8 | PREP TIME: 15 MINS | COOKING TIME: 3 HOURS

This classic braise works well with fullflavoured beef cheeks. Use ordinary carrots cut into chunks if baby carrots are unavailable and add them to the dish 30 mins before finishing time. INGREDIENTS ▢ ¼ cup flour ▢ sea salt and freshly ground black pepper ▢ 4 beef cheeks, excess fat and silver skin removed ▢ 4 tablespoons olive oil ▢ 1 onion, finely diced ▢ 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced ▢ 1 stick celery, finely diced ▢ 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped ▢ 2 bay leaves ▢ zest of 1 orange, cut into thick strips ▢ 1 cup red wine ▢ 500mls Foundation Foods beef stock ▢ 300-500 grams baby carrots, washed and trimmed (but not peeled) ▢ chopped flat-leafed parsley to garnish METHOD Season the flour generously with salt and pepper then dust the beef cheeks with the flour. Heat half the oil in a large casserole. Brown the beef on both sides (do this in batches if necessary) over a medium-high heat until a rich brown colour. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan. When hot, add the onion, carrots and celery and fry gently until soft. Add the garlic, bay leaves and orange zest, and cook for a few more mins. Return the beef to the pan, add the red wine and bring to the boil. Add the stock, bring back to the boil then lower the heat. Cover with a cartouche (a round of baking paper that sits on the surface of the stew) then cover with a tightfitting lid. Simmer slowly for 2-2½ hours or until the meat is tender (if you prefer, this can be cooked in the oven at 160°C). You can make this dish ahead and reheat it. About 15 mins before serving, add the trimmed carrots to the casserole and cook until tender. Taste and season. Serve with gnocchi dressed with buttered parsley.

INGREDIENTS ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil ▢ 4 osso bucco ▢ 1 onion, finely chopped ▢ cinnamon quill ▢ 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped ▢ 3cm piece ginger, finely grated ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric powder ▢ 1 tablespoon Besaha ras el hanout ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin ▢ 1 tin tomatoes ▢ 500mls Foundation Foods beef stock ▢ ½ cup green olives ▢ 1 St Andrews preserved lemon, pith removed and sliced ▢ 4 cups root vegetables (e.g. carrots, pumpkin, kumara, parsnip) ▢ 1 packet Besaha almond, white raisin and lemon couscous ▢ ⅓ cup coriander or flat leafed parsley, chopped for garnish METHOD Preheat the oven to 180°C, Heat the oil in an ovenproof, wide casserole pan, add seasoned osso bucco (in batches if necessary) and brown. Remove from the pan then add the onion and cinnamon. Cook until the onion is soft. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, ras el hanout and cumin and stir for a minute. Add the tomatoes and slightly mash with a wooden spoon to break up roughly, then add in the stock. Return the meat to the pan, add the olives and preserved lemon. Bring up to a boil, then cover and put into the oven for an hour (alternatively cook on the stovetop on a low simmer). Remove from the oven and add the vegetables to the top of the stew. Cover and return to the oven to cook for another hour or until the beef is tender. Cook the couscous according to packet instructions, stir the coriander through the couscous and serve.

Steamed chocolate pudding SERVES: 8 | PREP TIME: 10 MINS | COOKING TIME: 1½ HOURS

Chocolate pud with caramel sauce and ice cream it doesn’t get more comforting then that. ▢ 150 grams flour ▢ 2 tablespoons cocoa powder ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder ▢ 150 grams butter, softened ▢ 150 grams brown sugar

▢ 3 eggs ▢ 100 grams dark chocolate, cut into chunks ▢ Pampero milk caramel and lightly whipped cream, to serve

METHOD

Generously butter a 1.5-litre-capacity pudding bowl or basin. Line the base with a circle of baking paper. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder into a bowl then set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour mixture with each egg so the mix doesn’t split. Beat well after each addition. Fold in the remaining flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate. Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared basin then smooth the top with a spatula. Cover with a disc of buttered baking paper, then a double layer of foil with a large pleat in the middle to allow for expansion. Seal the foil tightly then tie with string (it is helpful to make a string handle for ease of removal). Put a small trivet or upturned saucer in a large saucepan. Put the basin on top and pour enough boiling water into the saucepan to come halfway up the sides of the basin. Cover with a lid and steam on the stovetop for 1½ hours – you may need to top up the water level if it gets too low while cooking. Remove the basin from the saucepan and set aside to cool for 10 mins. Remove the foil and paper and run a knife around the edge before turning out on to a plate. Serve with the caramel sauce and lightly whipped cream.

FARRO FOOD HERO OF THE MONTH

BREAKING THE MOULD EXCLUSIVE TO FARRO

WINE PRODUCER OF THE MONTH

Shenley Station Blue

Legend has it the famous Roquefort blue cheese was discovered when a young French shepherd abandoned his lunch of bread and sheep’s milk cheese in a limestone cave. When he returned a few months later, the Penicillium roqueforti mould had transformed his plain cheese into a delicious blue cheese. This story led the team at Whitestone to ask the question – what if there is a North Otago ‘limestone country’ blue culture right on their doorstep? With this quest in mind, Whitestone CEO Simon Berry and head cheese maker Chris Moran went prospecting for mould! “We knocked on North Otago farmers’ doors [asking] whether they knew if there were limestone caves and asking if they could swab them for mould. We got some raised eyebrows,” Simon says. A number of samples were sent off to Plant Diagnostics lab in Christchurch, with no luck, but the lab promised to keep a look-out if anything suitable came across their desk. About six months later, a suspicious-looking white mould was found in an oat hay bale at Shenley Station farm, Fairlie. Biodynamic farmer, Rit Fisher was concerned that if he fed the haylage to his in-calf heifers they might lose their calves, so he sent it to Plant Diagnostics for testing. When the mould tested negative for toxicity, and positive as an isolated Penicillium Roqueforti strain, Whitestone Cheese got the call. The new mould has since been cleared by multiple international labs and has been named- ‘45 South Blue’.

FARRO FOOD HERO OF THE MONTH You could say the Berry family from the Whitestone Cheese label are among the forefathers of New Zealand specialty cheese makers. The cheese factory was founded in 1987 by Bob Berry and his wife Sue, who were looking to diversify during the 1980s rural downturn and a series of crippling droughts. Bob’s experience in livestock trading was quickly applied to the cheese trade!

is a key ingredient to all of the Whitestone cheeses. This couldn’t be more true than for their latest creation, Shenley Station Blue. Local milk produced on ‘sweet’ limestone country is the key ingredient to Whitestone’s distinct cheese character. All of the cheeses are named after regional place names in North Otago. The flavours are a result of the region’s climate, water and soils, and the grass, producing region-specific milk. All of the cheeses are still made using ‘open vat’ techniques, using only natural ingredients and no artificial preservative.

Was Bob worried about his new business venture? “Life’s about connections and I had a good one with Colin Dennison from Evansdale,” he recalls. “He owned a dairy cow and had been making cheeses in his kitchen. So we got together. That’s how it started. “Soon after, we leased a garage, lined it, bought a vat and hired Wolfgang, a German chef. Colin showed him the rudiments of crafting a good cheese,” Bob says.

“Over the years, we’ve developed our recipes in-house and we’ve kept true to them. Every batch of cheese is a separate creation; you have to put love and care into it with no deviations from the master recipe,” Bob says. Bob’s still involved in the business. “Since its humble beginnings, it’s always been my job to run the ship and market our products,” he says. It’s still very much a family affair. Bob’s son Simon has taken the reins as CEO. “Simon does a great job, continuing to attract great people, including our team of very skilled cheesemakers.” The factory now employs more than 50 staff and includes a cheese store and guided factory tours.

They launched with one cheese variety, Whitestone Farmhouse. Three decades on, Whitestone is a familiar face on Kiwi cheeseboards and frequently takes our top local accolades – and international ones too, producing world-class cheese. While the range has grown and developed from just one variety into many, a strong sense of place and purpose

What’s next? “We want Whitestone to become the best specialist cheese maker in the country. We’re on the right track. We have fantastic staff who create a world-class product and I am just so proud of them, I really am,” Bob says.

The first commercial production of the cheese was made after testing to ensure the new and old strains could live together in the same factory. After that, ‘Shenley Station Blue’ was created and named after the farm it was found on. Shenley Station Blue is truly an exclusive original New Zealand blue; it has a different taste to most commercially available blue cultures – a mild, creamy blue with savoury mushroom flavours. We’re delighted to have this cheese exclusive to Farro in Auckland this month for you all to try.

VINEYARD Steve Voysey’s career started more than 30 years ago, as a young winemaker in Marlborough with Montana. After a few years, he was promoted to the position of Gisborne winemaker, news he broke to his wife Eileen while she was in the Blenheim hospital having their second child (which he recalls went over about as well as might be expected). Nevertheless, they decided they’d ‘give it three years’ and moved north. A few years after moving to Gisborne, Steve and Eileen decided to cement their future by purchasing their own piece of land. At first, the goal was just to boost the family’s income by growing grapes. “All the grapes were contracted to Montana,” Steve says. “I’d make wine in my ‘day job’ and then hop on the tractor when I came home.” In 1996, they bought the remaining half of the block, increasing their holdings to 17 hectares, and decided it was time to make their mark on the place. Spade Oak Vineyard was born. Three years has turned into three decades and the Voysey family are still in Gisborne –which has very much become home. “Spade Oak has become our life, where we have brought up four children, and we have the luxury of living in the country with beautiful beaches minutes away. Gisborne is a place to escape to in an increasingly busy world, which we notice every time we travel,” Steve says. Spade Oak basks in the sunlit central valley known locally as ‘the flats’, the heart of Gisborne wine country, on land that has produced grapes for generations. The Voyseys’ vision was to unlock the region’s potential, creating wines of quality from a (some say brave and eclectic) selection of new and classic varieties. Steven and Eileen live on the vineyard with their son, and their Wheaton terrier, Oakley. The family are all involved in the business, Steve still does a good proportion of the vineyard work, as well as all the wine making, sales, inventory and bottling. We caught up with him this month to find out a bit more about what makes his wines so special. What makes Spade Oak wines unique? The winemaking style and palate are what makes us unique. Spade Oak makes true winemaker-driven wines that use oak barrels and, where possible, we seek to be compared with the best examples of the offshore varieties’ origins. We seek layered, integrated, seamless flavour transitions; we like complexity, texture and a glass experience that rewards that extra swirl with a new aroma and fruit flavour. We offer more than just the immediacy of pure fruit aroma. This comes from a passion to deliver more than just varietal purity. Most of all, we seek to deliver wines that are extremely drinkable and can be poured in complete confidence in any company. How have people’s wine tastes changes over three decades? The New Zealand market has changed from sherry, Riesling and cask wine to

an oak-infused rich ripeness of Chardonnay, Shiraz and Merlot, to fruit-punchy and acid-fresh Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Pinot Noir. I’ve seen a definite change towards the dryer, purer, youthful, single-dimension wines… my word for them is ‘immediate wines’. I am very much more in the food-friendly and easy-drinking camp. Not in the old-school, over-oaky way, but in a balance-controlled, synergetic way. The main reason I started the brand is my belief that New Zealand wines can offer so much more than just varietal impact. What does the unique Gisborne microclimate bring to wine from the region? Richness, ripeness, structure and texture from clay-based soils, maritime-influenced cooler days and warmer nights and frost-free consistency. Sustainability through the water-holding capacity of our soils allows non-irrigated vines. The wines have weight texture and balance – a great framework on which to interlace some age, oak and malo and unlock aromas with yeast. Chardonnay is really your signature wine. Do you think it’s coming back in vogue? Yes. It’s our strength and focus; we are seeing significant growth in the three Chardonnays we make. Once you get past the ‘I don’t like Chardonnay’ opinion, they realise the wines have drinkability and a depth of interest they have been missing. Consider a varietal stainless steel tank and yeast-made wine versus Chardonnay that has yeast, malo, barrels and time contributing to its character. Barrels mean more complexity of flavour as each vessel breathes in a slow, controlled way and allows differentiation in treatment as the wine breathes through its life in the Vineyard. FEATURE WINES: Le Champ is a Methode Sparkling with a touch of Muscat. $19.99 Vigneron Chardonnay 2015 Is a hand-harvested Mendoza clone from the Ashwood Vineyard it’s wild-fermented, with big malolactic influence, barrel-fermented, barrel and bottle-aged. It delivers elegance, clarity and seamless complexity with power and persistence. It will reward you now through the next five years at least. $25.99

ON OUR SHOPPING LIST June The Organic Mechanic Kombucha $12.50/750g Save $1.49 Valid 4 June - 1 July

Blue Frog Raspberry & Chia Seed Porridge $14.50/440g Save $1.49 Valid 4 June - 1 July

New to Store: Foodie Babe

The Foodie Babe range of truly home-made, delicious, vegetable-focused meals for babies and toddlers is made locally in Grey Lynn, by a mum using organic or spray-free produce. Their tasty yums are seasoned with wonderful herbs/spices like garlic and turmeric. They contain no nasty chemicals and no added salt or sugar. Their food philosophy is about training a baby’s palate to take on bold and savoury flavours right from the start, so they are less likely to become picky eaters later in life. You can find their yummy meals like Veggie & lentil ragu and Super greens & roasted chicken in Farro’s freezers.

Emmental Wheel $4.50/100g Save 50c Valid 4 June - 1 July

St Agur Wheel $9.00/100g Save 50c Valid 4 June - 1 July

Poppy + Olive Crunchy Almond Butter $14.50/440g Save $1.49 Valid 4 June - 1 July

Shore Mariner Squid Rings $8.49/400g Save 50c

Bostock’s Organic Chicken Breast $24.99/kg Save $4.00

Valid 28 May - 24 June

finishing butters Transform Everyday Meals New Zealand butter infused with all natural ingredients.