KEY POINTS:
Country Culinaire does the poshest version of the classic Kiwi pav you're likely to see - in the form of a roulade. They're packed full of summer fruit and berries and need no preparation - just thaw and serve. There are seven varieties: raspberry, passionfruit, chocolate mousse, coffee and hazelnut, lemon and lime, feijoa, and blueberry and lavender. They have no added colours, preservatives or emulsifiers. The roulade can also be sliced to size, and the rest returned to the freezer. Available in two sizes: 850gm which serves 10-12 ($24.95), or 420gm packs serving 5-6 ($16.95). Available at New World supermarkets and selected delis.
Sea, food and eat it
As if we need a reason to go to the lovely Devonport, suburb-on-sea, the annual Food and Wine Festival (February 17-18) is a good excuse. It has one of the best lineups yet. There's wine from all over the country as well as food such as whitebait fritters, cured meats, Spanish paella - and that's just for starters.
Acts include Ladi6 and Tom Sharplin and the Cadillacs. Tickets are $25 from Ticketmaster, phone 0800 111 999.
Best in the world
Queenstown lodge Blanket Bay has been named one of the world's best hotels for food in the 2007 Conde Nast Traveller Gold List. The magazine calls the lodge "a gourmet haven in a stunning location" and praises its executive chef Jason Dell for combining classic French and contemporary cuisine with "visual flair". The accolade puts Blanket Bay in the company of hotels such as Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons with its two Michelin stars, Raffles in Singapore, the Ritz Paris, and Italy's Capri Palace Hotel. New Zealand's Wharekauhau, Kauri Cliffs and Huka Lodge are lauded for ambience, design and their rooms.
Gourmet snarlers
Little Boys sausages from award-winning chef Jeremy Schmid are now available at supermarkets. Sizzle in style with duck and porcini, chicken and fennel and pork. The latter two cost $10 a pack of eight and the duck almost twice the price. Schmid says cook the top-quality sausages with the care you show a good steak.
