‘Margarita con Flor de Jamaica’  

Serves 4.

Hibiscus drinks, with our without alcohol, begin with a beautiful plum-red tea made from dried hibiscus blossoms. This recipe is from the hot new Latin American cookbook 'La Latina' by Grace Ramirez - available instore and online now!

Leading New Zealand chef, caterer, teacher and food writer, Ruth Pretty is known for fresh, delicious, imaginative New Zealand Cuisine, whether it's for an event in New Zealand or in an international setting.

Ruth and husband Paul started Ruth Pretty Catering in 1988 and today you will find Ruth and her team at most of Wellington's biggest and most prestigious events, ranging from movie premiers to the Air New Zealand Wine Awards where she provides dinner for 750 discerning wine and food specialists.

Internationally Ruth managed the New Zealand Pavilion's VIP hospitality lounge at the World Expo in Japan, presenting exquisite New Zealand tastes to visiting dignitaries. She did the same at the New Zealand Pavilion at the next World Expo in Shanghai as well as providing catering services for Emirate's Team New Zealand VIP Centre during the Americas Cup in Valencia.

All this is organised from her home and cooking school venue at Springfield in Horowhenua where Ruth's cooking school participants say she delivers an exceptional culinary experience in a relaxed, generous and good humoured style. Springfield is a wonderful place and a beautiful setting featuring well- established trees and immaculate lawns.

As well as being a customer and friend of Moore Wilson's, Ruth's range of delicious condiments are also available from Moore Wilson's Fresh. Look out for the top-selling Tomato Chilli Jam and a range of sweet conserves like Raspberry, Black Doris and Feijoa Ginger Jams.

Christmas wouldn't be the same without Ruth Pretty's Christmas Cake. Rich, moist and delicious, Ruth's beautifully boxed cakes are perfect for mailing to friends and family overseas. When you serve it at home, try with a glass of sherry - a perfect festive match!

Chris Cullen, or “Culley”, has always had a passion for food, and in particular the odd chilli here and there!

Chris was a successful Chef in both Auckland and Melbourne for over 10 years, focusing primarily on corporate catering and private dining. During this time he was using only the highest quality ingredients, a mantra he has maintained to this day.

He began selling his products at the Clevedon Farmers’ Market and business has boomed from there. “A lot of chilli sauces on the market are quite vinegary and I wanted to move away from that. I also wanted to use onion and garlic – I think you need them to smooth the chilli out.”
Culley sources his chillies from two New Zealand growers, The Chilli & Capsicum Co and The Curious Croppers.

Culley’s been recognised both locally and internationally for their range of hot sauces including by the Cuisine Artisan Awards, NZ Food Awards, Cajun Hot Sauce Awards and the Westpac Business Awards.

One of the fastest emerging trends in New Zealand today is the increasing diversity of what we’re eating and cooking. Our interest in ethnic restaurants and ethnic foods has taken on a new dimension and there’s no doubt we’ve all become a lot more adventurous in our attitude.

This diversity is reflected in the range of ethnic foods available at Moore Wilson’s Fresh. For instance, we continue to expand the range of Japanese and Korean ingredients and condiments we have in available. The following is a guide to some of the most popular:

Belacan A fermented paste made from shrimp meat. A condiment that is common throughout Japan and Korea and is especially a feature of Malaysian cuisine. An essential ingredient in many sauces and curries. Recommended that you use it sparingly as it has a strong and pungent flavour.

Gochujang A hot pepper Korean fermented paste made with red pepper flakes, glutinous rice, soybeans and salt. Used in various Korean stews and soups and also to marinate meat. The most quintessential Korean condiment of them all.

Gochugaru  Made from coarsely ground sun dried red peppers and this is the ingredient that has given Korean food its hot and spicy reputation. The flavour is hot, sweet and slightly smoky.

Kimchi A traditional Korean side dish now available pre-prepared. Based on fermented cabbage and sometimes including daikon radish, onion, garlic, ginger and red pepper, it has recently been named as one of the world’s healthiest foods. While the Koreans serve Kimchi with just about every meal, there are lots of things you can do with it too. Use it to wake up your morning scrambled eggs, great as a wrap filling and a tasty way to top off a baked potato. Both Korean Kimchi and a locally produced version are available.

Kewpie Mayonnnaise Regarded as the best mayonnaise in the world. Made from egg yolks only rather the whole eggs plus rice vinegar, soy based vegetable oil and a touch of the flavour enhancer MSG.

Mirin Sweet Japanese cooking wine with a golden colour and made from glutinous rice. Not only adds sweetness but also gives a gloss or shine to a dish. Essential for teriyaki chicken and wonderful drizzled over salmon.

Miso A traditional Japanese paste made from fermented Soy beans. These are numerous types and textures available. Provides an intense almost meaty savoury flavour despite being a vegan-based condiment. As a general rule, the lighter the Miso colour the more mild the flavour. A New Zealand - made Miso is now being made using Nelson soybeans.

Nanami Togarashi Nanami literally means ‘seven flavours’ in Japanese. This tasty spice blend is made up of chilli pepper, orange peel, black and white sesame seeds, Japanese Pepper, Ginger and Seaweed.

Nori A type of seaweed that comes in in dark green/black sheets and most commonly used as a wrap for Sushi. Can be shredded or bought in a powdered form (called anori) and used as a garnish or flavouring for noodle dishes and soups.

Panko Breadcrumbs These Japanese-style breadcrumbs are light and fluffy and incredibly crisp. You can, in fact, use them in just about any recipe that calls for breadcrumbs.
Rice Vinegar: This is mild in flavour and is not as acidic as western vinegar. A pale yellow colour it is used as sushi vinegar and in making pickles.

Tofu Bean curd made from soy bean milk and formed into a block. Has a myriad of uses in salads, soups and can be eaten by itself. Available either firm or soft (silken).

Wakame Another form of seaweed, often used in Miso soup, noodle soups and salads. Wakame comes in dried or frozen form. When using dried wakame, soak in water to soften before using or just add a few pieces to soup. Be careful not to use too much as the pieces expand greatly in size. Frozen Wakame does not require cooking.

Wasabi This Japanese horseradish tastes very peppery and pungent. While fresh wasabi is sometimes available, it is mostly used in a paste or powdered form.

Soy sauce, Sesame oil, Fish sauce, Rice wine etc. are universally used in Asian cuisine and each Asian country generally makes its own version. Generally these base ingredients are inter-changeable irrespective of their country of origin. Simply use the version that most suits your personal taste.

Visit Moore Wilson's Tory Street Fresh Market for our full range of Korean & Japanese ingredients.

Makes around 30 truffles.

Serves 4.

When Moore Wilson Fresh first opened in 1998, we were able to source delightful aged cheddar from the Koromiko Dairy Company in Marlborough.

Regrettably, as the Dairy industry rationalised and merged itself in search of global efficiencies, it was decided to close the Marlborough factory and send the Marlborough milk elsewhere. It was also decided that the aging of cheddar would be undertaken in a larger more efficient location. So it was bye bye to Moore Wilson’s favourite aged cheddar as it was absorbed into NZ’s centralised (but efficiently processed) cheddar mountain.

We spent some time searching the country to find a similar aged cheddar and quickly discovered that aging a decent volume of cheddar beyond 2 years wasn’t on anyone’s agenda.

Now anyone who knows cheese will tell you that good cheddar, like fine wine, simply gets better with age. The flavours sharpen and become more intense. Sometimes lactic crystals form in the cheddar adding a delightfully crunch to the texture.

As a result, we decided to age some cheddar ourselves.

This fine quality cheddar is aged for at least 30 months and has a distinctive character and sharpness. The cheddar is named Linkwater after one the earliest NZ’s cheese factories that was located in Marlborough. In the old days cheese produced at Linkwater used to be shipped by scow to Wellington from the Grove Arm Wharf - before being on-shipped to the UK. We also chose to use a Marlborough name to honour the Marlborough cheddar that first showed us what good aging can do for flavour.

In 2013 we released another cut and wrapped cheddar called Cullen’s Valley.

Cullen’s Valley is a quality mild cheddar, the ideal family cheddar with a mildness that all the family will love, especially the kids.

The name Cullen’s Valley comes from Marlborough and the Cullen family were early suppliers to the Linkwater Dairy factory, one of NZ’s first dairy factories.

Linkwater & Cullen’s Valley Cheddars are available from all Moore Wilson’s Grocery & Fresh Stores in retail and bulk 1kg+ sizes.

Arobake was established in October 1989 by Max Fuhrer as a small bakery in Wellington’s iconic Aro Valley.

The son of a Swiss cheese maker, Kiwi-born Max has ample quantities of the attributes the Swiss are famous for - honesty, accuracy, precision and quality. He served his bakery apprenticeship in Wellington under the late Barend de Bes and, on becoming a fully-fledged baker, took himself off to Lucerne and Zurich in Switzerland to hone his skills for the next three years.

Arobake has been baking since 1989 and are well known in Wellington for their quality product range which includes authentic traditional European breads, cakes, patisserie and a packaged biscuit range. At Easter you’ll find their Hot Cross Buns at Moore Wilson’s and they produce a mean Christmas Mince Pie during the festive season.

It’s not only their customers who think Arobake’s products are tops, they’ve also won a number of awards over the years including.

If you’re in Aro Valley be sure to visit their shop for café style food and fresh baked goodies. Arobake delivers a range of breads, cakes and patisserie fresh daily to Moore Wilson’s Fresh Tory Street and Porirua.

Find out more about Arobake here.

Enjoy with a savoury NZ Syrah

Makes 20-24.