We’ve had a fabulous two weeks sampling burgers, pesto dips, wine, gin and Matcha Tea. Needless to say, focus has been very popular with the neighbouring offices!
Honest Beef & Venison Burger with Rātā Honey, Silver Fern Farms
Dee: “Ok, admittedly, the neighbouring offices didn’t get a look in with these delicious new burgers from Silver Fern Farms but two friends joined hubbie and I for dinner. I prepared the Korean Style Beef & Venison Burger with Kimchi Slaw – here’s the recipe for this. Everyone loved these – they felt the burger was a good size and the texture, taste and juiciness were all given top marks.”
The Honest Beef & Venison Burger with Rātā Honey is a delicious blend of the finest cuts of grass-fed beef and venison, perfectly paired with the smooth natural sweetness of New Zealand Rātā honey, which adds a beautiful caramelisation to the burger.
Made with 95% premium quality red meat, the Honest Burger range has no artificial flavours or preservatives, just New Zealand’s finest pasture-raised beef and venison.
The Rātā honey adds beautiful caramelisation, which means it is best cooked lower and slower than the rest of the Honest Burger range, with the heat increased in the final few minutes for that perfect, caramelised finish.
The Honest Burger range is available in all good supermarkets nationwide.
Blossom Parade Gin, Hastings Distillers
Dee: “Although I don’t drink alcohol, I always feel a Gin and Tonic looks most inviting when served with a slice of lemon and ice cubes tinkling in a crystal glass, so that’s how I presented these to our ‘burger’ guests” (see item above).
The limited-edition Blossom Parade – a nod to the iconic spring event held in Hastings annually – is the most popular gin from Hastings Distillers. Lightly perfumed and refined, the gin marks the change of seasons and heralds warmer weather ahead.
Blossom Parade combines citrus, exotic flowers, orange blossom and green fruits, batch-distilled and cut to strength with Kaweka spring water.
“We’ve had a unexpectedly cold start to the season this year in Hawke’s Bay, which is suggested through the livelier and fresher notes that have revealed themselves in this year’s Blossom Parade,” says co-founder Kate Galloway.
“It’s a true homage to the Hastings district, and the brief burst of pale pink we see on almost every street in the area. It captures the fleeting scents of the season and signals the beginning of a new cycle of growth which ultimately leads to autumn, and to harvest.”
Dee: “And what did my guests have to say? “Delicious, may we have another!””
The Hastings Distillers Blossom Parade gin joins Hastings Distillers’ impressive line-up of award-winning spirits as well as other seasonal and one-off releases including Posy gin liqueur and Barrel Aged Negroni.
Available from Hastings Distillers
Lisa’s Pesto Dips
From their famous hummus to their falafel and delicious dips, everybody knows Lisa’s Hummus. Now, the company has added three delicious pesto dips to their range to help make flavour-packed snacks, platters and meals effortless.
Lisa’s dips are made here in New Zealand and only premium, quality ingredients are used. The three new pesto dips include Basil, Cashew & Parmesan, Coriander & Sweet Chilli, and Tomato, Capsicum & Almond.
Dee: “I love the versatility of these dips and apart from including them in a grazing platter, I use them for other dishes. I’ve made a lovely pasta salad with asparagus, avocado and thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes (yes, I still use these) and, to finish off, mixed through a few tablespoons of the basil, cashew and parmesan pesto. Divine! I’ve also used the tomato, capsicum & almond pesto as a base for pizza – a great success and enjoyed by all.”
Make entertaining easy this summer with these delish Pesto Dips. Mix, dip, drizzle or stir –there’s no limit to the tasty snack and meal options you can whip up.
Lisa’s Pesto Dips are available in supermarkets nationwide.
The Uncommon Wine of New Zealand
Firstly, the illustrated artworks on the single serve tins are next level! Known affectionately as Twiggy and Leonard, the artworks feature NZ landscapes, natural flora and fauna and each is inspired by a New Zealand great – pilot Jean Batten and explorer Charles Heaphy.
With a commitment to keeping things local, The Uncommon uses local grapes and supports local farmers, growers and suppliers and one of the country’s top winemakers, Digger Hennessy, was tasked with creating two premium Marlborough varietals – a Pinot Noir Rosé and a Sauvignon Blanc.
Dee: “We invited a few colleagues over from neighbouring offices to try the wines. A massive thumbs up from everyone, with indications they would definitely be purchasing plenty more going forward.”
The Uncommon Wine of New Zealand has the following eloquent descriptions:
The single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc exhibits all the classic characteristics which have made this varietal world famous. The palate is full, with vibrant layers of rich tropical fruits, guava, gooseberries and zesty citrus, which work together harmoniously in this crisp and refreshing classic, that’s bursting with life. You’ll be transported straight to the sun-drenched Waihopai Valley, as this fruity drop dances elegantly with the world-famous regions’ lively acidity, flowing into a long-lasting finish.
Delicate yet expressive, this deliciously dry, French-style Pinot Noir Rosé, exhibits rose and honeysuckle on the nose with a rounded strawberries and cream profile to satisfy the palate. Crisp acidity is carefully balanced, creating a delightfully moreish finish. Harvested early to produce a lighter, refreshing drop.
What more can we say?
Available from wearetheuncommon.co.nz RRP $29.99 for a multipack of 4 cans
Organic Matcha Powder, Matcha Latte and Hojicha powder, THEA Matcha
Caffeine without the jitters – yes, please!
Thea Matcha was recently launched online and in stores with the aim of introducing matcha as a coffee alternative.
If you’re not familiar with matcha, it’s a Japanese green tea powder made from finely crushed dried tea leaves. Like coffee, matcha contains caffeine but thanks to its superpower amino acid L-Theanine, the caffeine is slowly released into the bloodstream to energise, with a calming and relaxing effect.
Most people steep green tea leaves in hot water and drink the resultant infusion, but with matcha (pronounced mah-cha), the leaves are ground into a powdered consistency which means you consume the powdered leaves whilst drinking. So that means, not only do you have a great tasting tea, but it’s full of antioxidants that are beneficial to health.
We were sent the organic Matcha powder and the Matcha latte – which are both delicious – as well as THEA’s new organic Hojicha Powder… a fabulous roasted green tea powder which has proven so popular that the company has already sold out!
It’s super easy to make a cup of matcha, or hojicha, and you can have it iced or hot. The secret is to scoop a teaspoon of powder into your cup and add a small amount of almost boiling water (or milk if you’re having a latte) and stir until it’s smooth. After that, add more water/milk and keep stirring. OR, we highly recommend using THEA’s super-cool USB powered matchawhisk to ensure you end up with a smooth and clump free beverage.
Like wine and coffee beans, matcha has differing notes and depths of flavour so we appreciated being sent the three sampling packs to try. These ‘blind samples’ consisted of small sachets with a mix of matcha varieties to taste – that way we could decide which Thea teas to buy.
Dee: “I’m a herbal tea drinker and don’t usually choose green tea or matcha as my first preference. I was curious to try the Thea Matcha and found this had a smoother taste than other matcha teas I’ve tasted. Very pleasant! But it’s the Thea Matcha Latte that I particularly like, especially when the base is lump free and frothed up with plant-based milk.”
Matcha is a popular addition to baking and cooking. Give some of these yummy recipes a try theamatcha.com/blogs/recipes
