food in new zealand

[offcentre]

lots of questions for you good folk in new zealand...

I love foraging - whats it like in NZ? Do you have similar species of mushroom and fungi as us over here?

Organic vegetables - is there much supply in NZ? Is it mostly from supermarkets or do you have farmers markets? Can you buy direct from farms ie farm shops?

Availability of things like italian cured meats and french cheeses - do you have them and are they prohibitively expensive.

I am expecting fantastic fresh fish at low price, will I be disappointed?

Whats the quality and availability of meat like, preferably organic? Can I pick up the occassional rabbit, pigeon, wild boar etc? Can this be bought direct from the producer?

I am moving to the Auckland region btw...probably Waitakere area.

Any info, related to above or not, will be gratefully received.

Ross

[Julles]

[We have pretty much everything here, NZ is a foodie's paradise. It might take you a while to find the right supplier or website, but with a bit of planning you can get anything. There are good deli/butchers - have a look at the Sabato.co.nz site, and also there are french outlets - butchers, wine suppliers, who have great cheese. Plus there are new larger suppliers, like Nosh who have a great range of cheese. Organic fruit and vegetables are plentiful, plus there are organic butchers. I am not sure what it is like out where you are planning on settling, as I live in Devonport, but with a bit of driving you can find anything. Don't expect it to be a bargain though.....

[Michael Symons]

lots of questions for you good folk in new zealand...

I love foraging - whats it like in NZ? Do you have similar species of mushroom and fungi as us over here?

Organic vegetables - is there much supply in NZ? Is it mostly from supermarkets or do you have farmers markets? Can you buy direct from farms ie farm shops?

Availability of things like italian cured meats and french cheeses - do you have them and are they prohibitively expensive.

I am expecting fantastic fresh fish at low price, will I be disappointed?

Whats the quality and availability of meat like, preferably organic? Can I pick up the occassional rabbit, pigeon, wild boar etc? Can this be bought direct from the producer?

I am moving to the Auckland region btw...probably Waitakere area.

Any info, related to above or not, will be gratefully received.

Ross

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[Michael Symons]

lots of questions for you good folk in new zealand...

I love foraging - whats it like in NZ? Do you have similar species of mushroom and fungi as us over here?

Organic vegetables - is there much supply in NZ? Is it mostly from supermarkets or do you have farmers markets? Can you buy direct from farms ie farm shops?

Availability of things like italian cured meats and french cheeses - do you have them and are they prohibitively expensive.

I am expecting fantastic fresh fish at low price, will I be disappointed?

Whats the quality and availability of meat like, preferably organic? Can I pick up the occassional rabbit, pigeon, wild boar etc? Can this be bought direct from the producer?

I am moving to the Auckland region btw...probably Waitakere area.

Any info, related to above or not, will be gratefully received.

Ross

←

←

[Michael Symons]

Second the comments about looking about, which happens when a person shifts locations anywhere. Coming from Australia (to Wellington, so not Auckland), I took surprisingly long to discover Moore Wilson's (can't have been listening). But I quickly discovered the coffee (flat whites) - seriously good coffee. Funny little things, such as the blackberries have virtually no taste, nor the pumpkins. Yet I found wonderful turnips. Lots of game. Fish not always fresh enough, and butter surprisingly poor in the supermarkets given the dairying (so we get it posted from Christchurch!). Yet I wasn't used to cream being widely available in two litres. Margaret Brooker has done useful buying guides. Cuisine magazine is worth keeping an eye on, at least until you find your own way around.

[offcentre]

thank you Julles and Michael - that is reassuring. "NZ is a foodies paradise"...I like the sound of that.

I have an allotment here in the UK and can't wait to get to grips with some of the more exotic things I may be able to grow in NZ. I also have these fantasies at the moment of being able to go diving for lobster and collecting bugs from the rivers.

thanks

[Julles]

You can go diving for lobster - though we call them crayfish, also for scallops, paua (abalone?), - though within quota. Not so sure about the bugs in the rivers!! Trout fishing? Foraging for native greens - puha. NZ very good for horticulture, I am a lazy gardener, but still have tomatoes, herbs, lettuce. My parents grow beans, potatoes, spinach. My grandparents had the full garden - potatoes, sweet corn, the works, even chickens. We tend to use the supermarket...

[Pat Churchill]

Be assured, you won't starve. I'm a food writer and I've moved from New Zealand to Melbourne and I've found you need to get out there, find your local market gardens or farmers' markets, ask about on forums like this, read your local newspapers and just drink in the local culture.

Kiwis and Australian are more than happy to blow their own trumpets - and make you feel at home.

Welcome Down Under!