Made in Murihiku

Kate Underwood, Food Editor @relishthememory @eat.newzealand

Afew weeks ago, I found myself at the bottom of Aotearoa, wearing a hard hat, licking locally harvested honey from an ice cream stick, and drinking a soon-to-bereleased gin from a plastic cup. I was in Bluff, standing beside the gin maker, Chris – the owner of Miele Apiaries Premium Honey – in a neglected building with ocean views, a space set to become a gin distillery. Just one exciting piece of the evolving Southland food story.

I was in Murihiku (Southland) to deliver a Food Storytelling Workshop in conjunction with Eat New Zealand and Great South. The event was designed to support producers, businesses, and hospitality providers and empower them to help tell their own unique food stories and to understand just how special they are.

We were fortunate to get a tour of The New Zealand Abalone Company pāua farm and the Manāki Whitebait facility – two large-scale aquaculture operations on a mission to farm these prized kaimoana species sustainably. They’re both housed in what once was the huge, archaic Ocean Beach freezing works, which closed its doors back in 1991.

An intricate plumbing system pumps seawater directly from the Foveaux Strait, which it sits beside. The pāua grow for four years, then are harvested at cocktail size – between 50–80mm (practically half the size of your average pāua, closer to 125mm.) They’ll be sold to the New Zealand market as baby pāua, which aptly have the most beautiful baby blue shells.

Beyond this beloved kaimoana, the potential of this region’s food story is huge, and what’s most exciting is that the people here are starting to believe it.

At local favourite, The Batch Cafe, there are two ‘Made in Murihiku’ dishes entirely dedicated to using ingredients from the Southland Plains (with the exception of flour – but they’re working on it.) I had the delicious smoked blue cod pâté on sourdough from nearby bakery Flour Bro with locally produced crème fraîche. We learnt about the incredible Murihiku Kai Collective, who are working with their community to strengthen food security and enable more Southlanders to both produce and access good food. They work closely with Koha Kai, another amazing local charity, to host events in their market garden. I love their definition of good food: “food and beverages that are affordable, nourishing, appetising, sustainable, locally produced, and culturally appropriate.” Something I believe all regions and all people deserve.

There are so many great humans producing delicious things down here. I also met the woman behind Moodew paneer, a cheese used in Indian cooking. Made with raw cow’s milk, it’s naturally high in protein.

My only regret was missing a Fat Bastard Pie; you can imagine my relief when I found out they operate NZ’s first pie club, a subscription model where pies are delivered anywhere in the country. I couldn’t leave Invercargill without devouring a cheese roll, and on this fleeting trip, the unassuming airport version did the trick. Slathered in butter, the gooey, cheesy centre and that quintessential hint of onion hit the spot.

Sam Parish @sam.parish.food