Food and Wine Discovery Tours for Foodies
Welcome to Finding Flavour, Auckland's specialist foodie
tour company
Come and join us on a food exploration tour in Auckland and
beyond. There are other foodies to meet, delicious cuisines
to discover and markets to shop on a Finding Flavour
tour. We take you to meet the people passionate about their
cuisine, and to markets and specialty food outlets which will
enable you to recreate authentic dishes at home.
Get a behind the scenes look at some of the Auckland
region's unique food and wine suppliers. We will enjoy
some delicious food tastings and of course, time for
shopping! Pick up useful cooking tips and ideas to take
home. You will be taken on a tour of discovery by experienced
guides who are also foodies.
Or learn to cook the freshest produce of the season at one of our
seasonal cooking classes. Savour delicious cuisines at our
special themed lunches. We have a foodie world to
discover!
Join us!
New Programme, February - June, 2010
Join us on one of our exciting upcoming foodie day tours,
lunches or cooking classes.
Tues 9 Feb Seasonal
Flavour Cooking Class: Summer
(evening) with
Chef Sarah La Touche
Sat 20 Feb
Chinese New Year Event and Dinner
hosted
by Jean de Bruyne
Sat 6 March Wellington
Foodie Discovery Day Tour
Sat 13 March World in a Day
Tour: Eastern Suburbs
Tues 23 March Seasonal Flavour Cooking Class:
Autumn
(evening)
with Chef Sarah La Touche
Sat 27 March Chocolate Lovers
and Easter Treats Tour
Sun 18 April "Food
Alley Feast", a discovery lunch of
Asian foodie delights in Auckland's best food hall,
hosted by Jean de Bruyne
Sat 24 April
World in a Day Tour: West Auckland
Fri 30 April -
Sydney Foodies Weekend Tour
Sun 2 May
Sat 29
May
World in a Day Tour: Central Suburbs
Tues 15
June Seasonal
Flavour Cooking Class: Autumn
(evening)
with Chef Sarah La Touche
Sat 19
June World
in a Day Tour: North Shore
Sun 20
June Mexican
Fiesta Lunch
(TBC)
All tours/events subject to minimum numbers. Finding
Flavour reserves the right to amend/alter any tour/event if
necessary.
Recent Event: Christmas Baking and Treats Tour, 5
December, 2009

Santa joined us in a photo!
"Fabulous festive food, delectable delights tempting our
taste buds - a wonderful introduction to the Christmas
season."
"Had a fantastic day exploring unknown places with beautiful and
delicious food of all kinds. Thank You"
"Great day, very friendly, had a great time."
Comments from satisfied participants on our
recent tour (far more fabulous words than I would write
myself!)
This is the third Christmas season that we have offered these
Christmas tours, and we love sharing our discoveries with
you. Our group of shoppers even came decked out in festive
colours, so the day was off to a great start!

The day of tastings and shopping begins....

Buche de Noel

Christmas cake to taste

Traditional Swiss baking for 6 December

Cheers!

Shannon demonstrates some great gadgets
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Grand finale shopping - Merry Christmas!
Join us next year for a festive day of Christmas foodie
shopping.
Recent Event: Gardens for Foodies Tour, 29 November
We received some great feedback on this special foodie
adventure:
"A great way to spend a day. Likewise thinkers and
doers; level playing ground of ideas".
"So great to have a mind-opening experience without
getting on a plane. Best Christmas present I ever bought for
my Mum who has everything!"
How lucky we were to enjoy almost perfect weather for our day
out in the vegetable patch! We started by heading over the
Harbour Bridge to visit three diverse gardens.
First up was the vegetable garden in the beautiful grounds of
the Wilson Centre. The gardens here are maintained by a
dedicated group of volunteers and one full-time staff member.
The vegetable garden has been created by the volunteers for their
own use. Volunteer Meredith Walker met us there and told us
about it:
Then it was off to Meredith's own garden in Devonport....every
inch of the garden around the historic cottage is
beautifully planted and vegetables and flowers live together very
happily.

One of Meredith's vegetable beds Capsicums and
roses harmoniously together
Next was the organic communal garden of the Framework
Trust. Programme Co-Ordinator Paul Crowhurst explained the
background to the garden and its purpose as a stepping stone
back into the community for mental health clients. If they
can achieve such a vegetable paradise on an old parking lot
(!) then none of us can complain about poor soils in our own
gardens! Composting, worm farms and organic solutions of all
kinds (ie fish heads!!) are just some of the ways that the soil is
enriched.
Paul was a veritable fount of knowledge, and many of us were
furiously scribbling notes during our visit.
The public is welcome to purchase organic vegetables and
salad greens from the garden, 27 Lake Road, from 9am-3pm, Monday to
Friday.
Paul shows us an endive
One area of the Framework Trust garden
Then it was back across the Harbour Bridge to visit Lynda
Hallinen...she took time out from filming a television programme to
show us her fascinating garden...
\
No, these aren't
real!

Tuovi sets out our lunch buffet
We relaxed in the sunshine and ate our lunch in Lynda's
garden. Requests for the recipes for the potato salad
and lemon cupcakes were very flattering.... We indulged
in a little retail therapy on our return to downtown
Auckland. Thank You to our hosts who opened up their
gardens (and homes!) to make this such an interesting and relaxing
day.
Recent Event: Inaugural Sydney Foodies Weekend, 6-8
November
We could not have had three more relaxed and cheerful
participants for our inaugural Sydney Foodies Weekend than Mary,
Jean and Penny. They were prepared to "go with the flow" and
enjoy the moment. It was also very special to have Jean's
brother, Alfred and his partner Thais join us from Melbourne for
our Saturday shopping and dinner. They have all given me lots
of great feedback, so our next tour (yes, we will do it again in
May!) will be even better!
Take a look at our adventures.....

G'Day, Sydney!
Bubbles before Friday night dinner.

Cheers to the weekend....David Jones Food Hall
Pyrmont Good Living Market:
Penny and Little General Olive Oil
staff

Chef Judy buys fresh greens for our salad
Fresh flowers for sale
 , Pyrmont Market.jpg)
Al fresco breakfast at the market
Sydney Fish Markets

Tuna
Saturday Evening Dinner in our suite:
Our chef, Judy
Leach Judy and Jenny
filling zucchini flowers
Tomato and Buffalo Mozzarella Salad

Our Entree
Blue Eye Cod for the main

Our dinner party with lights of Sydney around us
On Sunday we walked the amazing "Sculpture by the Sea" in
Bondi,
then had lunch at Sean's Panaroma Restaurant

Menu at Sean's
Panaroma
Yabbie Salad

Mary tucks into
lunch Divine
Strawberry and Blood Orange Tartlet

Our group farewells Sydney!
Thank you to Mary, Penny and Jean for being such a
fantastic "test" group. We ate and laughed our way through
the weekend.
Our next Sydney Foodie Weekend tour is proposed for the
weekend of 30 April-2 May, 2010. This is timed to
visit the Good Living Market at Pyrmont. Chef Judy Leach will
again cook us a delicious seasonal dinner in our suite. If
you are interested in receiving more information about this
weekend, please email lynn@findingflavour.co.nz
We also intend to offer another Sydney Foodie Weekend tour
in late October, 2010, timed to coincide with the Sydney Food
Festival and with the wonderful Sculpture by the Sea
exhibition. Watch for a Melbourne Foodie Weekend tour planned
for November!