13 minute read
Seafood Feature
Truly Green – New Zealand’s greenshell mussel Farmed New Zealand Greenshell Mussels are greener than you think! Unique to our cold coastal waters, each mussel filters 360L of water a day, improving water quality and promoting a healthy ocean habitat for all species.
They are an ancient and vital part of our marine food web. Forget “paleo”, Greenshell mussels belong to a genus which is “cretaceous” having been working hard for ocean health for over 170 million years.
Huge areas of our coastal seafloor were once covered in mussel reefs where millions of mussels grew en-messe. The mussel beds provided food, shelter and protection for marine flora and fauna and helped to stabilise bottom sediments.
Sadly, most of these reefs were destroyed through unsustainable fishing practises including dredging and bottom trawling.
Farmed New Zealand Greenshell Mussels are one of the world’s most environmentally friendly protein sources, requiring just mussels, seawater and Kiwi ingenuity.
Suspended on ropes anchored to the seafloor, they filter feed just as they would in the wild, extracting all the nutrients they require.
These nutrients come from rich phytoplankton, tiny micro-algae which turn sunlight into energy and are the beginning of all life in the ocean.
Sea cucumbers, starfish, sea urchins and gastropods are attracted from outside farms to the food supplied by a “mussel farm reef ’.
In turn, they feed spotties and triplefins throughout the year and
occasionally leatherjackets, stargazers, blue cod, mullet and flatfish. Snapper are often seen feeding off mussel lines.
Seals hunt prey
around mussel farms and use the farm buoys to rest and sunbathe. The farms also allow seabirds both feeding and roosting opportunities. Even the common and bottlenose dolphins have been known to use farms to herd their prey.
Mussel farms partially compensate for the loss of both wild mussel beds by providing renewable mussel stocks and habitats that increase the abundance of organisms that once would have been plentiful.
The same principle lies behind the Hauraki gulf revival project, find out more about this fromhttp:// www.reviveourgulf.org.nz/ What a delicious environmental hero farmed Greenshell Mussels are.
FROM THE WILD OCEAN TO YOUR KITCHEN Orders of wild paua are caught, packed, and airfreighted straight to your kitchen. From boat to plate, PauaCo can trace every paua back to the area it was caught. New Zealand Wild Pāua is unique in looks, flavour and quality, add it to your menu today.
seafoodfeature Wild Paua Treasure Pa¯ua is iconic in New Zealand and to Ma¯ori, Pa¯ua are recognised taonga, or treasure, esteemed both as kaimoana (seafood) and as a valued resource for traditional and contemporary arts and crafts. Its black muscular foot is considered a delicacy that New Zealand exports to discerning customers all over the world.
New Zealand Wild Pāua is very special. There is no land between New Zealand and the last true wilderness, Antarctica. This means the ocean currents surrounding New Zealand bring the freshest, cleanest and most abundant waters to its shores. As a result, New Zealand wild Pāua are
amongst the healthiest, strongest and most organically pure in the world. The overwhelming concern with all seafood is over-fishing and sustainability. PāuaCo, which is owned by fishers, processors, and other independent shareholders, holds the absolute belief that the overall key to success is a healthy, well-managed fishery. The Pāua is harvested under strict Government fishery management regulations making the New Zealand Wild Pāua fishery one of only a few commercially sustainable fisheries left in the world.
New Zealand Wild Pāua is sustainably harvested from some of the most remote, wild, and exposed coastlines on the planet, meaning the product you serve is the purest, cleanest, and most intensely flavoured abalone available.
PāuaCo’s Pāua is grown in 100 per cent natural environments with zero human interference. All fish caught is registered and reported with authorities to ensure the resource can
be sustained for future generations. The Pāua is fished by hand with the majority being caught free diving without the use of scuba equipment. Many fishers have been Pāua diving all their lives and are now passing the craft on to their children.
Wild Pāua has a beautiful, firm textured meat full of the ocean’s rich flavour. It is superb on its own as sashimi or cooked in traditional methods – for most Kiwis the favourite way to enjoy Pāua has got to be the fritter, straight off the BBQ and served with a wedge of lemon.
For more information about PāuaCo and their products visit www.pauaco. co.nz.
vitasoyfeature VITASOY POUR TO SCORE Kiwi baristas can now not only make their alternative milk lattes look as beautiful as dairy milk, but they can earn points for prizes while they do it.
Vitasoy has announced Pour to Score! Customers simply scan the QR code on specially marked cartons of Vitasoy Café for Baristas Soy, Almond and Oat milk to earn tokens that they can spend on fantastic prizes.
Made exclusively for trade, Vitasoy’s Café range has been specifically formulated to froth just like dairy milk, complementing any barista’s skills to deliver the perfect plant-based coffee every time.
Vitasoy makes its plant milk using only the best ingredients, through a process that has been refined to be as simple as possible. The result is a plant-based milk that is easy to work with while also having a mild and balanced flavour allowing the coffee beans to be the star.
Vitasoy customers wanting to participate simply need to register to start collecting tokens, the more tokens you collect the more prizes.
Start collecting from the 2nd of March until the 31st of July. For full terms and conditions, and to register visit www.pourtoscore.com.
Score some great prizes with Vitasoy!
Simply scan the QR code to earn Tokens to spend on your prizes.
QR codes are printed on specially marked cartons of Vitasoy Café for Baristas Soy, Almond and Oat milk.
Vitasoy Café for Baristas range only.
Soy Milk
3TOKENS Participating Products
Almond Milk
5TOKENS Oat Milk
5TOKENS
Register at pourtoscore.com to start collecting your Tokens. The more Tokens the more prizes!
OR
OR
Logging onto pourtoscore.com and entering the 12 digit code starting with SOY, ALM or OAT located next to the QR Code Scan the QR code on specially marked cartons of Café for Baristas Soy, Almond or Oat milk Download the Pour to Score app from either the app store or google play and scan the code
For full terms and conditions visit pourtoscore.com
20 minutes with . . .
Jim Robertson, Pernod Ricard’s global wine ambassador, has spent time around the world learning about wine and teaching and sharing New Zealand wine insights with Pernod Ricard distribution companies, distributors, trade, media and consumers.
ew Zealand’s wine industry on the global stage is a relatively young industry and boutique in scale.
“To put it in context, we produce less than 1 percent of the world’s total wine production,” said Robertson. “In April of this year, New Zealand’s total harvest was about 413,000 tons, compare this to Australia, which produced approximately 1.8 million tons, and California, which produced approximately 3.2 million tons and you really see the scale difference.”
As a nation, we are perhaps most noted globally for Marlborough’s Sauvignon Blanc. This is something that Robertson believes will change over time as our Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Syrah become noticed in global markets.
“We’re drinking less better. Consumers also want lighter styles—light and fresh without losing the crisp acidity, intense aromatics and vibrant flavours,” said Robertson. As he explained, the average bottle of Sauvignon Blanc sits around 13 percent alcohol. New Zealand, however, is leading the charge in producing a naturally lighter variant that is about eight to nine percent.
Robertson also noted that although currently a small segment, there is a growing movement towards non-alcoholic wines, organic wines, and vegan wines. “I think it’s important to listen to and understand and acknowledge the lifestyle needs of our consumers in the market. It’s an exciting time to be in the wine business.”
With these trends in mind, curating a wine list is no simple task.
“To me, it is easy to produce a wine list loaded with gold medal winners, but it can be a) very food unfriendly, and b) very consumer unfriendly.” Robertson said that one of the best ways to properly construct a wine list is to sit down with both the wine buyer/sommelier and the chef and taste the prospective wines with the food.
“You’re looking to find pairings that match and enhance both the wine and the food. You have to marry the flavours and textures, the aromatics and the weight of the food and wine together.” It is, however, as Robertson explained, about balance. “It’s about respecting the marriage of the food and the wine. In my view, it’s about putting together a wine list to provide enjoyment and pleasure for your diners, as opposed to putting together a wine N
list of your own preferences.”
Robertson suggested that should the wine lists of the country be analysed, we would likely find that many of them have 20 percent of the wines on the list would account for 80 percent of the sales–in other words, there are a lot of wines on lists that are not pulling their weight.
So how does one go about developing and improving their wine list? “You need to know your customer, number one, and number two, you have to really understand what you want to achieve and be recognised for as a restaurant. What do you want to be recognised for? Understand the flavours and textures that the chef is delivering from the kitchen, and then match wines against those characteristics to enhance the dining occasion.”
Robertson also noted that it was important to develop relationships with the wine suppliers. He encouraged people the utilise third-party sommeliers. “Get a sommelier in, and taste the dishes against four or five wines, until you find a match that really sings.”
Restaurant & Café asked Robertson what makes a truly great wine. “I’ll put it in the context of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. In my view, we have been extraordinarily fortunate that in Marlborough, the region and the Sauvignon Blanc vine/grape fell in love with each other–there’s a bit of magic there. The word terroir is the expression of where the vine finds itself, so if you have the right variety in the right place, some natural magic will happen. As a grape grower or viticulturist, our job is to nurture that bunch of grapes through to the point where the winemaker can capture that magic in a bottle–it’s as much an art as it is a science.”
Curating a wine list is something that requires time and effort. It does, however, provide an enriching experience for the customers. It showcases the food, as well, something that every operator wants. New Zealand is blessed with beautiful wine country, and sourcing local wines is something that customers always respond well too, as well.
“When you’re welcomed into a restaurant, and you’re embraced by its ambience, delivered fantastic service, and a chef who puts a plate on your table that is visually and aromatically attractive with lots of flavour and texture; and you get to share a bottle of wine with the food and company that you’re with–it doesn’t get much better than that.”
Want your product featured? Email: caroline@reviewmags.com
HARROWS BERGEN LEANER Strong and expressive, introducing the Bergen Leaner as a brand-new bar leaner option for the hospitality market. The Bergen is a new design from hospo furniture specialists Harrows and is made here in New Zealand. Available in 3 sizes, a 4-seater, 6-seater and 8-seater, the thoughtful construction approach allows for this design to be shipped in flatpack to allow for easy installation in any site. Drawing from classic Norwegian design principals emphasising durability, beauty, functionality, simplicity and natural forms, the Bergen contrasts strong with soft. Subtle details such as the splayed leg construction and rounded ends create a sense of comfort and welcome.
Little Biddy Gin – Classic,
700ml - New Zealand Botanical Gin (40%Abv) Little Biddy but big on taste. Little Biddy’s Classic Gin is a contemporary, western style gin. It is lovingly vapour infused with 13 botanicals, five of which are foraged directly from the Reefton rainforest. Versatile and easy drinking with a palette of spiced citrus and warm resin, with a spicy sweet smooth finish. Perfect for summer G&Ts or sip it straight all year round. Available through Beverage Brothers.
Little Biddy Gin – Black Label, 700ml - New Zealand Botanical Gin (46%Abv) Black is the new Gin. The Black Label variant of Little Biddy Gin is characterised by a backbone of distilled local grain spirit, wild water, and hand harvested native botanicals, including Snow Moss, Toatoa, and Watercress. Delivering subtle effervescence on the nose, sweet notes of caramelised lime, contrasted with a wave of wasabi freshness and warm resin. Available through Beverage Brothers.
Little Biddy Gin – Gold Label, 700ml - New Zealand Botanical Gin (43%Abv) The Gold Label variant of Little Biddy Gin has the Midas touch. Displaying a botanical intensity reminiscent of the loftiest heights of the West Coast rainforest and the purest depths of the wild water feeding it. Exhibiting a bright, and surprising effervescence on the nose, subtle hints of wasabi freshness, sweet caramelised lime, and a delicate earthed minerality. Available through Beverage Brothers.
Little Biddy Gin - Cask Aged - New Zealand Botanical Gin (47%Abv) Maturity marks this special drop from Little Biddy Gin which rests in a rich and flavourful European oak pinot noir cask, emerging with a rich autumnal gold hue. Infused with serene notes of sweet vanilla, warm ginger spice and dark fruit, further enhancing the native flavours that local botanicals. This beauty elevates the Little Biddy Gin experience to new heights. Limited release. Find out more at www.reeftondistillingco.com.
PAUSE FOR TEA This unique, sugar-free sparkling tea is brought to you from the beautiful Waiheke Island. Developed by local Waihekian Timmy Smith, PAUSE For Tea was created for adults and littlies alike seeking a healthy lifestyle refreshment. The hand-blended organic tea blends are batch brewed using pure New Zealand water. Each brew is then carbonated, resulting in a sparkling, zero sugar/sweetener and non-fermented botanical
beverage. The Chamomile & Lavender variant is a bountiful botanical blend that evokes calmness and offers a unique taste experience. A true alchemist blend that moves through each flavour, first with chamomile and lavender with notes of jasmine, rose, calendula and nettle rising with subsequent sips. For more information and to check out the other organic botanical blends visit www.pausefortea.nz.
WAIHEKE HERBS Waiheke Herb Spread contains a unique blend of traditional and wild fresh herbs in olive oil for adding flavour, texture and colour to your dishes. Waiheke Herbs offers a range of vegan spreads as a pesto alternative. Their original recipe consists of a unique blend of traditional and wild herbs in olive oil, which was launched at the local market in 2006, and has grown in popularity from strength to strength since. This product became fully certified as Vegan in 2019 and is available in an increasing number of New World supermarkets countrywide. It is also the spread of choice for a select number of health-conscious cafes. Available direct from the manufacturer, Waiheke Herbs, 1 Gordon’s Rd, Waiheke Island. For more information visit www.waihekeherbs.co.nz.
