The Foodie Inc

03/02/2026

Still waiting on homegrown tomatoes 🍅 to ripen so bought 2kg seconds 🍅 at Hawke's Bay Farmers' Market on Sunday to make Dr Ben’s Chilli 🌶️ Jam 🫙

Now to be patient for 4 weeks before first jar 🫙 is opened!

Recipe: Kylie Newton & Pott Preserves book 📕 The Modern Preserver

31/01/2026

Beautiful morning for a trip to Hawke's Bay Farmers' Market with Fiona & Toffi - Sunday 8:30am - 12:30pm

Enjoyed monsieurmacaron pain au raisin & Firsthand Coffee in the sunshine.

Delighted to get 2kg tomatoes (seconds) for $6… time to make chilli jam and 7 sweetcorn for $5.

River Range Eggs & Bay Blue - Delicious HB Grown Berries too

25/01/2026

Keeping up the challenge I set myself back in January 2024 - a different recipe each bake for Good Bi***es Baking - here’s bake nos. #53 #54 & #55

With social feeds full of Dubai chocolate 🍫 & Pistachio 🥜 spreads… mostly people eating it straight out of the jar🫙I decided to get a little more creative!

This week Women’s Refuge Hastings is getting a sampler box:

NYC White Chocolate, Cranberry & Pistachio Cookies 🍪 suggest breaking them in half as huge! A surprise gooey pistachio is inside!

Gingernut 🍪 Balls with Dubai Pistachio 🥜Kunafa centres gives a lovely texture 🧡

And for the non-nut eaters, Blondies made with brown butter - imagine a rich butterscotch flavour - & studded with white chocolate 🍫

21/01/2026

When you live in Hawke’s Bay - the fruit bowl of Aotearoa, New Zealand - and friends give you a bag of plums you make…

…plum 🍑 strawberry 🍓 & mint 🌿 jam 🫙

Based on recipe on larderlove website for French Mint 🌿 & Mirabelle Plum 🍑 Jam 🫙

15/01/2026

Cheese 🧀 tasting this Saturday… Craggy Range Sheep Dairy is at Bay Blue - Delicious HB Grown Berries on Te Mata Mangateretere Rd, Havelock North

Berries 🫐
Ice cream 🍦
Coffee ☕️ too

So very excited to work alongside this much loved, iconic Hawke's Bay brand ❤️

Gearing up for a cheese tasting this SATURDAY at their awesome Bay Blue Market spot on Te Mata Mangateretere Road

Call in & stock up on the very best local goodies in The Bay....🫐🧀🍦

09/01/2026

It a beautiful day… for a visit to blackbarnmarket_ at Black Barn Vineyards …open Saturdays during summer 9am-12:30pm.

Perfect spot - under the tree canopy - for coffee with friends and to pick up supplies for the weekend.

08/01/2026

One of my favourite moments over summer - okay let’s be honest, any time of the year - is the impromptu invitation to get together or pop over for a beer 🍻 wine 🍷 G&T 🍹 or coffee ☕️

…no fuss, bring something to share - even if already opened, friends don’t care - the simple act of gathering & connecting with one another.

Last night at Fiona and James’ home we did just that… four humans, three dogs, G&Ts 🍹 and a fabulous platter in the backyard… absolutely perfect 💯

06/01/2026

Sunflowers 🌻🌻🌻 always make you smile… a lovely relaxing meander, then coffee with Rach at The Farm House.

Sunflowers open every day
Cafe open Tue-Sun 8am-5pm

31/12/2025

Absolutely fabulous New Years Eve dinner with friends.

From ‘that’ butter to the rhubarb centred shrewsbury biscuit and everything in between 💥 such clever flavoursome dishes 💥

With friendly service, relaxed vibes and lots of local wines, if you live in Hawke’s Bay or are here on holiday, put Restaurant Ari on your “must dine at” list!

So pleased I had my arm twisted to go out on NYE, thanks Fiona & James. And a huge thank you to Simon & his team for a memorable New Years Eve dinner 💥

27/12/2025

Fancy a toastie?

COOP Coffee + Community is serving five delicious “pimped up” toasties during December.

Met friends for lunch today & we devoured:

THE ITALIAN (V) for me
Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella,
Pesto, Sprouted Grain bread

THE PIMPED HAM + CHEESE (A.KA THE CROQUE MONSIEUR) for Brad
Manuka smoked ham, provolone
cheesy bechamel & dipped in egg

THE REUBEN for Chris
Waipawa smoked beef, kraut, pickles, habanero mayo, Swiss +American cheddar, on Otaki sourdough.

The Caesar (chicken, bacon etc) & The Kim-Cheese (V) are also available during Toastie Takeover.

Open Sundays 8am-2pm tomorrow and next weekend too

22/12/2025

Love the Twilight Christmas at Hawke's Bay Farmers' Market. On today 3-7pm.

Got my list ready and worked out where the vendors are on the map too.

22/12/2025

It’s been a long time between lunches at Craggy Range Restaurant and then two celebrations in the space of a fortnight!

On both occasions - an early Christmas lunch with my folks (we dined inside) and a 60th birthday celebration on the terrace - we chose the shared menu allowing everyone to simply sit back with a glass of wine in hand and relax. No indecision and no dish envy!

Five delightful courses (see last photo for menu) served over three hours plus Chef Casey’s potato focaccia with that amazing camembert butter drizzled with honey!

As the only non-red eater I was delighted with sweet & sour fried sh*take mushrooms with five spice salt (an alternative to venison tartare); and the Pecorino cheese soufflé, heirloom tomatoes & caper, raisin relish on my first visit and panfried crispy skin snapper on my second, rather than the slow cooked lamb shoulder (photos of alternative dishes in comments).

We enjoyed Craggy Range Winery Te Muna Pinot Gris and Syrah on our first visit and several bottles of the Rose for the 60th celebration!

Absolutely faultless service; a knowledgeable friendly team. And the extra touches didn’t go unnoticed… Chef sent us the most divine crayfish stuffed courgette flowers first visit and we had a choice of dessert so selected three different ones to share. Fiona was surprised with a yummy gingerbread cake which meant we got to sing happy birthday too.

Next time, we will try The Loft Dining experience. See their website for details; themed menu changes regularly.

ps photos are a mix of both lunches and yes, I wore same top to both 😜