Apologies for my absence over the last month or so! Well in truth, I am not too sorry as I have spent an amazing 4 weeks in the most beautiful of places, New Zealand. For as long as I can remember the only place I have had on my travel dream list has been New Zealand and the trip was everything I could have possibly dreamed of and more!
As this is a food blog, I imagine you are here for the food and more specifically the sweet stuff! Well, I took it upon myself to investigate whilst I was out there and try as much of the local sweet treats as I possibly could… you’re welcome! Here I shall share with you some of my favourites and in the next few weeks, keep your eyes out, as I recreate some of them myself with recipes just for you!
It seems only right to start of with… Louise Cake! It seemed somewhat like fate that I would find my namesake cake in this amazing country that now has a very big slice of my heart! Luckily, said cake did not disappoint. Put simply the cake, or probably more technically, a slice, comprises of a shortbread base with a chunky layer of raspberry jam and topped with coconut meringue. As I would expect from a cake named after me, it pairs perfect with a big cup of tea!
Next up, Tan Slice! Or as I now refer to it- Happy Slice, as I feel it’s impossible not to bring a smile to any who eat it! Again this slice is shortbread based with a thick layer of gooey caramel, topped with a biscuit crumble, sounds good right?! Well lucky for you, my first New Zealand Bakes post will be this delectable treat! So check back next Friday and in the meantime try not to daydream about it too much!
One of our favourite food experiences was a banquet feast at Hobbiton, inside the Green Dragon itself! It was certainly a feast fit for hobbits with roast chicken, lamb shanks, beef stew, salmon, bread, roasted vegetables and countless other treats. Luckily I saved a fair bit of room for dessert which was beautiful fruit crumble, Bakewell tart and of course the Kiwi classic, Pavlova.
A foodie trip to New Zealand just would not be complete without a trip to Ferburger! Hailed as one of the best burgers in the whole world, the constant long queue was not going to put us off! I have to say with such a lot of hype around it had a lot to live up to. But it really really was the best burger I have ever had! I went for a classic Ferg Deluxe with NZ beef, bacon and cheese and pickles and relish and ailoi, sounds good right?! It was also massive which of course got extra points from me!
As well as Fergburger there in also a Fergbaker, where I may have spent a fair amount of my time (and money) whilst in Queenstown! Cookies, pastries, pies, croissants, breads, doughnuts, cakes… yep I had found my paradise. To put the cherry on top, next door was Mrs.Ferg, a gelateria! After pondering over and sampling many of the incredible flavours I had to of course go for pistachio and then a caramelised white chocolate and macadamia!
So there is a quick sum up of an amazing trip and a stunning country that will always be in my heart. If you have any questions about what else we got up to, any recommendations if you’re planning a trip yourself, or just some more food chat please leave a comment! I shall see you next week for a recipe blog!