Beautiful Phaidon cookbooks for Mum this Mothers day.

http://au.phaidon.com/store/food-cook/food-cook/

BYE BYE STRAWBERRIES....HELLO FEIJOAS!

MEOW

BOTTLING FURIOUSLY FOR WINTER.....NOMMY!!

Spiced pineapple, figs, satsumas, apricots, prunes and plums.

MOTHER'S DAY IS EVERYDAY @ FINC!!

Treat Mum to a back rub and pink lemonade today....she'll wonder what's up!!

 

Happy Swipey... You spend we treat, it's simple!!

NOT...another loyalty card!!!!!!

Squashed brown bananas are the best kind for banana cake!

Banana cake with chocolate chunks....nice and gooey when it's all warmed up!

SUNDAY LUNCH!

Wholemeal or No Meal. It's good to get a little roughage in your system don't you think. Just a cup of ground bran and rye in all your baking is good for you.

We've used a lovely crusty wholemeal pastry in these fresh corn, blue cheese and pea tarts.... served up with a squash and nutmeg soup. As much as possible, ingredients are picked from our garden straight to the kitchen, it's all so much tastier!

Join us for Dinner, Pre-Show for NZSO!

Ooooh La La...Carmen! The NZSO Soloists series returns to Wellington this week with a cracker Classical line up....on at the Michael Fowler Centre, Wednesday 24th March at 8.00pm....pop over the road and visit us for Pre-Show dinner and drinks before the concert!

LAST CHANCE TO SEE THE COOLEST FESTIVAL EVER!

Last chance to check out some of the amazing and inspirational works of Theatre and Performance from 2012's International Arts Festival folks! Its been a whirlwind of fun and there are only 3 days left so get in quick!! Check out festival programmes at www.festival.co.nz and buy tickets at www.ticketek.co.nz !!!!!

CIRCUS AND FESTIVITIES AT FINC!

We're all very excited about the start of the International Arts Festival and are loving seeing everyone around town abuzz with Festival Fever! One of our fave shows this year has got to be CIRCENSES by Circus Ronaldo from Belgium... AND...we want to share the Circus Fun with YOU!

Drop by for a cuppa and drop in your Business card to be in the draw to win 2 Tickets to Circenses and Dinner for you and a friend before the show on us!! Prize will be drawn on March 9th so get in quick smart!

New menu.......Nom nom nom nom! Check out this Venison burger with beetroot, blue cheese dressing and two prime venison burgers. EmmmmEmmmmmm!

From our organic garden... to the table. Watch this space. Tree is bottling furiously at the moment!

Va va va Vooooom! Cuteness in the form of strawberry cream hearts. Treat your lovidovee to the little things every day, not just Valentines day!

Bookings essential folks.... from 12pm.....your honeybun will be yours forever if you let us gush over you on this loving day!

Great read for the holidays!

Happy new year folks. We've been having fun times over the holidays whilst we've opened during the day; we've had a couple of weeks with no evenings shifts and had time to entertain with family and friends. Lovely!! So we started the hols' with these margaritas, refreshing and delish with a good book before the guest arrive for the BBQ!!

• 1 cup          ruby red grapefruit juice
• 1/2  cup    fresh squeezed lime juice (about 4 limes)
• 1 cup         triple sec orange liqueur
• 3 cups      ice
• 1 cup        silver tequila
• 1   lime cut in wedges

If you prefer to rim the glasses take a lime wedge and rim, then dip in salt, if you do not like a salted rim sprinkle a touch of salt in each glass, the salt really brings out the flavor.

Combine the grapefruit juice, lime juice, triple sec and ice in a blender. Pour into a large pitcher (or just keep it in the blender) and pour in the tequila, stir.

Makes 4 drinks.

Panko crumbed prawn cakes with a very nice citrus and dill dressing. A perfect starter with a cranberry and vodka cocktail.

It's been a busy month, with only one week left until Christmas, we are feasting on some lovely yum yums this season. One of our favourites. Boysonberry scented Meringues.

Recently the lovely Sarah Meikle of Positively Wellington Tourism, included our popular date scones in her series of Wellingtons 'Best of the best' . All things food related of course. Feeling very privileged to have be included in her obsessive drive towards finding the best date scone in Wellington, we are very proud to have come highly recommended. Good effort Sarah!

http://www.wordonthestreet.co.nz/reviews/its-a-date

Everyone in Wellington seems to love the good old combination of banana, bacon and maple. So on a quiet RWC weekend when it was obvious folks were glued to the game; our experimental taste buds went wondering towards this extraordinary creation of banana fritters. Yes, we demolished it in seconds!!!!

Portabello mushrooms with bulghar wheat salad and Halloumi and balsamic and avocado oil dressing....a complete organic meal. ...Lovely!!!!!

Who would have thought black pudding and scallops would taste so good..... pan seared with Monk fish and parsnip puree.

TWO LITTLE RURU....An exhibition by two very busy creative Mums.

Kate Beaumont and Brenda Lawton have combine their creative talents to present this fabulous little exhibition at Finc.  Come in and check it out, it's cute as pie!

Some of us at Finc are slightly obsessed with JELLY! We have been making all sorts of delicious jellies of late, one of my favorites being Tamarillo. Anyway, each of us are going to come up with a delicious flavor that personifies us and serve it up over an afternoon tea. Yum....can't think of a more Jellicious thing to do!! Check out Bompas and Parr's Jelly clip, they are the master Jelly Mongers of today!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_WOo2YpAzs

Kate Jenkins: Kate's Crochet Market: 1 September – 24 September 2011 AT Charlotte Street, London......OK for for those who live in London check out this exhibition by Kate Jenkins.... she's one of Tree's favourite stitch artist and well worth checking out. http://www.r-h-g.co.uk/exhibitions/view/kate_jenkins_kate_s_crochet_market/192,5282.html

Belle and Jesse are long time friends of ours and have been hand making rotis now for 13 years. In a week they make over 3800 rotis' for various Asian superettes and mini stores within the Wellington region. Thanks for giving us a demo at our event......it's all in the flipping!

Jen, Belle, Derek, Jesse, and Tree

Thanks to all who participated in our Modern Asian event. Fun was had by all and we hope you all took some interesting information home and shopped your way through your local Asian super.

Agadashi tofu demo by Chie

'Is anyone listening to me'?

Alcoholic jellies with strawberry champagne and elderflower cream.....another afternoon delight!

Lemon merigue baby cakes......a delish lemon cake with a dollop of lemon curd cream in the centre and silky Italian meringue on top. Perfect afternoon delight!!

 

 

Our baker extraordinaire.....Conroy!

WELLINGTON ON A PLATE HAS STARTED..........NOM NOM NOM NOM! DINE DIVINE.......CHECK OUT WHAT WE'VE LINE UP FOR YOU!

Chicken and leek terrine served with Le Moulins crusty ficelle and braised balsamic onion

Velvety smooth fish soup with crispy salted fish skin

Braised beef short ribs served with puy lentils and a drizzle of beef jus

Honey glazed pork loin served with wilted spinach and kumara gnocchi

Classic Pinehaven apple short crust pie served with a vanilla bean syrup and Zany zues's cream fraiche

'FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD'! by Rebecca Barry Hill

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10742699

La Fête Nationale.....Bastille day! Celebrating with an epic terrine for lunch.

The Modern Asian event on Tuesday the 9th of August is now sold out. We have decided to run the same event on Wednesday the 10th of August due to popular demand......this is going to be a fun full event with limited tickets available, so don't miss out...................WE'RE REALLY SORRY, BUT THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT. WE'LL KEEP YOU POSTED IF THE EVENT IS EXTENDED.

There's no confusion this is not fusion!

To most of us, Dragon boat festivals in New Zealand are corporate events, that hold competition, fun, and not a whole lot of information of its true origins and purpose. The Dragon boat festival starts in China on the 5th day of the Chinese luna calender; and of course with every festival there is a long tradition of festive foods attached to such events. Sticky glutinous rice parcels ('Zongzi') in this case are the flavour of the festival, filled with pork, yolk of ducks eggs, red bean. Read more about this festival and it's purpose.

http://www.chinafacttours.com/travel-news/a-new-yueyang-tower-was-built-of-55-000-zongzi
http://english.cntv.cn/special/may5festival/homepage/index.shtml

According to legend, glutinous rice parcels were thrown into the river to prevent fish from eating the a famous poet's, Qu Yuan, body.

Going non alcoholic doesn't mean your boring.......................golden kiwifruit, ginger and cranberry punch!

THE GREAT FOOD SERIES....In the Great Food series, Penguin presents us with some of the finest food writing from the last 400 years, and opens the door to the wonders of every kitchen. Check out this link, and start collecting! http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/penguin_food/index.html

Winter fare.... apple and cinnamon scones with a hot cuppa tea.

Book a table prior to this Saturday's NZSO concert at the Michael Fowler concert, Eroica!

 
http://www.nzso.co.nz/concerts/concerts_and_tours/eroica

    

Antoni Wit conductor
Sébastien Hurtaud cello
PENDERECKI Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima     
HAYDN Cello Concerto No. 2     
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 Eroica 
Experience GLORY with the NZSO
The Eroica marks a turning point in the history of music; the work in which the young Beethoven transformed the symphony into a vehicle for the expression of the most profound emotions. Inspired by grand hope and brutal disappointment, Beethoven’s Third Symphony grips the listener with its sense of urgency and deeply felt emotion, presaging the ascendancy of the Romantic vision. Beethoven’s teacher, Haydn, wrote his concerti for leading members of the Esterhazy court orchestra, celebrating the productive relationship he enjoyed with them over 30 years. The second concerto for cello shows Haydn in galant style, a perfect vehicle for the stylish elegance of Sébastien Hurtaud, winner of the 2009 Adam International Cello Competition. Penderecki’s highly-charged memorial in sound, the iconic Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, opens the concert: massed strings soaring, gliding, colliding with stunning emotive force to evoke the impact of that cataclysmic event and the heroic resilience of the citizens of Hiroshima.
“We artists don’t want tears, we want applause” Beethoven