Trending – New Zealand’s Foodie News 23rd August

Whisking our imagination away to the nostalgic days of wandering barefoot down a road belonging to a beachside town in rural Aotearoa, Lewis Road Creamery hits the nail on the head with their latest flavoured milk: Hokey Pokey. As the original inventors of Hokey Pokey, it only seems right that the Kiwi company dabbles in one of our most iconic national flavours. The honeycomb toffee flavoured milk goes down smoothly, with creamy and sweet hits of the classic Kiwi treat, all bottled into a neat little 300mL package.

Lewis Road Creamery’s Hokey Pokey Flavoured Milk is available in supermarkets now, but for a limited time only!

It’s no secret Kiwis are inclined for a glass or two to soften lockdown, and if you’re looking to expand your palate, then we have the Kiwi-grown wine for you. Esk Valley, hailing from Hawkes Bay, has launched their latest ‘Great Dirt’ range, in homage to unique vineyard sites of the historic region. The four wines – Seabed Chardonnay, River Gravel Merlot Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon, Hillside Syrah, and Hillside Malbec Merlot Cabernet Franc Syrah – each individually showcase a nurtured area of Hawkes Bay, dating back decades of care and knowledge from master winemakers. The Great Dirt range totally encompasses the wide reach of New Zealand’s amazing differing settings – only this time, you can actually taste it!

Esk Valley’s Great Dirt Collection ranges from $49.99 – $89.99 and is available to order online now, or from select retailers.

We were blessed just last week with a brand new Whittaker’s flavour and they’ve barely given us a minute to breathe before launching a delicious-sounding new addition to their Rainforest Alliance Certified range. Announced this morning, Whittaker’s introduces the Canterbury Hazelnut in Creamy Milk Chocolate in 100g artisan blocks. The new block blends Canterbury-grown hazelnuts from hazelnut co-operative Hazelz, with a silky smooth hazelnut paste in Whittaker’s signature 33% milk chocolate. Focusing on local provenance and quality, it’s Canterbury’s time to shine with their very own artisan block.

The new block is available in stores and online nationwide, and with plenty to go around, rest assured you’ll be able to pick one up on your next scheduled supermarket shop in Level 4!

If you’re anything like the team at Dish Cult, you like to keep your ear to the ground when it comes to the latest food and drink trends. And one trend we’ve been catching on to is the concept of big blends coming out of the vineyards. Leftfield is playing ball and has released one of the first more accessible high-count blends in the form of their new bottle, The Hatchling. Creating a sextet, The Hatching mixes the very best merlot, tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, syrah and grenache grapes to create the ultimate smooth red, with notes of vanilla and spice, pairing well with a Kiwi lamb or beef ragu. If you’re constantly stuck when it comes to choosing a red, The Hatchling is about to become your new holy grail.

Leftfield’s The Hatchling retails for $17.99 and is available now at supermarkets, liquor stores, and online.