Foodie event in Ambrym

 Ranon celebrates

I wasn't enthusiastic about attending a circumcision ceremony having walked 24 km to view a volcano the previous day. Three hours later I had no regrets. Torpedo like yams paraded past me as if in a military setting. A bullock was butchered in front of the crowd and a 12 yr old boy killed three pigs . All to celebrate the circumcision of three boys.

Captain Cook's legacy

The name Ambrym means yam, bestowed on the island by Captain Cook and prominent in the ceremony they were. However pigs provided the main event.

Pigs and kustom

Pigs are the principal objects of wealth in Vanuatu. They are accumulated, traded, loaned, and paid out to resolve disputes. Pigs are central to kustom and are pampered, revered, and sacrificed. Killing a set number of pigs gives a man high status. When the pigs are killed, the killer assumes their spirits, gaining power and prestige among his village.

Circumcisions are a one time thing and the ceremony reflected this. The Ranon community gathered as if partaking in a wedding or a funeral.

Rakiraki Market after Cyclone

I did not think I would return to Rakiraki Market so soon but after Cyclone Winston devastated parts of Fiji I was called to photograph some of the marketplaces on Viti Levu. Beguiled by the blue skies and sunshine it was still clear the damage in Rakiraki area was widespread. The market was pretty much non existent after the council had already bulldozed it flat.Tents have been put up to house some of the market vendors until their buildings are restored. Pineapple vendor Ajay Lal was looking a little worse for wear which was not surprising after he told me his house had been badly damaged by the cyclone. Three weeks after the cyclone Rakiraki township has power restored but it will take months to repair outlying power lines and even longer for crops to get back to full production.

Foodie tour starts in Vanuatu

A block of land north of Port Vila with a multitude of food-producing plants is now open to visitors. The brainchild of Jimmy Nipo and his wife Ledcha Nanuman, Fansa Farm Foodie Tours has been designed to showcase the best in Vanuatu’s food while also wanting to demonstrate new crop varieties and farming practices better suited to Vanuatu’s shifting weather patterns. Crops you will see on the foodie tour include pineapple, mango, pawpaw, taro, drought resistant yam,kava, corn, tamarind, banana, breadfruit, sugarcane, pepper, chilli, kumala (kumara), coconut, nangai (an almond like nut ) and manioc (cassava) which Jimmy says represents continuity: “Manioc is always there, it just keep going, it feeds us and provides our energy throughout the seasons,” he says.

Jimmy Nipo and Ledcha Nanuman come from the island of Tanna in the south of Vanuatu. Jimmy says Fansa Farm takes its name from the fansa bird (similar to a fantail ) which holds special significance as a leader in Tanna Island culture.

“The fansa leads all other birds to food. It is active, smart and creative, and never stops moving,” says Jimmy. “Fansa also means safe, and for us Ni-Vanuatu, that relates to food security which is very important for our survival” he says.

Visitors to Fansa Farm can choose between three tours ranging from two to four hours on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings.

The Food Path provides a guided tour through the farm with refreshments and produce on offer along the way.

Food Path and ‘aelan-style’ Cooking provides a guided tour through the farm with refreshments and produce along the way followed by an opportunity to cook local dishes ‘aelan style’.

The third tour, Food Path, Port Vila Market and brunch at Lapita Cafe is offered in partnership with Port Vila’s Lapita Café, well known suppliers of high quality aelan cuisine ( the Lapita Cafe food at the opening was delicious ). The tour includes a guided tour of the farm, then a tour of the Port Vila central market, followed by brunch.

Bookings are essential. Visit www.fansafoodietours.weebly.com

Vanilla Pioneer departs Vanuatu

After 28 yrs of Vanilla production in Vanuatu Pierro Bianchessi has left for Italy, his homeland. An organic chemist, Bianchessi arrived in Vanuatu in 1987 and found the perfect climate for growing vanilla. He established Venui Vanilla and by 1991 demand had increased beyond what he could produce on his own land. Growers were contracted and trained from northern islands in Vanuatu, processing 2000-2500 tons of vanilla each year at the peak of production. Certified organic from 1997, Pierro marketed the vanilla himself at food shows in Europe, NZ , Australia and New Caledonia. Venui Vanilla quickly became Vanuatu’s premiere artisan food producer.

Vanilla needs a dry coolish winter of 7-8 weeks for successful pollination and although this was possible initially the amount of vanilla being processed has now dropped to 2-300kg per year. Bianchessi states this is a direct result of climate change.

Venui Vanilla now also produces peppercorns, turmeric, chillies and ginger and to reflect this has been rebranded Venui Vanilla - Spices of Vanuatu. Venui would have to process five times the amount of peppercorns to replace the value of the declining vanilla crop according to Bianchessi.

New Zealand has strong links with Venui. An Auckland based graphic designer created the cool looking soft packaging and New Zealand’s BioGro Organic Certification was achieved in 2013. This certification also covers the 200 small farmers who supply the company.

A new manager has been found and the company has been sold to LCM, a very established grocery business based in Luganville. A new cold pressed centrifugal coconut oil processing facility is being built as a result of the new investment.

Although departing, Bianchessi was optimistic the organic ethos of Venui will continue. He believes Vanuatu has a good future with food production as it remains naturally organic, the last of the Pacific Islands to be in this state.

Sorting Ginger

Ginger drying

Chilies and tamarind drying

Venui Vanilla in Vanuatu

Boxes of spices ready to export

Venui Vanilla retail outlet

Sorting Vanilla in Vanuatu

Sacks chillies in Vanuatu

Vanilla being stored in Vanuatu

Sacks of turmeric in Vanuatu

Pierro Bianchessi with bags of peppercorns in Vanuatu

Organic chilies drying in Vanuatu

Chilies drying in Vanuatu

Unloading trays of chilies to dry in Vanuatu

Portrait of Pierro Bianchessi founder of Venui Vanilla

Distributing seeds post Cyclone Pam

Getting seeds back in the ground was an urgent need post Cyclone Pam. I was asked by UN Women to photograph one of the seed distribution events at Marobe Market in Efate. Being immersed among two hundred women patiently waiting for their allotment of seeds is something I will not forget in a hurry.

Every person given seeds had their name recorded one by one and Alice Kalo showed amazing patience and resilience to complete the job, writing each name by hand. Some of the seeds were handed out to individuals at the market while others decided to wait until getting home.

The allocation per person was 23 pumpkin seeds, 9 pawpaw seeds, 8 watermelon seeds, 30-40 sweetcorn seeds and approx 35 dwarf bean seeds.

Making Lap Lap in Vanuatu

Lap lap is a traditional Vanuatu dish wrapped in leaves and cooked above ground on hot stones. Mangaliliu Village has a strong heritage in making lap lap and this was seen when staying in the village recently.

Starting at 6 AM (photography in this light was a treat) the lap lap was made on Sunday morning by the women and children from the extended family for lunch following a session in Church.

With no fridge available two chickens were freshly slaughtered for the occasion and were plucked by the children. Aside from the lap lap faol seen here (chicken), other versions are dakdak (duck), fis (fish), mit (meat), taro, maniok (cassava), yam and banana. There are also regional variations.

GoodBuzz in Wainuiomata

Kombucha, booch and SCOBY are new words in my vocab after a visit to photograph the GoodBuzz soft drink factory in Wainuiomata. The GoodBuzz process combines sugar, tea and water (from the Te Puna Wai Ora artesian aquifer in Petone) with the SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and turns into an effervescent, healthy, non-alcoholic  drink.

In the short time GoodBuzz has been operating they already have  five kombucha brews in more than 60 cafes in Wellington, Christchurch, Hawkes Bay, New Plymouth and Nelson, and recently have been included in Auckland’s Nosh outlets.

The drinks come in five flavours - Origins, Green Jasmin, Lemon and Ginger, Jade Dew and Feijoia. A new brew made with coffee cherry (the outer red skin of  discarded coffee beans from  Go Bang in Petone)  with an amazing light apple flavour is coming soon.

Each  brew takes 8-10 days to ferment and another 7-10 days of bottle conditioning before heading out the door. The best before date is four months unchilled (a bonus when there is space restrictions in the fridge), and can be extended to nine months if refrigerated.

Another buzz emanating from the factory came from discovering owner Alex Campbell and I grew up in the same small Northland town – Kaikohe. This is where Alex’s first memories of kombucha came from – his grandmother Amy made what she called Manchurian Mushroom tea in the 1970’s. Kaikohe Kombucha - who would have thought?

Making Ruth Pretty's Xmas Cakes

Every year in August Ruth Pretty’s commercial kitchen gets into the mid-winter Christmas spirit.  It’s the start of a festive ritual which ends with more than 4000 Christmas cakes despatched for celebrations far and wide by the special December day.   The never-published Christmas cake recipe arrived hand-written after Ruth asked her staff for contributions for end of year client gifts.  Thirty five other recipes were tried but fell short of the magical combination.

Long-time Ruth Pretty staff member, Carla Carkeek bakes 74 cakes a day several days a week from August until December. One year 17,000 Christmas cakes were made as staff gifts when two banks merged (Carla had extra help for this one).  The cake won top prize in Christchurch’s 2007 Royal A&P Show commercial bakery section and at least one cake a day heads offshore, delivered mainly to expats in Asia and as far as soldiers in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The fruit is first soaked in sherry and after the cakes are cooked they get doused in brandy, ensuring a long life.

One cake in 36 is cut and tested, with the slices then devoured by visitors to Ruth’s shop. Made by Carla’s steady hands, the testing seldom finds errors. Although one year the team did pick up a change in the potency of Hansell’s essences after the company changed hands.

Watching her handle 23 different ingredients to make 74 cakes and prepare mis-en-plas for the next day’s 74, it’s easy to see why Carla is referred to as the Christmas Cake Queen.

Mobile Fish 'n' Chips at Quainton | Murray Lloyd Photography

Mushy peas or curry sauce with your Fish 'n' Chips? Quainton, a very cute English village of about 1200, located just north of London, gets visited every Wednesday evening from 5.30 – 8 by a mobile fish and chip van. Howe and Co have been delivering fish and chips from “coast to door” for more than 80 years, currently making hundreds of stops to more than 90 villages in a 50km radius. New Zealand does not have the same mobile service with fish and chips (although Mr Whippy hints at this) but we do at least have a mobile butcher in Waikanae.

The mushy peas certainly add a fresh colour to the golden tones but the quality of the fish 'n' chips did not match the high standard of service. Maybe I am spoiled by the excellent quality easily found in New Zealand.

Thatched roof house in Quainton, England

Thatched roof house in Quainton, England

Thatched roof house in Quainton, England

Quainton Garage in England

Village store sign in Quainton Village.

Howe and Co fish and Chip mobile van in Quainton Village, England.

Howe and Co fish and Chip mobile van in Quainton Village, England.

From coast to door signage on side of mobile fish and chip van.

Howe and Co fish and Chip mobile van in Quainton Village, England.

Howe and Co fish and Chip mobile van in Quainton Village, England.

Close up of fish and chip dinner.

Close up of tubs of mushy peas with fish and chips.

7 stands, 3 lights and a bagel | Murray Lloyd Photography

The saying photography is 90% “moving furniture” and 10% photography was proved when I was asked to photograph one pulled pork bagel for Wholly Bagels in Wellington. On location, at night, saw three lights, one background, two diffusers, two bounce boards and seven light stands in action. Pulled pork originated in the southern states of the US but seems to be everywhere now.

Pulled pork bagel from Wholly Bagels in Wellington.

Running of the Sheep in France | Murray Lloyd Photography

The Fete de la Transhumance is celebrated in St Remy de Provence annually on Whit Monday. This traditional French festival commemorates the days farmers trekked for days to take their sheep from drought stricken lowland in search of greener pasture in the mountains. I am sure Van Goph (sans left ear) would have appreciated the 3000 sheep, goats and donkeys being herded through the town for the 31st Fete de la Transhumance. He was living (self-admitted) in an asylum in St Remy between 1889 and 1890. The river of sheep winding through the narrow streets of the town resembled a readymade impressionist painting.

Photographers in action on street in St Remy de Provence

Unlike the running of the bulls in Pamplona, no instant fines were handed out to people with cameras. The sheep did two laps of the town before departing – I hope they did not notice the menus.

Leapard skin clothes on two youg girls.

Infatable horse at the Fete de la Transhumance

Woman with shaggy hair in street.

Fete de la Transhumance

Farmer herding sheep in street at the Fete de la Transhumancein St Remy de Provence

Sheep in street at the Fete de la Transhumancein St Remy de Provence

Sheep in street at the Fete de la Transhumancein St Remy de Provence

Sheep in street at the Fete de la Transhumancein St Remy de Provence

Boys playing with sheep at the Fete de la Transhumance in St Remy de Provence

sheep at the Fete de la Transhumance in St Remy de Provence

Fete de la Transhumance at st remy de provence, france.

Black dog watching sheep in parade.

French restaurant sign advertising rack of lamb.

More to Maketu than Masterchef | Murray Lloyd Photography

It is no surprise Maketu produced the latest MasterChef winners, the town has food in its bones. Maketu was named after the origonal kumara growing fields in Hawaiki by Te Arawa when their canoe landed at the mouth of the Kaituna River in 1340. The river and estuary have been historically referred to as the "food bowl" of the Te Arawa. 400 years later the Robin White painting Fish and Chips, Maketu immortalised the local fish and chip shop. Not sure why the shop has not been given the Robin White treatment.

Maketu Pies carry on the food vibe. They distribute pies all over the North Island and have recently introduced a gourmet range called Sunday's Best. Their standard range is well regarded and includes a highly rated mussel pie.

Historically the estuary provided a diverse range of seafood including pipi, koterotero (sea-anenome), tuangi (cockles), flounder, titiko (mud snail), mussels,  pāua, pūpū, scallops, kukuroa (horse mussels) and fish. It seems appropriate the winners of MasterChef Karena and Kasey Bird are described as "seafood loving sisters"  and their signature dish is paua ravioli.

Photo of Robin White painting "fish and chips, Maketu".

Fish and chip shop in Maketu, New Zealand.

Maketu pies inside fridge.

Portrait of man holding a Maketu pie in front of advertising design.

7 whiskies, haggis , Wellington | Murray Lloyd Photography

Half a century of haggis history was piped into Wellington College’s Firth Hall to celebrate the final Regional Wines and Spirits whisky tasting of the year. Highly sought after tickets were only made available to regular whisky imbibers at Regionals’ events throughout the year. The Haggis was delivered with pomp and poetry before being served with mash and washed down with seven different whiskies. The recipe for the haggis originated at Tommy Jack’s Miramar butchery in the 1960’s and presently resides with the Island Bay butcher, Don Andrews. The whiskies were 10year old Ardberg, a Longrow Rundlets and a 2001 Kilderkins, a Bunnahabhain, Glendronach 1994, a Highland Park, a Longmore 2002 and a Bowmore aged 12 years.

Haggis cooking in pots on stovetop.

Haggis being held on tray.

Man holding ceremonial haggis knife

Haggis being piped in to Regional Wines whisky tasting.

Haggis being piped in to Regional Wines whisky tasting.

Haggis being piped in to Regional Wines whisky tasting.

Haggis being piped in to Regional Wines whisky tasting.

Haggis being piped in to Regional Wines whisky tasting.

crowd at whisky tasting in Wellington.

Man in kilt cutting open haggis.

Man in kilt with haggis.

Man in kilt pouring whisky.

Close up photo of hand holding whisky

Crowd at whisky tasting.

Haggis

Close up view of haggis after being cat open.

People queuing for haggis and mash.

6 bottles of whisky lined up.

Photos for Marae Fundraiser Event | Murray Lloyd Photography

Two hundred hangi’s at $10 each might seem a small dent in the seven figure mountain of fundraising needed for the Mahara Gallery upgrade. But you cannot quantify the deepening of the relationship between the Gallery and Te Atiawa ki Whakarongotai who prepared the hangi together.

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Hangi at Whakarongotai Marae, Waikanae

Waikanae Butchery goes mobile | Murray Lloyd Photography

 After two years of planning the big day has arrived and Andrew Stroonbergen and Peter Hedgecock load up Waikanae Butchery’s brand new Fiat Ducato Maxi van. The van was built in Holland and shipped to NZ so Andrew can supply his great produce to Wellington’s Chaffers Market on Sundays. Now, following an invitation from Joanne Welch at Summerset Retirement Village, Andrew drives his van around four retirement villages on the Kapiti Coast each Friday supplying the good folk with  lovely fresh meat and his famous smallgoods.

Waikane Butcher mobile van.

Waikane Butcher mobile van.

Butcher loading fresh meat in the Waikane Butcher mobile van

Close up photo of terrine and salamis for Waikanae Butcher's mobile van.

Loading the Waikane Butcher mobile van.

Loading the Waikane Butcher mobile van.

Customer being served at the Waikane Butcher mobile van.

Andrew talking to customer about the Waikane Butcher mobile van.

Waikane Butcher Mobile Van driving along road.

Waikane Butcher Mobile Van parking.

Customers shopping for fresh veges in open air market.

Customers waiting at the Waikane Butcher Mobile Van.

Andrew weighing meat in the Waikane Butcher Mobile Van.

Andrew serving customer from the Waikane Butcher Mobile Van.

Andrew exchanging sausages for bananas at market.

Portrait of Andrew Stroonbergen holding his famous pork sausages

Wellington on a Plate Pipi Trail | Murray Lloyd Photography

Wellington on a plate Pipi Trail

Queenie Rikihana and Ruth Pretty welcome guests at Rangiatea Church

Queenie Rikihana explains history of Rangiatea grounds

Andre Baker explains the hammerhead shark design in the kneeler cushions in Rangiatea Church

...and teaches the guests to sing this song

No pipi but there was a John Dory

Elaine Bevan explains weaving at Te Whare Toi in Otaki

...that's me in the foreground

Rewana bread ready to go at Raukawa Marae in Otaki

Pipi fritters

Wellington on a plate Pipi Trail

Wellington on a plate Pipi Trail

Tootsie Iriha's fried bread...with butter and golden syrup, yum

Wellington on a plate Pipi Trail

Queenie Rikihana gives tips about fishing up pipis

Wellington on a plate Pipi Trail

Ruth Pretty looks forward to Tootsie Iriha's famous fried bread

Tootsie Iriha and Queenie Rikihana

Wellington on a plate Pipi Trail

Wellington on a plate Pipi Trail

Wellington on a plate Pipi Trail

Wellington on a plate Pipi Trail

Aunty Hira flips her very delicate pikelets

Ruth Pretty hands out Rewana bread starter to guests as they leave

Taniwha Burger in Auckland | Murray Lloyd Photography

Taniwha Burger

Hand Picking at Te Mata Estate | Murray Lloyd Photography

Four tonnes an hour seems like good returns from 50-60 pickers but when compared to a mechanical picker this is small return. Hand picking is at least twice as expensive and twice as slow when compared to a machine so why do it?

Vintage at Te Mata in Hawkes Bay

Te Mata Estate in Hawkes Bay hand picks grapes for all of their premium wines and further. The hand picking is also appreciated by the community which gathers for each vintage. Loyal pickers return year after year, while an international flavour is often provided by Italians, Germans and once even a crowd from Mauritius.

Vintage at Te Mata in Hawkes Bay

The machines are not as fussy when it comes to unwanted material on bunches of grapes so the resulting fruit from hand picking is cleaner. The cabernet franc grapes seen picked in these photos are a result of a very long hot summer.

Vintage at Te Mata in Hawkes Bay

Vintage at Te Mata in Hawkes Bay

John Buck, of Te Mata, said it almost seemed there was no vintage taking place in 2013 because of the lack of stress (due to the high quality of the grapes).

While not made directly into wine on its own by Te Mata the cabernet franc juice will be blended to make either Awatea or Coleraine, New Zealand’s top rated Bordeaux style red wine.

Vintage at Te Mata in Hawkes Bay

Vintage at Te Mata in Hawkes Bay

Vintage at Te Mata in Hawkes Bay

Vintage at Te Mata in Hawkes Bay

Vintage at Te Mata in Hawkes Bay

The Best Coffee in Wellington | Murray Lloyd Photography

At home I have put many beans through the grinder, into the stovetop and drunk usually as a long black with flat milk (I am drinking one as I write this). I have had several bean favourites but these were blown away when I tried the Italia blend from Tony Gibbs recently.

Gibbston Coffee Interior

Although his tiny café on the Terrace has been operating since 2001 it has been unnoticed up until now. Maybe this is because the sign overhead remains blank and the café doesn't even have a name.

The lack of a sign was no hindrance to the flow of people coming in and out of the cafe while I was photographing, most of them exchanging greetings with Gibbs while he roasted beans. The beans are roasted in a fully restored Aug Olsen originating in Denmark.

Gibbston Coffee

Gibbston Coffee

Gibbston Coffee

Gibbs has been roasting beans since 1987 when he was trained by George Kepper, an Australian based Russian who consulted several of the big roast companies in Sydney from time to time to correct blends and adjust roasts that were not quite right. The Italia blend was perfected by Gibbs on visits to Kepper in Sydney and has not been altered since 1987.

Of the beans Gibbs purchases for his café he rates the Columbian Medellin Supremo as the best (and the most expensive), supplied by John Burton, New Zealand’s primary importer of beans for smaller roasters.

Gibbston Coffee

Gibbston Coffee

Gibbs’s blends, aside from the Italia include TG Pearl, Indian Mysore (named after the Southern Indian province where it comes from) and Brazilian which is made especially for the drinkers at Taste Café in Kelburn, one of two cafes Gibbs supplies (the other is Salvation in Newtown).

Gibbston Coffee

Gibbston Coffee

Gibbston Coffee

Gibbston Coffee

Located in Wellington’s corporate heartland (the PM drops in for coffee and the Treasury is right opposite) it is great to see someone putting taste firmly on the bottom line.

Stop Press: The cafe has been renamed Old George (after the Russian who taught Tony Gibbs how to roast the beans) and is still producing the best coffee in Wellington

Old George coffee beans with new packaging in Wellington.