Cook’n’ With Heritage Food At The Gas
Leedom Gibbs

This year’s entries in the upcoming Sixth Annual Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge celebrate early European culinary history in New Zealand. The use of native foods is also of note.
The starter takes us back to the beginning, using the same basic ingredients as Captain Cook did in his campaign against scurvy.
To this end native ‘greens’ were included in the shipboard diet. When combined with the constant supply of fresh fish this was thought “little inferior to fresh meats roots & c.” Blue cod (coalfish, so-called for its resemblance to a northern hemisphere fish of the same name) was thought of as a superior fish by Cook.

The main course features foods as found on a sea journey to the colonies and on colonial tables. Pickled meat, gourds, and nuts were selected for their storage potential before the days of refrigeration.
Venison is found in New Zealand thanks to the pioneering efforts of European settlers. Damper celebrates their spirit and the idea of ‘making do’.

Overall Winner 2001

Winners of Best Spirit of the challenge 2003

Nominated Best Beer and Food Match 2003