Shakey but not flakey

Photo: Ted BaghurstBritomart stalwart serves up ?the goods in a myriad of ways.

Food: In the coolest precinct in the city, the coolest café in the precinct - early adopter and neighbourhood cornerstone Shakey Isles - is right up with the play in terms of serving ethically sourced and produced food and coffee. That means organic, free range and Fairtrade wherever possible.

Explains manager Rob Rivers: "We believe that to make the best products, you need to find the best ingredients. Coffee is our passion and we are always going above and beyond to source the best quality single origin beans for our specialty coffees. These beans are organically grown and we are careful to choose those that are Fairtrade.

"Although these products are slightly more expensive we believe that more time and nurturing goes into them, resulting in a superior quality good. It is great to see that more people are buying and more importantly caring about organic and Fairtrade products, resulting in an easily accessible supply at a competitive price."

Pikelets with grilled bacon and banana

Ingredients
Pikelet mix (makes approximately one litre and serves four people)
2/3 cup Trade Aid Fairtrade organic sugar
3 1/3 cup self-raising flour
2/3 cup organic milk
60g melted butter
2 free-range eggs

Garnish
All Good Fairtrade bananas
Maple syrup
Free-range streaky bacon
Icing sugar

Method:
In a large bowl mix the flour and the sugar together. Create a well in the middle and add the eggs and the melted butter. Using a whisk, beat the egg and the butter in the middle, gradually taking flour into the wet mix. Once the eggs and butter are combined add the milk slowly to the middle making sure not to mix too much flour in at once. This will cause lumps. No one wants lumps. Add the milk until the mix is a thick glue-like consistency with no lumps. In a pan, add a small knob of butter or oil and heat. Now you need to add a tester to your pan to check the mix. Add between 50 and 60 ml (2oz) of mixture to the pan. When the bottom is golden brown and the top has a waxy texture, flip it. When gold brown on both sides take off the heat and try. The pikelet should be soft and fluffy, don't worry about it being a little undercooked, they will finish off in the oven. Repeat this method until you have cooked all of the mixture (should make at least 16 pikelets). Place the pikelets in a baking tray and put them in the oven on a low heat, just to keep them warm.

Cut four bananas at the top and bottom. Then cut lengthways in half through the middle. In a pan add a knob of butter and fry for about five minutes either side or until golden brown.

In a separate pan at about the same time, start cooking your bacon. Aim for about three rashers per person, but if you like bacon then go crazy.

Serving:
Place two pikelets on top of each other on a plate (or board). Place the bacon on top, then add two more pikelets, sandwiching the bacon. Put the two halves of grilled banana on the top of that. Fill a serving jug with maple syrup and place on the side and, finally, dust the dish with icing sugar.

*The Fairtrade mark is the world's most recognised ethical label. When you buy a Fairtrade-certified product you choose to give farmers and their communities, in developing countries, a fair go. You're voting for children to be in school, for women to receive equal pay, and for community projects like healthcare. Last year, New Zealanders ate their way through 780,000 kgs of Fairtrade-certified bananas, showing how strongly Kiwis like their bananas to be fair.

Like what you see? For weekly Element news sign up to our newsletter.
We're also on facebook and Twitter.