Kia ora
Autumn is now
with us and our fantastic long summer is a warm memory.
The Maori word
for Autumn is ‘ngahuru’ and an old saying, "Ngahuru, kura kai, kura
tangata" means ‘harvest-time, wealth of food, the wealth of people’ so we
know that food has always been plentiful in New Zealand’s Autumn.
Autumn is my
favourite food season, a rich harvest of tasty fruits and vegetables. We are so
lucky in NZ to be able to drive along a
country road and buy fresh fruit or vegetables from a stall with an honesty
box.
In this cooler
weather the body naturally craves more satisfying and warming dishes, cooked
just a little longer and slower. Capturing the flavours of the season…
Warm fruit
crumbles with Apples or pears, Feijoas (that distinctive fruit almost unique to
NZ, 
but native of Brazil), and topped off with cream or yoghurt and passion
fruit. And a splash of Heilala Vanilla adds a heavenly scent and flavour to
your pudding.
And of course it is the season for preserves - capturing the bounty of
Autumn fruits like Persimmons and Quinces , to enjoy later.
I have been
enjoying legs of lamb (much better buying in recent months), slowly cooked with
garlic, rosemary and the fantastic Waiheke Herb Spread and finished with a
splash of pomegranate molasses.
And duck
shooting season has just started, so if you are lucky enough to hunt, or know a
shooter, you could be in for a treat – roast duck, or breast cooked to rare and
tender perfection.
Check out our
sauces and rubs to add to your roast, braise or casserole. Also try some of the great sauces from Noel at Aromatics, Pam at Due North, or for a bit more spice try Margaret's Gringo Killer sauces.
We have some new
artisans and great products coming on the site soon.
Food books from Cook the Books, 
and our new Cheese Club is just around
the corner. If you want to be advised nearer the time, just sign up here (no
commitment required).
We make it easier for you to
discover, buy and enjoy these and many other delicious artisan foods. At the same time we help the small artisan
food producers across the country grow their business.
On Kai, you can learn more about the artisans themselves - the people with the passion
behind the produce. And learn more about the places our great food comes from –
the many and varied regions of NZ. Our country has some incredible natural advantages in being able to
grow, breed, and harvest a huge array of foods from the land, rivers and sea. We support organic but many traditional foods in New Zealand are quite OK (just check that they are sustainably grown and produced).
We check our artisan suppliers to ensure that their food is
grown, harvested and prepared as sustainably and ethically as possible. And we identify artisans and products that are Certified organic.
Artisan food producers are the small guys in a big world, but we are committed to help them…. and make it easy for you to
support them. If there is an artisan food producer you would like us to get on
Kai, let us know
Please tell your friends about us, and thanks for visiting and shopping at Kai
Ka pai
