Previous Finding Flavour Tours

We love to share our experiences with you.  The most recent tours are posted on the Home page following the Programme information.  Here are some of the other tours and events that have been held during 2011:

Chinese New Year Ceremony at Home of Jean de Bruyne, Saturday, 5 February

 

The sun shone (as usual) on this annual event held by friend Jean de Bruyne.  Jean has Dutch/Singapore Chinese heritage, and we are fortunate that she celebrates her heritage by sharing the traditions with us.

We were warmly welcome by Jean who had decorated her home and garden for the day.  The event kicked off with a visit by a professional Lion Dancing troupe.  The lion "ate" the food offering and took our payment of a coin in an envelope that we dangled from a stick. The focal point of the afternoon was the creation of our own wealth jar.  We placed symbolic items in the jar that held meaning to us regarding our goals for the coming year. As part of our process, we were welcome to walk the labyrinth or conduct a tea ceremony. 

As the sun started to set, we relaxed with a glass of wine and enjoyed some traditional Chinese New Year food.  This was a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in another culture and take some time out for reflection on the upcoming year.  I highly recommend it and suggest you join us next year!

 

Here are some photos of the event…

 

    
Welcoming front door       Our host, Jean de Bruyne

 

    
"Lion" reaches for food       Garden entry

 

   
Making wealth jars              Tea ceremony gazebo

    
Completed wealth jars                        

Our group for the event

A beautiful day for reflection.....

 

 World in a Day: South Auckland Foodie Discovery Tour, Saturday, 9 April

"Thought I knew every knook and cranny that sells food - but I really didn't." Pleasantly surprised tour participant, Gretchen

Another beautiful autumn day for us  - this time to explore South Auckland.  This is our most popular tour - there is such food diversity in this area.  Our group arrived bright (?) and early for our drive to the Otara Market.

  
Our market guide Melissa "talks taro"       



Puha and Watercress

  
Banana flowers                         Red hot chilis

    
Pacific Island food treats       Melissa with cookbook


From "market" to "upmarket"...we visited Simon Gault's premium food import business, Sous Chef.  The "masterchef" himself came to greet us and tell us about the tempting range of products.  The shopping bags were very full after this stop!

   
Simon Gault greeted us......



and whetted our appetite for the delicious products


Next we discovered authentic Hungarian and European sausages and smallgoods...

  
The smokehouse in action    Istvan explains a special product

Our visit to Otahuhu coincided with a special Sikh festival

We were ready to relax and enjoy our Vietnamese feast...
just some of the dishes...
 
Refreshing hot and sour soup           Lemongrass chicken


We pursued the Indian food theme after lunch...
 
Dhirendra helps us shop for spices     Indian sweets for dessert

Our last stop was at Villa Maria Wines for a wine tasting...


Several people relaxed with a coffee
overlooking the beautiful gardens

'"Finding" is the operative word.  Great day thanks.'  Feedback on the day


Thank you to our great group of foodies...you shopped and shared information to make the day so interesting.  Thank you to the wonderful food makers and suppliers of South Auckland, and our passionate market guide, Melissa.

News Flash!!  We have had such interest in this tour that we have scheduled two more in the coming year:  Saturday, 2 July and Saturday, 12 November.  Book early and save disappointment!

 

Inaugural Italian Food Discovery Tour with Raffaela Delmonte, Saturday, 2 April

"A great day, friendly, relaxed, with like-minded people.  It's amazing what you find out about your own city."  Feedback on the day.

 

Ciao, Bella!  Italian food diva Raffaela Delmonte took us on a journey of Italian food discovery on a sunny autumn day. She shared the story of her arrival in New Zealand and of her passion for good food shared with family and friends. We were all tempted to share in "la dolce vita" with her!

We started with a visit to the Parnell Farmers' Market, which fortuitously was holding its Autumn Harvest Market.

 

  
Tasting Karaka Grove olive oil        Colchis makes cheeses perfect for Italian cooking

 

   
Raffaela explains Italian-style bread at the Pukeko Bakery stall

Time for morning coffee at Covo on Fort Street.  Ivan has started Covo restaurants (there are now three) as a place to gather, socialise and eat good honest Italian food.  The Covo near Carlaw Park is a wine bar featuring wines from Italy.

 
Raffaela and Ivan at Covo Restaurant              Coffee Time


Delicious pine nut biscuits with our coffee

  
A shopping tour of the new Farro Fresh revealed some delicious Italian products.
Raffaela explained the smallgoods and cheeses...with tastings of course!

What would Italian cuisine be without pasta?

Next our journey took us to the idyllic rural setting of Raffaela's home:

  
Antipasti with fresh figs from the market, Otello's sausage, cheese, Raffaela's quince paste and organic honey


Phil Clarke from A Touch of Italy guided us through a tasting of several Italian wines

 

Raffaela's husband makes authentic Italian sausages.  Check out www.Otellos.co.nz

  
Raffaela demonstrated making polenta and our main dish using Otello's sausages.

We completed lunch with panettone and moscato courtesy of A Touch of Italy.  The freshly made Italian coffee was much appreciated!

Back into the city for some authentic gelato at Giapo's. Founder/owner Gianpaolo Grazioli makes organic, vegan gelato in a wide variety of flavours...and created a special parmesan and olive oil flavour for us to taste!  Then we chose a cone or tub of flavours to our liking.

  
Lynn and Gianpaolo                         

"Mille Grazie", Raffaela, for a day to remember!

World in a Day: Eastern Suburbs, 28 May, 2011

We enjoyed lots of laughs with our convivial group of foodies on this exploration of the Eastern Suburbs.  The sun (mostly) shone and we tasted our way through the day.....

    
(Photo courtesy Sarah Richardson)

We may have visited the bakery for the organic, sourdough bread, but we were easily tempted by the attractive pastries. Owner Isable Pasch gave us a warm welcome and tastings of their delicious baking.

 
Yes, there really is a Mel behind Mel's Gourmet Indian at Home.  Melissa Hurst explained the various spices used in Indian cooking, and then her cook Kinnari gave us a taste of their delicious Butter Chicken.

A break from food at a kitchenware shop - 

(photo courtesy Sarah Richardson)
         
                     where we watched an intriguing sausage-making demo

Then we joined the wave of people arriving at our favourite Mexican Specialities for lunch


One of the dishes we shared for lunch.

A visit to the Eastern Suburbs would not be complete without a visit to Farro Fresh:
    
General Manager Michal explains our cheeseboard which we all thoroughly enjoyed. 
Ask us about the blue cheese...heaven!

A quick stop to visit the butcher who makes authentic UK sausages,
then off to Korea via a Korean Supermarket....

    
Pie stall outside shop             Fresh walnuts to try...great idea!

Our final stop - Italy.  Ciao!!

Italian Food Discovery Tour with Raffaela Delmonte, 18 June, 2011

"Wonderful, fun, informative day from start to finish. " Feedback on the day from happy tour participant

Ciao Bella!  Italian food diva Raffaela Delmonte hosted another wonderful day for us on our Italian Food Discovery Tour this past Saturday.  We started with a market visit and then started our Italian immersion with morning coffee with owner Ivan at Covo.

    
Tasting Colchis Cheese                     The cheesemaker

   
Morning coffee treats       Covo owner Ivan and Raffaela

Shopping and tasting at Farro Fresh was followed by a relaxing time of wine tasting, antipasti, a cooking demonstration and lunch at Raffaela's home. 

      
  Try this!                             Making chocolate "salami"

We hated to leave the relaxing ambience of Raffaela's home, but artisan Italian gelato beckoned!

Giapo Gelato owner Gianpaolo and group

"Don't change a thing! As always your tours are so interesting."  Kathy West (much appreciated repeat tour participant)


Our next Italian Food Tour is scheduled for November - and we may head out Clevedon way for the day.  Join us!

 

South Auckland Food Discovery Tour, 2 July, 2011

"Fantastic day out!  Couldn't have asked for more.  Everything was so personal and well thought out!" Anna Davey

It was one of those perfect days - the sun shone and we were welcomed by Simon Gault at our visit to Sous Chef. 
We all got into the groove....

  
Melissa guided us at the Otara market 

Simon welcomed us to Sous Chef

We loved the fresh fruit and vegetables at the market, and also loved the premium ingredients at Sous Chef. Sous Chef is normally open from Monday to Friday, and the staff opened the business especially for our tour. 
You can shop anytime on-line: www.souschef.co.nz

  
King crab claws

 

Our group with Simon

    
Hungarian Deli smokehouse   Feasting on our Vietnamese lunch

Despite our morning of tastings, we all enjoyed the feast prepared for us at Sam Woo. 
Personal favourite: Lemongrass chicken

        
Ritu explained a lot about      Indian sweets for a sweet tooth
Indian vegetables

Our food shopping moved to Indian cuisine, with a visit to a busy Indian supermarket and then to a top Indian snacks and sweets manufacturer.  The temptations were too much for those of us with a sweet tooth!

We finished our afternoon with a wine tasting at Villa Maria.  The grounds are such a peaceful oasis in the midst of the airport warehouse area. 

Special thanks to the businesses who open their doors (literally) to welcome our foodie group visits.  We loved every minute! Thank you to a very convivial group - you all made the day such fun!

I will give some of them the last word:

"Awesome day!  Will do more.  Lots of fun." A happy tour participant
"Great day...flavour, fun and fab people." Libby

Join us when we return to South Auckland on 12 November.

Recent Tours:  Mt Eden Village Foodie Walking Tours, 25 and 31 August and 7 September

Our new Mt Eden Village Foodie Walking Tours have really taken off!  We been thrilled by the response - we even had a request for a special tour on 31 August.  I roped in my colleagues to trial the tour prior to that and their suggestions were much appreciated. 

Our first official tour was on Wednesday, 7 September and based on the glowing comments, people love exploring the Village.  The tour runs every Wednesday (except for 14 September) and we will do tours on other days upon arrangement.  Join Us!

Here are some photos from all three of our tours (so far!)...

  
Homemade shortbread at Frasers Cafe    Artisan bread at Olaf's

     
The fabulous Essential Deli      French and Kiwi baking at Paris-Mt Eden

 
Time for tea tasting at Chapter 


All the best produce at Loo's

  
Personal service at Mt Eden Traditional Butchery

  

Sim shows us decorating secrets
at City Cake Co

 
 
Lunch and dessert at the award-winning Molten Restaurant

Thanks to the shop owners who really make this tour the treat that it is! 

Come and join us any Wednesday - bring your friends and visitors.  It makes a great introduction to a slice of (special) real Kiwi life.  Book Now!

Recent Event: French Market Shop, Cooking Class and Lunch with Sarah La Touche, 24 September

It seemed as though all of Auckland was celebrating the French theme on the day of the big clash between the All Blacks and the French rugby team. 

Our keen group of Francophile foodies gathered at the bustling La Cigale market to shop for ingredients for lunch.  Sarah was guided by the fresh produce of the day to plan our menu.

Then it was off to the kitchen at Epicure Trading.  Sarah soon had us chopping and peeling to create a real French lunch feast.


Here's what we created:  "amuse bouche" tiny pastry scrolls with chopped olives and anchovies; individual ramekins of asparagus and baked duck egg on creme fraiche; individual parcels of fish on a sauteed baby leek and mushroom base; braised spring vegetable medly of baby turnips, baby carrots, asparagus and fennel; cheese course with salad and a delicious pear "Tarte Tatin" with softly whipped cream for dessert. 

All accompanied by French wines from Maison Vauron and Badoit mineral water from Eurodis!

   
Elizabeth Lind, La Cigale greeted us Sarah loved the cheese tastings!

   
Prepping for the pear "Tarte Tatin" Many hands make light work!

  
Baked Duck Egg starter                 Jane serves up the braised veggies

   
Voila!  Perfect pear "Tarte Tatin"    Ma Cherie macarons gift bags

Cheers!  Sante!  Bon Appetit!

Sarah and I had a wonderful day with our friendly group.  We'd love to do something like this again in the new year, so let us know if you are interested.

Merci Beaucoup to Sarah La Touche for leading us in this shopping, cooking and eating day in the French style, to Catherine Bell of Epicure Trading for letting us use her kitchen, to Jean-Christophe Poizat of Maison Vauron for recommending the wines, to Catherine of Eurodis for supplying the Badoit mineral water and to Victoria Wells of Dish magazine for giving everyone a Dish magazine to take home.