A record number of New Zealand restaurants have been recognised for their top quality beef and lamb cuisine.
The 2013 Beef and Lamb Excellence Awards, presented by Beef + Lamb NZ Inc (B+LNZ), acknowledge consistency and quality in the preparation and presentation of beef and lamb cuisine.
Following anonymous assessments by culinary experts late last year, an impressive total of 194 restaurants nationwide received the Beef and Lamb Excellence Award, which offer an indication of supreme quality says B+LNZ Inc chief executive Rod Slater.
“If an establishment carries an Excellence Award, consumers are assured they can expect a delicious beef or lamb experience.”
Diners in New Zealand can locate Beef and Lamb Excellence Award restaurants easily, by looking for the gold-rimmed plate and window stickers. You can also find all the award-winning restaurants here.
New Zealand venison featured in a British competition for young chefs in April.
The winner of the 2012 Air NZ UK-NZ Culinary Challenge is 20-year-old Louisa Matthews, a young chef from Eton College in Windsor. She fought off tough competition from eight other finalists in a cook-off at Westminster Kingsway College in London to win the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to New Zealand on a three-week study trip experiencing the country’s top restaurants, visiting award-winning vineyards and suppliers, with the option of one week to explore the country.
Showcasing New Zealand venison, manuka honey and Bramley apples, Louisa’s award-winning menu comprised ‘perfectly seasoned and richly flavoured’ roast seabass with aioli crab croquette, mussel stew and winter vegetables, roast loin of venison, venison tortellini and Foie Gras foam; and a steamed manuka honey sponge, caramelised Bramley apple ice-cream and nettle beignet.
The UK-NZ Culinary Challenge was founded by well known Kiwi chef Peter Gordon, owner/chef of Providores and Tapa Room in London. Gordon commented that the eight finalists – all chosen from high calibre entries – “did themselves proud. Dishes were very creative with a good use of secondary cuts of venison from the rib cooked on the bone through to liver and kidneys, along with other interesting ingredients such as foraged foods and pulses. In the kitchen, the amount of gadgetary was a far cry from the days of young chefs simply using a knife and pan, with molecular gastronomy making an appearance in the form of pea jellies through to foams.
“The qualty of the entries is a fantastic indication of how highly respected the competition is amongst tutors and employers around the UK in regards to the advancement of their junior staff and students.”
Steve Mulcahy, vice-president of competition organiser the British Craft Guild of Chefs, commented that he had no doubt Louisa will be a great ambassador for the competition when she travels to New Zealand to take up this once in a lifetime prize.
The other finalists were: Laura Daniels (Manchester College; Trung Nguyen (Westminster Kinsway College); Luke Orwin (Pan Heggarty Restaurant, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne); Joshua Saunders (Worcester College of Technology); Thomas Sturrock (Kopapa Restaurant, London).
Judges included: Peter Gordon, chef/proprieter The Providores and Tapa Room; David Mulcahy, culinary director Sodexco and Ireland; Anna Hansen, chef/proprieter The Modern Pantry; Sophie Wright, previous winner of the challenge and celebrity chef; and Cristian Hossack, head chef Providores and Tapa Room.
The UK-NZ Culinary Challenge is generously sponsored by Air New Zealand, Dudson, Bleeding Heart Restaurant, Trinity Hill Wines, Providores & Tapa Room, New Zealand Venison, New Zealand Society, Bramley Apples, Comvita and NZ Trade & Enterprise.
Brad Farmerie, chef owner of New York restaurant ‘Public’.
New Yorkers got the clear message last October that New Zealand venison is the healthy red meat.
A story aired at prime-time on the ABC channel WABC featuring New York chef Brad Farmerie and a well known nutrition advisor Heidi Skolnik talking about the quality, versatility and healthy attributes of Cervena venison, from New Zealand.
According to Farmerie, “Grilled, pan seared or smoked, venison is the new “it” food,” and he should know. At his Soho restaurant Public, he prepares and serves about 10 thousand portions of it each year.
“I know for a fact, this is going to be a rockstar meat going forward, next year, the year after and everywhere from then on,” he says.
Even health food experts agree. Heidi Skolnik, a nutritionist for the New York Knicks, calls it a nutrient powerhouse, pointing out the cut is packed full of iron, zinc and vitamin B12.
“There are less calories, less fat and more nutrients than in a chicken breast and we think of chicken as healthy, which it is but this is like all of the benefits of a red meat with a fifth of the fat of beef,” Skolnik explains.
The three minute story also showed chef Farmerie, who holds a coveted Michelin star for his restaurant Public – NYC, preparing some of the dishes using Cervena venison that he serves in his restaurant.
WABC is a top rating news channel covering the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – the three states have a combined population of over 18 million.
New Zealand exports around $20 million worth of venison to the USA each year. Cervena venison is a quality scheme shared by most venison exporting companies that guarantees the venison is farm-raised, tender and delicious. Deer Industry New Zealand works with venison marketing companies to increase demand for New Zealand venison.
The coverage resulted from work done by Deer Industry New Zealand. DINZ hosted a function at Public on 12 October, inviting food editors, nutritionists and chefs to an evening to sample New Zealand venison dishes created by Farmerie and to sample New Zealand wines. About 60 attended, representing food and lifestyle media including Oprah, Dr Oz, The Food Network channel and Food Arts.
The food editor of WABC, Kemberly Richardson took little persuading to produce a story about New Zealand venison, and following filming sessions with Farmerie and an interview with Skolnik, the results screened on October 19.
A record number of New Zealand restaurants have been recognised for their top quality beef and lamb cuisine.
