2024 Winner Dinners
Join us in May 2024 for special Winner Dinners at Palate in Hamilton and Emerson’s Taproom in Dunedin and celebrate the kiwis who harvest. grow and make outstanding food with aroha.
The Outstanding Food Producer Awards celebrate Kiwis who grow, harvest and make outstanding local food and drinks. Leading chefs, Mat Mclean from Palate Restaurant and Andy Aitken from Emerson’s Taproom, have created delicious menus to showcase winners; with each course matched to a Leefield Station wine and or an Emerson’s beer presented by the winemaker and brewer.
Palate Restaurant, Hamilton
Wednesday 22 May 2024
Mat Mclean has judged the Paddock category since the Awards started in 2017. Palate’s Outstanding Food Producers Winner Dinners are legendary and have become a must on the calendar for Waikato foodies.
Four-course menu matched to Leefield Station wines and Emerson’s beer
6 pm - Wednesday 22 May
Book at palaterestaurant.co.nz
Emerson’s Taproom, Dunedin
Monday 27 May 2024
Emerson’s executive chef Andy Aitken is a regular Outstanding Food Producer Awards judge. He’s curated this special one-off five-course degustation menu to showcase winning South Island food producers.
A six-course degustation menu matched to Emerson’s beer and Leefield Station wines
6 pm - Monday 27 May
Book at humanitix.com
Judgement Day
Benches speckled with yellows and pinks, glistening jars, and finely folded cards, take a look behind the scenes at judging of the 2024 Outstanding Food Producer Awards.
A peek behind the aprons and the mystique of judging the 2024 Outstanding Food Producer Awards
Benches speckled with yellows and pinks, glistening jars, and finely folded cards. A dark marbled countertop lined, four rows thick, with inventive sweets and syrups, esoteric spreads, and cross-bred butters. Boxes and boxes of the morning’s finest produce—orange, red, and green. A sizzle and a crack—chicken, chops, fish, and cured sausage. Milk, cheese, and honey. Jams, chutneys, and bread. More meat, more butter, more sweets.
Such was the scene in February 2024 when an unsuspecting sunny nook of Auckland’s gleaming waterfront witnessed Judgement Day. Twice.
Hunkered down over two days in Homeland’s cookery school, a caucus of our country’s top culinary critics—preeminent meat maestros, gelato gurus and professional wonkas—tasted, savoured, and graded the finest specialty food and produce New Zealand has to offer.
From bite-sized bonbons to chilli-glazed fried chicken. Biscoff tiramisu ice cream, to organic tomatoes. A river of room-temperature water, a sea of plain salted crackers. 358 products, 122 producers, 21 judges and one in-house chef. This eighth year of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards saw a record number of entries, with a host of first-time entrants and the debut of a dedicated chocolate category.
Founded in 2017 by veteran marketers and food industry experts Nicola McConnell and Kathie Bartley, the Awards recognisable stickers now adorn over three million products annually. The Champion, Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals are industry-recognised packaging adornments sending consumers the visual cue for food and drink excellence.
But who decides if a block of chocolate or a leg of lamb is a bonafide foodie standout?
Producers benefit from the experience and expertise of a diverse cohort of industry cracks. These experts range from Elle Coco of the British Academy of Chocolate and International Chocolate Awards to former French Cafe owner Connie Clarkson, top-class chef and culinary lecturer Geoff Scott, and famed chef, food writer, and restaurateur Peter Gordon.
Divided between six or eight panels on each of the two consecutive judging days, judges bite, nibble, sip, and, in moments of involuntary abandonment, devour products across seven categories: Paddock, Water, Earth, Chocolate, Dairy, Drinks, and Free From (products made specifically to be without conventional ingredients, for example, wheat).
Judging is double-blind, with only a simplified list of ingredients provided to the taste panels. Of course, these food junkies need very little else to get on a roll.
Hovering from table to table, discussion points range from “more salt” to nuanced analyses of the structural integrity of a tempered chocolate fish. On paper, constructive criticism is detailed, measured and neutral. Marks are weighted 90% to classic measures of delectability - aroma, visual appearance, taste and flavour, consistency, and quality. A panel of sustainability specialists - Emily King, founder of Spira, and Fiona Stephenson, Marketing Manager of Sustainable Business Network - adjudicate the remaining 10% allocated to environmental and socially sustainable business practices.
Head Judge Lauraine Jacobs professes that the Awards and judging process grow more professional and refined yearly. An internationally respected food writer and author, she helps make decisions when opinions are tied. Having her role since the Award’s inception, Jacobs is particularly impressed by the continual quality of fresh produce submitted. She declares New Zealand’s food and wine “really the very best”, highlighting our red meats, fish, and milk. And she would know. In addition to having cut her teeth and sliced her onions at Le Cordon Bleu, London and elite Parisian kitchens, her taste buds still harbour flavours of a recent Anglo-Franco-Morocco escapade, arriving back to Aotearoa just in time to conclude the Class of ‘24 up there with anything else around.
But what of the Awards themselves?
Beyond the coveted medal system, judges choose seven Category Champions, five Outstanding Champions and then food lovers are invited to choose two Kiwis’ Favourites - a top food producer and a top farmers’ market. From the seven-category champs, a single fabled Supreme Champion is born. Products that don’t reach the required quality benchmark score do not receive an award - in 2024 that was 27% of all entries.
But a producer doesn’t have to reign supreme to gain something from entering. The premier panels’ invaluable feedback and critiques assist every entrant, especially smaller operators looking for steps to elevate themselves to the next level.
With judging for 2024 complete, find the medal winners here. For the inside word on the Champions look out for the May/June issue of NZ Life & Leisure and if you haven’t already, sign up on this website to receive our monthly food digest ‘Outstanding Eats’. If you’re a producer who’s new to the Outstanding Food Producer Awards and likes what you're hearing, the 2025 Awards open in December 2024 - with entry from this very website.
Order early to have ‘Outstanding’ NZ Akaroa Salmon on your Christmas Table
Order early to have Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards medal-winning Akaroa King Salmon on your Christmas Table!
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Salmon is perfect for the Christmas table - its beautiful colouring and delicate flavour make it the ideal centrepiece.
Order Akaroa King Salmon with confidence for your Christmas or New Year celebrations. Akaroa King Salmon is a multi-award winner of ONZFPA medals and in 2022 it was recognised with the prestigious NZ Life & Leisure Spirit of New Zealand Award.
For nearly forty years Akaroa Salmon has been raising King Salmon without antibiotics or hormones in the strong cold currents of Akaroa Harbour, near Christchurch. Their hard work means they have the smallest environmental footprint of any ocean salmon farm in the world.
Akaroa’s Smoked Salmon uses New Zealand Sea Salt and Mānuka smoke - and it tastes so good there’s no need to add sugar or flavourings! We recognised this when it was awarded a Gold Medal in the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards 2022, with the judges saying; “A great looking fillet, beautiful colour and lovely taste…judges enjoyed the subtle smoked flavour. Very good texture.” With the all work done, this versatile smoked salmon makes you look good in the kitchen! Check out Akaroa King Salmon’s approachable recipe ideas here.
Akaroa King Salmon comes in a range of sizes, whole fillets, portions or slices. Order now to avoid disappointment.
To guarantee delivery prior to Christmas, all orders must be placed by Friday 1 December 2023
Grey Lynn Farmers Market - its Outstanding!
Grey Lynn Farmers Market is a community meeting spot; we love seeing people turn up to shop every week and we love supporting small businesses.
“It’s a community meeting spot; we love seeing people turn up to shop every week and we love supporting small businesses.”
Grey Lynn Farmers Market is more than just a place for the week’s fresh and local food – it's a community hub, a food business incubator and home to some ‘outstanding’ NZ food producers!
Visit in 2023 and you’ll meet John Vosper from Jersey Girls Organics, a long-time market vendor and committee member. Waikato-based Jersey Girls Organics is a favourite with Grey Lynn market-goers. It's not surprising – they’re multiple Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards winners – having collected three Gold Medals for their A2 Jersey Milk. Perhaps, you’ll meet Paul Duncan from Elta Ego, a double Silver Medal winner from this year’s Awards. Collecting the gongs for their non-alcoholic duo, Elta Ego Raspberry + Yuzu G&T and Elta Ego Mojito. Kimchi ninjas, Good Bugs serve up their Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards Silver Medal winning Hot Vegan Kimchi every fortnight.
Since 2009, the Grey Lynn Farmers Market has provided fresh, local produce, served alongside coffee and breakfast with a backdrop of live music and the opportunity for a good neighbourly catch-up.
Each week up to 30 stallholders hit the Market to share their locally produced wares to earn their keep, meet their customers and seek feedback and build their brands.
Grey Lynn Farmers Market Manager, Carol Gunn explains the kaupapa of the volunteers who run the weekly festival-of-food is supporting the community – whether they be shoppers, browsers or vendors. “It’s a community meeting spot; we love seeing people turn up to shop every week and we love supporting small businesses. Each producer comes with a different ambition; for some it's visibility, for some its feedback to help propel growth and for others like our fruit and vegetable sellers it’s an important part of their regular income.”
So no matter whether you want authentic, fresh locally grown fruit and vegetables, to catch up with friends, discover new flavours or to get closer to your food by meeting the producers a visit to the vibrant Grey Lynn Farmers Market is a Sunday essential. You’ll find a wide variety of produce reflective of the season from; fresh milk and cream, handmade drinks, berries to fruit and vegetables, micro herbs, meat, cakes, baked goods, artisan condiments, juice and flowers and always someone ‘outstanding’ to chat to!
Grey Lynn Farmers Market
Sundays - 8.30am to midday
Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Rd, Grey Lynn
OLLIFF FARM PREMIUM PASTURE EGGS ARE EASIER TO FIND
“We move our girls onto fresh pasture every few days – just like cows! This allows our girls to forage for grubs, bugs and worms 24/7 bringing so much flavour and taste to the eggs.” Deonne Olliff
“We move our girls onto fresh pasture every few days – just like cows! This allows our girls to forage for grubs, bugs and worms 24/7 bringing so much flavour and taste to the eggs.”
Olliff Farm Premium Pasture Eggs modern spin on the age-old practice of pasture raising chickens for eggs is rewarding egg lovers with full-flavour, nutrient dense eggs – just like grandmas.
Deonne Olliff, husband Dean and children Beau, Archer and Darla farm their chooks in Auckland’s Silverdale. Since first coming to the attention of the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards in 2019 when they were Sustainability Award Runners-Up the Olliff family have grown their business and have increased retail sales around Auckland to make their eggs easier to find.
As well as being available at PAK’nSAVE Silverdale and Four Square Remuera, lovers of authentic, local food will be thrilled to know they can pick up Olliff Farms Eggs if they’re holidaying in the Matakana, Omaha, Sandspit, Snell’s Beach area. Big brunches and easy lunches are the order of the day for holidays and Olliff Farms Eggs are now for sale at; Warkworth Butchery, Matakana Butchery, Matakana Smokehouse, Sculptureum Retail and The Superette, Omaha Beach.
Deonne explains the flavour in their eggs is purely due to the way they farm. “We move our girls onto fresh pasture every few days – just like cows! This allows our girls to forage for grubs, bugs and worms 24/7 bringing so much flavour and taste to the eggs. We are one family, one farm, one way – so we farm to plate, bringing consumers the freshest and tastiest eggs on shelf.
“We produce backyard chicken eggs but on a more commercial scale with 4,200 hens – which is not huge compared to your standard free range farms. However, for our style of farming moving the girls continually is significant as we need a lot of land.”
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the couple. Initially Olliff Farms built its reputation for premium eggs in cafes and restaurants around Auckland. So, when that business was cut off overnight by the Covid lockdown in early 2020 times were tough. Chickens don’t stop laying for a pandemic and Deonne and Dean had to quickly diversify their sales.
These days you’ll find Olliff Farm Eggs in retail, as well as cafes and restaurants. Deonne explains; “we’re doing a good mix of both. We don’t want ‘all our eggs in one basket’ so to speak! We learnt that with Covid. To a degree it was a blessing in disguise…we love evolving and enjoy the challenge of coming up with better ways of doing things
Not ones to rest, and sticking with their evolution ethos, Deonne has promised more big changes in 2023.
“We have our new shop and packhouse opening on the farm in Wainui, Silverdale next year. Our aim is to bring an even better farm to plate experience for our customers. Customers love coming to the farm to see first-hand where their eggs come from. We have nothing to hide and can’t wait to give this opportunity to more of our customers.”
“We also have new packaging hitting stores in March 2023, which is very different to what we have now. It’s very exciting and we can’t wait to see it on the shelf – it’s beautiful!
NEW FLAVOUR FOR SUMMER FROM KIWI QUINOA
After introducing New Zealand foodies to the taste of fresh locally grown white quinoa, Kiwi Quinoa is turning the flavour up again with the introduction of a red grain. Kiwi Red Quinoa is the latest innovation from the pioneers of the local industry, Jacqui and Dan Cottrell.
After introducing New Zealand foodies to the taste of fresh locally grown white quinoa, Kiwi Quinoa is turning the flavour up again with the introduction of a red grain.
Kiwi Red Quinoa is the latest innovation from the pioneers of the local industry Jacqui and Dan Cottrell.
After promoting the white variety to foodies since their first commercial crop in 2016, Jacqui is a convert to the red wholegrain, saying its colour ensures it looks vibrant in every dish and its texture is a winner too. “Red quinoa has an amazing subtle crunch and gives a little pop when you bite it – it’s become my go-to favourite”. For Jacqui and Dan and their young family that means using Kiwi Quinoa Red Wholegrain Quinoa as the base for curries or simply as a side dish cooked and served with dill, butter and salt.
Quinoa has been consumed for thousands of years. Technically it is not a grain but a pseudocereal, meaning it’s a seed prepared and consumed like a grain. Once a staple for the Andean people, it has exploded in popularity across the globe thanks to its gluten-free status and its rich nutritional profile. Quinoa is a nourishing alternative to rice, pasta and other grains.
Falling in love with the flavour and versatility of quinoa during a trip through South America over a decade ago, was the driving force for farmer Dan and agronomist Jacqui to develop the industry in New Zealand from their family farm near Taihape. In 2012 on their OE travelling in Peru they recognised parts of the landscape looked like the north island Central Plateau where Dan’s family have farmed for four generations. Jacqui says their recognition of the geographic similarities provided the genesis for growing quinoa in Rangitikei.
Following their first commercial crop in 2016 they began selling in New Zealand with Kiwi Quinoa starting to build a market for the fresh, clean flavour of locally grown quinoa. The quality of Kiwi Quinoa was recognised with an Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards Gold Medal in 2019 for the white wholegrain quinoa. In 2020 the pair achieved national supermarket distribution for Kiwi Quinoa, which prompted them to take a leap of faith, finding growers with similar values who were prepared to use their ‘recipe’ for growing chemical-free quinoa. Today, Kiwi Quinoa are in partnership with six growers, one in Bulls and five in Canterbury, ensuring they have enough grain to supply supermarkets across New Zealand as well as bulk sales ingredients for food producers.
Both red and white quinoa grown by Kiwi Quinoa are considered ‘sweet’, not because they are sweet but because they don’t contain bitter saponins, which is a bonus for food lovers. Jacqui says locally grown quinoa tastes better than imported varieties; “it doesn’t have the bitter aftertaste that other quinoas often have. We’re big on taste and food being delicious.”
Since its harvest earlier this year, Jacqui has been on a mission discovering new ways to include the nutritious wholegrain red quinoa in her cooking. One of her favourites is playing to quinoa’s strength as a replacement for gluten, using red quinoa in Minestrone instead of pasta.
Other ways with quinoa include; replacing breadcrumbs with cooked quinoa and freshly grated parmesan for a savoury crust. Changing up gremolata pangrattato, known as breadcrumbs in Italian, by using cooked quinoa mixed with the finely grated zest of a lemon, two finely chopped cloves garlic and plenty of chopped parsley leaves and sprinkling over to add flavour to vegetables and hearty meat dishes. Or try making a Turkish pilav using quinoa and rice with stock and a puree of diced tomatoes.
Kiwi White Quinoa and Kiwi Red Quinoa are available on the Kiwi Quinoa website as well as at selected New World stores, Farro, Sabato, Moore Wilson's and Fresh Choice as well as the country’s finest independent grocery and health stores. A full list of stockists is on their website.
New Forty Thieves Keto Butters
Forty Thieves three new Keto Butters are perfect for all food lovers. Whether you follow a keto diet or not, you know Forty Thieves product tastes excellent.
Whatever diet you follow, one thing is certain - foods which are low in sugar and carbodydres, full of natural fibre AND taste great, are those you want to enjoy. Which is why Forty Thieves three new Keto Butters are perfect for all food lovers.
Whether you follow a keto diet or not, you know Forty Thieves product tastes great - as its a multi-award winner in the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards, having won a clutch of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in 2021, 2020 and 2018.
Brent and Shyr Godfrey drew on their love of fitness, adventure and healthy eating to create Forty Thieves. It's the culmination of their need for high protein food that fits their lifestyle and their desire for honest food harnessing the power of natural ingredients.
Lovers of crunchy butters can savour Forty Thieves Keto Original. Crafted from a special blend of eight healthy nuts and seeds including almonds, New Zealand macadamias and pumpkin seeds. Each spoonful offers manganese for strong bones and copper to boost your immunity. While it says Keto on the label this tasty blend is for everyone.
Forty Thieves Keto Raspberry & Macadamia is made from keto-activating New Zealand macadamias, cashews, almonds and peanuts, combined with a sprinkle of seeds and antioxidant-rich raspberries. Uniquely pink in colour, this naturally sweet butter offers a little bit of crunch and a tangy finish.
Forty Thieves Keto Caramel is the ultimate in guilt-free caramel. The delicious blend includes New Zealand macadamias, almonds, cashews, shreds of coconut and a hint of cinnamon. Forty Thieves promise a recipe that’s naturally sweet without adding sugar or artificial sweeteners. Making it the perfect guilt-free treat for anyone following a low sugar, low carb or keto diet.
Founded on the rich flavours of caramel, raspberry and macadamia, each of the Forty Thieves new Keto Butters is a blend of eight nuts and seeds. Forty Thieves secret recipe includes keto-activating ingredients like macadamias, MCT and coconut oil, all proven to kickstart ketosis faster!
Forty Thieves new Keto Butters are exclusively available online now from Forty Thieves and will be found in selected Countdown Supermarkets from Monday 28 March.
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