Cosmopolitan KeriKeri

At one end of the farmers' markets in Paihia and Kerikeri is an Irish woman with a Scots accent whose partner is Italian. They are both making and selling Italian inspired fillings and toppings right here

in New Zealand.

Who needs the World Trade Organisation when it's on our door-step in miniature form? And where did it all begin?

It's easy to assume that Alex Russell is Scottish because she sounds suspiciously like it. In fact she was born in Ireland, in Tipperary (which she is now a long way from) but went to live in south-west Scotland when she was five and eleven years later she had acquired that distinctive burr in her speech.

Her first experience of market life was working on a vegetarian food stall at Mindl Beach Sunset Markets in Darwin, operating from what she describes as 'a tiny trailer owned and operated by two voracious carnivores.' And if that wasn't distinctive enough for the two owners, they called it the 'Lucky Cow' by way of complete antithesis.

Alex found herself in the quixotic position of washing the dishes under the stars as the waves crashed on to the tropical beach and she became smitten as the romantic aroma of foods from many nations wafted over her

on the salt-laden air.

The following year she moved to the 'crafty' side of the market after buying a franchise which sold organic aloe vera products, shampoos, moisturisers, conditioners and massage oils.

Her next market experience was in Cooktown, Far North Queensland, where with friends she grew passion fruits, paw paws and bananas and sold them, like most vendors at the very small market, from a rug plonked on the grass. And they had some fun.

''We sold topped coconuts to tourists as they stepped off the cruise liners and before they headed into town where the streets were laden with coconut palms and fallen nuts.''

She also sold Tropical Fruit Frappes at folk festivals by blending those fruits from the farm with ice, lime and honey. It was at one festival -at Wallaby Creek which sounds so Ocker it could almost be a parody-that she met Lou from Italy and was introduced to calzones at the 'amazing' Eumundi Market with its eclectic mix of food, produce, craft, well-being and alternative therapies and clothing.

''I worked for the Mobellis who had been selling from the market for 30 years and can surely claim to be among the first people to bring gem stones and ethnic clothing to the markets of Australia.''

She came to New Zealand and visited the Kerikeri produce market one Sunday. For Alex it was her first taste of markets like these (they are in Australia of course but she'd not visited them). What struck her was the blend of tropical and temperate produce; bananas and broccoli, cherimoya and carrots, pineapples and potatoes and, in a word, what she thought was 'wow'.

Since arriving here she and Lou have been 'hypnotised' by kingfish in Houhora and still are and they opened a small pizza place in Whangarei until Lou had an accident and tore his shoulder muscles. It wasamajor blow since he was the 'pizzialo' who massaged the dough by hand. They were forced to reduce their trading hours and Alex returned to her old stomping grounds, the markets.

And that's the story of international marketing and why Lou's pastry techniques and Alex's calzone fillings and foccacia toppings are now available in the Far North and over the next month their Bay of Islands menu will undergo an'exciting' change as they adapt to fully sustainable and traceable ingredients.