All posts tagged: Christchurch

Edible Paradise

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My friend Rich Humphreys is often found behind a camera. We met (what feels like) a million years ago when he was living in Auckland. Over the years he has called a few places home including Wellington, Lyttelton and these days, Australia but we always seem to catch up every year or so, no matter where he is based. Creative, free-spirited and well traveled, his enthusiasm for story telling and community developed early on. I vividly remember viewing parties for his personal travel videos, featuring our friends. I don’t know if they ever saw the light of day but they were gold. Edible Paradise “A quiet revolution is growing in communities across Aotearoa-New Zealand, seeding long-term, multi-generational solutions for our food.” Edible Paradise captures the birth of the food forest movement in New Zealand that is about much more than sustainability. It is ‘he tangata’ – the people. Coming together to connect & share both this abundance and the intangible social benefits that are at the heart of community food development.     After almost 6 …

Pop Up Macarons

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Last weekend, a couple of friends and I checked out the J’aime Les Macarons’ pop up shop at Bloc in Mt Eden. The Bloc is a design retail hub with stores such as BoCocept, Citta Design, World Beauty, Collected by LeeAnn Yare and Douglas and Bec. Swoon-worthy stuff and reasonable prices. My go-to stop when ever I want to buy a gift, though I haven’t actually bought anything for myself there…until now. J’aime Les Macarons means I love macarons in French. A pop up shop a temporary shop and a great way for new businesses to get feedback in unfamiliar waters. Amanda Marchant and Bridget O’Sullivan are in charge and are two passionate, creative foodies with an eye and palate for some stunning flavour combinations. J’aime Les Macarons currently have two stores in Christchurch as well as stockists scattered around the country. If you prefer, you can buy a box of 12 from their website and they also do cakes, weddings and corporate events. They have a range of 6 classic flavours and their Winter …

Lyttelton Farmers’ Market is pumping

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Last Saturday we visited Lyttelton Farmers’ Market and it was pumping. Good to see. People still want to eat (and eat well) post quake. The aftershocks haven’t stopped, but life must go on. There were bunches of sweet little daffodils for $1 each, music, yummy ready to eat foods, fresh fish and lots of ingredients for the home cook. Many of Lyttelton’s buildings are gone but it’s great to see that the businesses live on. Ground Culinary Centre that was on London Street was a pile of debris when we visited at Easter and is now a tidy but empty lot. Ground are are still making yummy deli style salads. We bought a yummy feijoa and ginger jam by Peninsula Preserves to take back to Auckland with us. Hopefully the Markets are keeping business afloat until they can open up somewhere else.

Lyttelton lives on

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For Easter we visited Kelvin’s family in Lyttelton, Christchurch. We weren’t prepared for the sights of post-quake Lyttelton. We thought there would be a few shops closed. TV coverage had shown Christchurch CBD cordoned off, but nothing about Lyttelton, so we thought it was ok. Lyttelton fared just as bad. You can’t drive through the main street. It is cordoned off and instead of a few shops closed, it’s a few shops open. 2 shops. The dairy and a restaurant called Fisherman’s Wharf. But Lyttelton lives on and Lyttelton will be rebuilt. As will Christchurch. We went for a walk around Lyttelton on Sunday morning. The community gardens lives on. I spotted some toadstools I spotted under a birch tree by the police station. Some people have mushrooms growing in their damp earthquake damaged homes. These were not that kind. A yellow digger sits on the remains of The Empire Tavern in the heart of Lyttelton. A few of our friend stayed here during our wedding in 2009. The backpackers where the rest of our friends …

One week later

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We were in Bangkok last week when we found out Christchurch had been hit by a major earthquake. My sister text me and we immediately tried texting my husband’s family. Feeling so helpless so far away, we went online and read with horror of what was unfolding down there. Lyttelton – where my inlaws live was hit hard. Our wedding reception venue, The Cave had been obliterated. We didn’t get a text reply from our family so we tried calling from Bangkok. Success. They were ok. All of them. Staying with other family at their house near the airport. It’s been a week now since the earthquake. My thoughts go out to those with friends or family still missing. Thanks to all the support we’ve had from our overseas friends. It’s crazy with media these days how the world is linked by a few strands. Many of you across the globe knew about the earthquake the moment the rest New Zealand found out and before we knew anything about it. It feels like a small …

Birthday Dinner on the Tramway Restaurant

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Surprise birthday gift from parents-in-law: A 4-course dinner for on the Tramway Restaurant. Yes, I know! Spoilt! Tablecloths, linen napkin, lots of cutlery, air conditioning, smooth music in a colonial style dining tram – this was the works! The menu is short and sweet. Perfect for a chef on a tram. The tram seats about 35 diners and there is a tiny kitchen in the centre of the tram. There are no doors so both dining areas can see into the kitchen space. 35 diners with 4 courses in a tiny kitchen over 3 hours. The chef is a genius! We shared bread and dips, I had a lamb entree, salmon main, brownie with compote for dessert. I wasn’t expecting salmon to appear on their limited menu. This was local salmon and beautifully cooked. I even ate all my asparagus. The others had a vegetable tart, porterhouse steak, cajan chicken breast, coconut creme brulee and a cheeseboard. Everything was delicious. We shared 2 bottles of Church Road Merlot and were tipsy and pleasantly full by the …

Friday Favourites: Sumner Ham

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Big Bennie with ham (off the bone) I stayed in Sumner, Christchurch for 3 nights before our wedding last year and I had breakfast at Tart, 3 times in a row. There are a few other places to eat in Sumner, but we didn’t bother to try another cafe because Tart was divine. The interior is contemporary, fresh, bright and clean with plenty of tables outside. Someone has obviously taken care to decorate this place with just the right stylings. I’m a huge fan of ham so when I saw that beautiful hindquarter inside the glass cabinet, I was already drooling. Lucky for me, the eggs bennie comes with ham off the bone. I also ordered an OJ and a flat white. The flat white was really good. The OJ was huge and pulpy. Just how I like it. You really get the feeling that you are being nourished when you eat from here. The ingredients are top notch. My poached eggs were perfectly runny and had bright orange yolks and my friend who ordered …