Chocolatier for the day

Three years after a fun evening of chocolate making for Wellington on a Plate in 2018, I returned to Wellington Chocolate Factory yesterday for another chocolate making session. Chocolatier for the day is a hands-on event that will appeal to any aspiring Oompa Loompa. Kitted out in a stylish hairnet (no selfies!) and apron, each station was prepared with all we needed to create three handcrafted chocolate bars.

Ready to begin

Which is your favourite?

We started with a quick explanation of how things would work then began tempering some melted chocolate by hand. (No machines this time.) We could make three bars of either milk or dark chocolate so opted for one tray of each that we would divide and share later.

The wide range of appealing ingredients meant we could experiment with our flavour combinations. I remembered from last time that less is more when it comes to piling on the ingredients, especially when it's time to wrap the bars, so tried to be a little more restrained this time. We made tasty treats including mini marshmallows and sprinkles, broken wafers with freeze dried strawberries, and biscuit crumbs with crushed pistachio nuts in milk chocolate. We experimented with more savoury combinations in dark chocolate, including freeze dried raspberry with sea salt, chili flakes with pretzels, and crispy salted caramel.

Sweet milk chocolate delights

Savoury dark chocolate flavours

While we were waiting for our chocolate creations to set in the fridge, we were treated to a real hot chocolate and a more detailed explanation of the chocolate making process.

Real hot chocolate

Then it came time to wrap our bars by hand in beautiful coloured wrappers. Believe me: it's not as easy as it looks, especially the bars with chunkier toppings like marshmallows and pretzels. We opted to chop our bars across the middle and wrap them as a mixed selection, which means we're in for a pleasant surprise of two out of six possible combinations each time we open a bar at home. Clever thinking!

Another delightful Wellington on a Plate event hosted by the lovely team at Wellington Chocolate Factory. Check out their future tours and chocolate making sessions. They're interesting, tasty and lots of fun.

Rice and Shine

Wellington on a Plate has returned to its usual August calendar, promising a month of culinary adventures for the region's foodies. We got our campaign off to a great start with Rice and Shine at Master Kong, a fusion between European style brunch and Asian yum cha.

The courses kept coming and I lost count after around 9 or 10 dishes. Breakfast cocktails were also available and there was a great vibe in the restaurant overlooking Wellington's waterfront.

The menu included bacon and egg bao buns, chicken dumplings with lemongrass sauce, karachi chicken on savoury waffle, pad thai, salmon blinis, sweet banana and bacon bao, pork croissant, bacon fried rice ... I've forgotten some of the combinations but we rolled out of the restaurant at the end of the session feeling happily full.

Master Kong yum cha brunch

Our friends agreed that Rice and Shine was a great start to this year's Welly on a Plate festival. I'm looking forward to more foodie events this month.

Afternoon tea with lots of talk about baking

Wellington on a Plate moved to October this year and once again I've planned a busy itinerary for myself. The title of my first event is quite a mouthful - just like the delicious afternoon tea we were served. Everything you could ever want to know about baking, all in one afternoon was hosted by three industry veterans at Floriditas. Ruth Pretty, Julie le Clerc and Julie Clark delighted us with tales from their baking careers, baking failures and advice for those of us still practising our craft.

During the talk, we were served afternoon tea featuring menu items from each chef. 

An enticing menu

 I swapped my hot drink for a refreshing mocktail.

Seville orange and mint cordial

Food was presented in two courses: savoury and sweet. The savoury selection included a roast chicken cocktail sandwich with bacon and herb stuffing, spinach za'atar puff and an asparagus, parmesan and gruyere croissant. So very cheesy!

Savoury selection

We all know I'm really about the sweets. Our sweet treats included a little Persian love cake, a soft ginger kiss, passionfruit and white chocolate macaron and a decadent dark chocolate strawberry tart. Divine!

Sweet treats

This was a delightful afternoon with lovely company and great advice. If only we could enjoy afternoon tea like this every weekend.

The summer of plums

Several years ago, I noticed some beautiful spring blossoms appear above our fence. A year or two later, we noticed a tree on our property that seemed to be growing some kind of fruit. What was it? And how did it get there? Neither of us have very green thumbs. Should we have been looking after it?

It seems that Mother Nature or one of her helpers had self-seeded a #SurprisePlumTree in our front yard and it was preparing to bear fruit! We culled some lavender bushes underneath that were stifling its growth and wondered what to do with this strangely shaped tree. We were delighted when the first season yielded a few dozen dark purple plums (not sure which type). I took some advice from a keen gardener and had a go at gently pruning the tree, cutting the long branches back one third each year to finally shape it into something that might actually produce fruit - and this year we were rewarded with a bumper crop!

In mid-December, the tree looked like this. Things looked promising.

A hint of colour

Shortly after Christmas, the fruit started to colour ...

Steady progress

... and then last week the neighbourhood birds announced that the plums were ready! After a frantic day tying and re-tying netting around the branches to beat the birds at their game, recovering plums that had already fallen to the ground and rescuing slightly pecked fruit, we started collecting beautifully ripe plums. And then some more. And then even more. Yum!

Two days' pickings with more to come

It's lucky that we like summer fruit and plums as they now accompany every meal. Bags have been shared with neighbours, family and friends. Plums get added to fruit smoothies and also contribute to the compost bin. I've experimented with recipes and already baked sooooo many things with plums with more planned for next week, including:

• plum shortcake (just add an extra teaspoon of mixed spice to the fruit)
• simple summer plum cake using half plums and nectarines for the topping
• plum compote for pancakes and waffles
• mini plum clafoutis for dessert.

I'm not at the sauce, chutney, stewing or jam-making stages yet as we don't really eat these, but ask me again next week and I might change my mind. In the meantime, I'll keep searching for more yummy plum recipes.

We're enjoying our summer of plums and are thankful to whatever planted and cared for our #SurprisePlumTree until we were able to look after it ourselves.

Christmas high tea at the Intercontinental

I set myself a Christmas watershed of 1 December 5 years ago as a way of managing the annual Christmas madness. For some reason I'm feeling quite festive this year so lifted it a day early, officially declaring the Christmas season open by celebrating Christmas high tea with friends today.

The Intercontinental puts on a spectacular high tea (or high coffee). This year they have a special Christmas high tea available every day until Christmas Eve. The menu is extensive (17 items!) and drinks include the usual tea selection or coffee and either a festive mocktail or a glass of Veuve Clicquot champagne.

An excellent start

Half the fun of high tea is matching the extensive menu with the food presented to you. Sure, it was explained to us by staff but 17 items is a lot to keep your eye on. And then a bartering system began. "I'll trade your asparagus roll for my ham slider" was followed by "you can have my eggnog cheesecake if I get your cheese scone." We all passed our pumperknickel with blue cheese to one person who declared that four was enough!

Christmas high tea

So what did we eat? The savoury tier included a cheese scone, asparagus roll, cucumber sandwich, smoked salmon blink, champagne ham slider and pumpernickel with blue cheese.

Sandwiches and savoury

Things started getting sweeter. Eggnog cheese cake, strawberry tart, white chocolate choux, mini gateau, Christmas pudding panna cotta, a Christmas fruit tart and a cute little gingerbread man. I needed to pause during this tier.

Slightly sugary

The finish was very sweet. Macarons, trifle slice disguised as a Christmas pudding, a welcome palette cleansing berry fruit salad and a fun chocolate and popping candy lollipop.

A sweet finish

I didn't make it all through the menu (although my friends did!) so took home a takeaway box of four items to have for dessert tonight. What a deliciously decadent start to Christmas 2019!

Return of the dragon yum cha and beer tasting

One Welly on a Plate event I hoped would return after an epic event two years ago was an evening of yum cha and beer tasting. Although most people wouldn't see these as a natural pairing, I was really excited to see Return of the Dragon in the festival events programme. On Friday night, Dragons Restaurant and Garage Project had a full house serving four courses of delicious regional yum cha dishes with matching locally made beer.

A lot has changed in two years and this is now a well organised event. Each course was made up of 3-4 regional dishes and served with a matching beer. There were top ups available, which Mr Weka enjoyed, and entertainment provided by some very cute dragon-style Chinese lions.

Onto the food. The first course was Sichuan themed and waiting on arrival. Here's what we ate from left to right in each photo and the Garage Project beer match. My favourite for each course is marked with an asterisk (*).

• Hot and spicy shredded chicken salad
• Chinese style canape with beef, Chinese sausage and vegetables
• Mixed nuts with spinach *
• Beer match: Hazy IPA with Mosaic and Motueka 7.2% (not bad for an IPA)

Spicy Sichuan starters

The second course was Cantonese-style dumplings and a delicious mushroom and pork mince bun.

• Mushroom and pork mince bun
• Prawn dumpling with golden garlic sand *
• Pork and peanut dumpling with squid ink
• Cumin chicken dumpling
• Beer match: Shaolin Sour dragon pearl jasmine aged sour 6% (pleasant at first but tasted more like vinegar with each sip)

Cantonese dumplings

The third course featured Beijing style food.

• Crispy jumbo prawn and cuttlefish ball
• Shredded duck bean curd roll
• Sweet as BBQ pork bun
• Crispy prawn beetroot rice rolls *
• Beer match: Spezial K Kellerbier, unfiltered lager 5.1% (heavy bitter malt flavour - no thanks)

Beijing third course

Finally, dessert. I saved the best for last; the warm sweet cocoa bun was heavenly and the beer match sublime. I also regretted being the sober driver (yes, I literally just sipped each beer twice to sample it) as I could have easily finished off a glass of the 12.5% Super Deluxe beer. It which was rich and warming - the highlight of tonight's beer tasting.

• Walnut and white chocolate cocoa bun *
• Sweet-scented osmanthus and coconut jelly (we had to Google osmanthus)
• Beer match: Super Deluxe bourbon barrel aged dessert stout infused with organic bananas 12.5% (tasted like a rich porter or even a glass of port)

Hong Kong dessert

A great evening of food and beer enjoyed with friends. We'll definitely be back next time.

Louis Sergeant's tasting plates

Louis Sergeant has a new home at the top of Lambton Quay. The decor has been refreshed and now boasts a street-facing store front to entice hungry customers in for afternoon tea. There are fewer tables and no kitchen on site so the selection now focuses on a more refined and predominantly sweet menu. The high tea menu has also been refreshed. There are now nine sweet items (no savoury) available Wednesday to Sunday.

Even with a refined menu, you're really spoiled for choice. Everything looks so perfectly appealing. If you can't decide, I'd recommend a tasting plate of three petits fours and coffee or hot chocolate for $14. The selection changes frequently and features miniature versions of the full sized patisserie items. My platter gave me explosions of flavour featuring chocolate, hazelnut, choux pastry, lemon, vanilla and pistachio ... and an appetite to return and try three more treats another day.

Tasting plate

Petit fours at the InterContinental

I'd heard that petit fours on the InterContinental Hotel Lobby Lounge dessert menu are Wellington's best kept foodie secret. I'm already a big fan of high tea at the InterContinental. Yesterday, my team and I checked out petit fours.

For $18, you get a platter of sweet treats to share. It's enough for one between two if you want to sample everything or three people if you're being polite. The selection changes regularly. Yesterday's menu included macarons, chocolate truffles, candied orange wedges dipped in dark chocolate, biscotti, fruit jelly, coconut ice, marshmallow and new season strawberries. Delicious!

Petit fours

Petit fours are a great introduction to high tea if you have less time or are after a smaller treat. Ssh - pass it on!

Two hours of power at The Arborist

Wellington on a Plate wrapped up its tenth birthday today. We ended a foodie fortnight by saving the best for last. Two hours of power at The Arborist was described as a kiwi take on yum cha. Apparently the kitchen was given free rein and came up with a seemingly endless menu. This is what they promised:

An ambitious promise

The menu listed nine courses, in no particular order, plus two desserts. We actually started with a bonus dish not on the menu: baked potato with pulled pork filling. (Don't worry - each potato was to share between two people.)

Baked potato with pulled pork appetiser

So, with our palettes ready, then dishes kept coming in yum cha style. There were so many highlights and I only remembered to take a few photos. Marmite glazed pork ribs, hot smoked salmon devilled eggs, prawn cocktails with avocado on melba toast, mushroom and feta mini quiche, slow braised lamb shoulder with smoked kumara pastries ... we were served continuously for an hour before needing to slow things down a bit - a welcome reprise before starting again.

Would we like seconds of any dish? Although we were pretty full after nearly two hours, here's what we chose to sample again.

Beer battered snapper with salt and malt vinegar fries

Coq Au Vin chicken tossed in hiracha honey and garlic with blue cheese dip

Mini pavlova with strawberries, kiwifruit and chantilly cream, and a mini lemon curd tart topped with crumbled meringue finished off an amazing meal at The Arborist. The service this afternoon was exceptional and the food simply divine. A fitting end to another Welly on a Plate season.

A sweet ending

Mad Hatter's Tea Party with a twist

High tea two weekends in a row? It must be Wellington on a Plate. The Mad Hatter's Tea Party with a twist was held at the festival hub behind Prefab Cafe.

This dapper couple were suitably dressed for the occasion.

Thomas the Tank Engine meets the Mad Hatter

We entered through the magical festival hub, where candy floss clouds were there for the taking.

Candy floss clouds

Walk past the popcorn wall and entice your palette. Which will you choose: sweet, sour, bitter salty or umami?

A wall of popcorn

Alice invites you ...

Welcome!

  ... to follow her down down the rabbit hole ...

Don't get lost!

... and take your seat.

Table setting

The flowers look so pretty ...

Pretty flower bowl

... but they're actually a resting place for this little blue penguin!

A penguin ice sculpture

Ooh, a game of chess! Who is brave enough to play?

Giant chess board

Time for tea. Teapot cocktails were served. There were no non-alcoholic or coffee substitutions included (apart from some available for purchase) so we stuck with water.

Tea is served

While waiting for our food to arrive, we visited the vending machine in the Visa Festival Hub and munched on another pottle of popcorn along the way.

Treat yourself for just $1!

Here's how the menu transformed:

Mad Hatter's high tea

Where to start? At the bottom, of course! Rabbit pies, chicken liver and plum jelly brioche doughnuts, and cucumber, cream cheese and cricket (yes, cricket) sandwiches. The brioche and bread were amazing. The fillings ... well, I need a bit more getting used to chicken liver and crickets. Surprisingly, the chili and black ant candy floss was actually quite delicious.

Savoury style

These champagne jelly tarts were set on shortbread and dusted with freeze dried raspberries.

Champagne jellies

And no Mad Hatter's tea party would be complete without jam tarts. We finished off high tea with a mini chocolate (mousse) garden.

The Queen of Heart's tarts

This Mad Hatter's tea party was a magical way to wile away an hour on a Saturday afternoon.