Has a really cool farmer's market every weekend. Either in Napier (on Saturdays) or Hastings (on Sundays). Effectively a sort of primary and secondary produce craft fair, it has a good range of interesting things sold by some very chirpy people.
Someone from South America is selling organic espresso, there are some (Dutch?) people selling cheese from Norsewood (including an aboslutely stunning chilli Gouda). One lovely 'normal' New Zealander selling the best smoked paprika flakes (we've tried them before and have discovered it goes in nearly anything). A German selling fresh brezels (and Lekerlei - wow) and some excellent corned beef, lime and date chutney, and ostrich salami.
I've remembered this sort of market as being full of people who had no idea what they were doing, the New Zealanders because they didn't have the experience, and the immigrants because they hadn't adapted their traditional craft to the new climate and pallate.
This market had shifted into a whole new gear. There was a genuine style to most of the food which appeared to be based on: very good original recipies, high quality ingrediants, and an aim to produce new, interesting, well balanced, boistrous flavours. Also, each item had been taken to the point where you could use it without much further fuss, so an attempt to make the use of their product immediately obvious.
Oh, and in a further plug, the Norsewear factory shop in Norsewood is well worth pulling off the main road. They had a good range of wool-based clothes and some very convincing specials.
Posted by carla at April 19, 2004 10:02 AM