Deliciously decadent with a hint of hazelnut, these adults-only truffles make a wonderful homemade Easter gift. Makes 20 truffles.

Traditional Argentinian alfajores handmade in Wellington.

Alfajores are sweet treats that have been present since colonial times all over Latin America. Each country has a different way of preparing them, but the concept is the same: two cookies filled with some kind of caramel.

A twist on the ancient Arab dessert, alajú, Alfajores became popular in the mid-19th century in Argentina. Alfajores are considered somewhat of a national treasure in Argentina with over 900 million units being consumed each year.

Dulce de leche is the most popular filling for alfajores in Argentina.  It is a confection prepared by boiling large quantities of vanilla-flavoured milk and sugar until they almost disappear. In Argentina this thick caramel is eaten with a spoon, spread on bread or biscuits, used to fill cakes, biscuits and fritters or dolloped onto other desserts.

People eat them walking down the street and waiting for the bus. You might get a mini-alfajor,
the size of a golf ball, served with your coffee. Pastry shops display their alfajores in front
windows.

New to Moore Wilson's Fresh are La Casa Handcrafted Alfajores, made in Wellington in small batches with love and dedication. All the ingredients used except for the chocolate sourced locally. No additives and/or preservatives are used. Two flavours are available:

ALFAJORES DE CHOCOLATE (Marplatense style) These alfajores consist in two delicate cocoa biscuits (cake-like cookies) sandwiched together by a thick layer of dulce de leche, a creamy caramel confection made from milk and sugar and hand dipped entirely in dark or white chocolate. The dough is made with European style butter, fresh eggs with hints of fresh orange and a touch of rum as a background flavor. They also contain wheat and flavored with honey.

ALFAJORES DE MAIZENA “Maizena” is a traditional brand of cornstarch and a household name in Argentina. Maizena--corn starch--is used along with flour to give the biscuits a texture that is lighter than a typical shortbread cookie. Two of these biscuits are sandwiched with dulce de leche filling and rolled in coconut.That lightness still captures the cookie's buttery flavor, and together with dulce de leche, they will melt in your mouth. The dough is made with European style butter, fresh eggs with hints of fresh lemon zest and a touch of Cognac as a background flavor.

3 pack boxes of Maizena, Dark Chocolate and Mixed White & Dark Chocolate La Casa Alfajores are in store now at Moore Wilson's Fresh Market.

The tea craze has well and truly taken off with the classic ‘gumboot tea’ being replaced by teas carefully blended with fruits, flowers, herbs or spices—or all of the above!

Try something new today and brew up a big pot from one of these local tea blenders:

RITUAL TEA founder Katie Smith started drinking tea at the age of six. Out of her own teacup and saucer, the tea was sweet and only used for dunking wine biscuits. While at university, Katie’s tea drinking horizon expanded and after completing a business degree, Katie couldn’t get the idea of tea out of her mind. Like most start-ups, Ritual Tea Company has had a modest beginning. Katie started Ritual Tea Company while working full time. Based in Petone, Katie has spent many late nights blending, tasting and packaging. Each batch is hand-blended using single estate, hand-picked, Fairtrade and organic tea from the Idulgashinna plantation in Sri Lanka, the world’s oldest organic tea plantation.

Kitchen Table: Black tea prized for its full-body and malty flavour.
Ruby Red:  Tangy hibiscus flowers paired with ruby red rosehips. A touch of strawberry gives a fruity finish.
Smell the Roses: Green tea with pink rose petals.
Shot in the Arm: The citrus flavour of lemongrass is combined with fragrant ginger and lemon.

t LEAF T produce one of NZ’s largest range of teas and infusions from around the world. Owners John and Amanda Van Gorp travelled all over, visiting exotic tea gardens and creating relationships within the global tea trade to bring the world of tea to New Zealanders.

With over 5 million cups of t Leaf T brewed every year, and more than 160 teas and infusions packaged and blended in their Petone HQ, t Leaf Tremain devoted to the increasing demand for a good cuppa, and the significant value of tea moments.  A range of t Leaf T teas are available from Moore Wilson’s Fresh including:

Kawakawa Fire: native New Zealand kawakawa leaf blended with lemongrass and ginger.
Earl Grey Blue Flower: classic bergamot tea decorated with cornflower blossoms.
Chai: A spicy black tea with the tastes of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger and a hint of pepper.
Japanese Matcha Powder: produced by grinding tea leaves into powder. It can be used as a tea and is also popular in baking and homemade ice cream.

LIBERTINE BLENDS teas are edgy, organic, and blended with love in small batches in Berhampore.

The blends are created from native and traditional herbs, and sold at Moore Wilson’s Fresh pre-bagged in compostable tea filters for fuss-free infusing.

Kapow: a bold, warming blend of kawakawa, lemongrass, cardamon and chilli.
Rock Ohm: a grounding and cooling blend of manuka, mint, lemon balm and rosemary.
Runaway Rose: a delicate and soothing blend of elderflower, rose, lavender and vanilla (pictured above).

RECIPE: Libertine Blends Runaway Rose Iced Tea
Iced tea is a great way to add nourishing herbs to your diet and keep hydrated during hot summer days. It’s simple to make, with lots of scope for creative flourishes.

First the ice - to make the day before: Scan your garden or fridge for all types of garnish - herbs, edible flowers, lemons, overripe berries. Slice fruit and lemons, portion flowers and herbs into a muffin tray, this will allow for large ice chunks. The next step is to add just boiled water. Yes, this means you’ll need to wait for the tray to cool right down before popping in the freezer, but it will draw more flavour from the herbs, fruits and flowers.

To prepare the tea: Infuse the tea at double strength, so there’s a lot of flavour to pass on once it’s diluted by ice. Infuse Runway Rose between 30 mins and an hour.

To serve: Add the garnishes to the glasses, ice to the jug, and pour over your strong tea. If you fancy spicing things up, add a splash of gin and you’re ready to sip and watch the sunset.

A beautiful homemade edible gift. 

Six Barrel Soda Co. is a Wellington based specialty soda company making bottled sodas and soda syrups from their central Te Aro HQ.

They make their sodas and soda syrups the old fashioned way, the colours and flavours come from the natural ingredients.

Established in 2012 by Joseph Slater and Mike Stewart, Six Barrel Soda’s syrups and bottled sodas are now being enjoyed around New Zealand and overseas in Australia, the United States and Hong Kong by top cafes, restaurants, bars and home soda fans looking for something different. All over the place people that care about good drinks are serving natural, creative and seasonal sodas.

Keep an eye out for their latest seasonal and limited release sodas popping up in-store throughout the year.

A new concept in meat retailing has been launched this February that will see lamb lovers in the Wellington region guaranteed of buying some of the very best lamb available from the Wairarapa.

The arrival of Gate to Plate branded lamb will hit selected stores following the success of the prestigious Gate to Plate lamb competition that began two years ago as a feature of the Masterton A&P Show.

Gate to Plate assesses the quality of lamb rearing and production ‘on the hoof, on the hook and on the plate’. It takes meat traceability to a whole new level by assessing the farming practice, production process and final product, and rating it every step of the way.

Instigated to reflect consumers’ increasing interest in the origins of their food, concern for sustainable and ethical food production, the competition was also driven by farmers wanting to constantly improve their product and connect with their customers.

Chair of Masterton A&P Show, Alan Williams says the competition has been such a success that they decided to make the entrants’ meat available for retail, by branding the lamb.

‘The response to Gate to Plate has been really positive,’ says Mr Williams. ‘Both farmers and the public have embraced the concept and we realised that people were genuinely interested in the ethics of where their meat came from.

‘Through the competition, consumers can find out almost to the paddock, where their lamb was raised, who the farmer who nurtured the lamb was, and be assured of its journey from the lovely Wairarapa paddock to a carefully selected retailer. The Wairarapa is increasingly becoming renowned for the quality food it produces, and this is yet more evidence that we’re committed to that.

‘Gate to Plate is now not just a badge of honour for the farmer, it’s a product they can proudly see hitting kitchens and barbeques around the region. This is very heartening for the farmer.’

2015 winner and farmer Lynley Wyeth of Spring Valley Farm says she agrees the competition and now the branded lamb, meets an important need for farmers as well as consumers.

‘People probably don’t realise how much heart and soul goes into producing great lamb. It is actually a privilege to produce food for families, and to see it appreciated and recognised is fantastic,’ she says. ‘Any farmer can grow a great lamb, but to do it year on year to the same, if not better, standard, is the challenge.

‘The Gate to Plate process gives farmers the tools to constantly improve, by working on the data they get at each stage. You get a baseline and go from there. And now there is real reward in seeing it available on the shop shelves. It’s a very exciting next step.’

Gate to Plate Lamb is available from Moore Wilson's Fresh Masterton, Wellington and Porirua.

A delicious weekend brunch! Serves 2.

Juicy and sticky, pork ribs glazed with Hakanoa Ginger Syrup are a real treat! 

This refreshing thick shake is silky smooth with a gorgeous balance of flavours, fresh, floral and spice. Perfect on a hot day, or with any spicy dish! 

Recipes created by Little&Loved