Page 26
The News
Thursday August 7 2014
Cheviot Hills wins again Hawthorn berries have proved to be a winning ingredient for a Cheviot farm ing family. Cheviot Hills Fine Foods has won the innovation from the kitchen bench award, a new category this year, for its ‘‘haw sauce’’, made from hawthorn berries, at the 2014 Farmers Market New Zealand Awards announced in Auckland last Thursday. Husband and wife team Peter ‘‘Monty’’ Montgomery and Ange Davidson run the Cheviot Hills oper ation, farming red and wapiti cross deer, with Mr Montgomery’s sister Jane Montgomery looking after the market ing, developing products and selling at the weekly Lyttelton Farmers Market. Ms Montgomery says she was ‘‘chuf fed’’ with winning the award for her haw sauce, as hawthorn berries ‘‘are prolific in Cheviot’’. ‘‘The judges called it ‘the product of the year’, so we were pretty chuffed with that.’’ She says hawthorn hedges were first planted at Cheviot Hills in the 1850s and 1860s for the fence lines and continued to grow prolifically, ‘‘so it was just too good not to make use of’’. ‘‘We have had such good feedback from using the sauce with the venison, so I thought I can’t not make it. So I thought there must be a way to make the process easier but I haven’t found it yet.’’ Hawthorn berries are small, with a stone in the centre which is difficult to extract. However, she says she has some tips from other finalists which she can’t wait to try. Cheviot Hills previously won the best product from the butchery award in
HORNBY
Jane Montgomery. 2012 for its venison and was highly commended in the best food producer from the kitchen bench award in 2010 for its rhubarb and fig jam. Three other producers who have stalls at North Canterbury markets were also recognised at the awards. Darfieldbased Westwood Chicken and Stewart Island Smoked Salmon, regulars at the Ohoka Farmers Market, won the tastiest food producer from the
53 SHANDS ROAD (03) 349 8955 shands@clear.net.nz
butchery and the freshest food producer from the water awards respectively, while Greendale’s Cressy Farm, a regular at the Oxford Farmers Market, was highly commended in the from the butchery category. The regional farmers’ market award, which ‘‘celebrates farmers’ markets which make a real difference’’, was awarded to all South Island farmers markets.
SHANDS OUTDOOR POWER
Fonterra price slump a ‘worry’ for local farmers Fonterra’s lower than expected pro jected milk price has drawn a mixed reaction from local farmers. Federated Farmers North Can terbury dairy spokesman Vaughan Beazer says the drop in the pro jected farmgate milk price to $6 for the 20142015 season is a concern. However, Culverden sharemilker James Bourke says the announce ment ‘‘is not all doom and gloom’’. The price slump follows the record high payout of $8.40 per kilogram of milk solids for the 20132014 season. ‘‘It’s a worry. The worry is if it continues to drop. Everybody expected it to come back, but even the experts thought it would stabilise at around $6.50,’’ Mr Beazer says. ‘‘The currency hasn’t come back and usually the two go handin hand, so I guess it’s a matter of watch this space to see when it’s going to stabilise.’’ Mr Beazer says ‘‘$6 isn’t the end of the world, but the continuing trend down is the worry’’. He says farmers may need to reassess their budgets, reconsider any new spending and ‘‘be wary of taking on new debt’’. However, the mild winter is proving a blessing as calving gets into full swing, Mr Beazer says. ‘‘It may be a saving grace. You don’t tend to get a good payout and a great season at the same time.’’ Mr Bourke says he and wife Ceri remain quietly confident, with their operation budgeted to break even at $4.50.
James Bourke. ‘‘There’s a long way to run in the season, so I think they (Fonterra) are just being a bit cautious. ‘‘People just need to keep an eye on their costs. On an historic basis $6 is actually a pretty good payout, so it’s not all doom and gloom.’’ However, he is aware many far mers have high debt levels. ‘‘But if you’re needing $6 to break even you’ve got to ask yourself whether that’s wise. Ceri and I try and have a system which is going to be profitable at any price and that’s traditionally been the way in New Zealand.’’ Mr Bourke says calving is off to a good start, with ‘‘reasonable grass growth and superb utilisation’’. ‘‘Some years grow lots of grass, but you can’t utilise it because the ground is too wet.’’
BELFAST
756 MAIN NORTH ROAD (03) 323 7858 shandsbelfast@vodafone.co.nz