I resolved earlier in the week to practice my biscuit decorating so that I get much better at it. Last night I decorated these little snowflake cookies to send to my aunty. I was really pleased with the effect. I tried marbling blue tinted fondant and white fondant and then coated the cookies with that. I then piped round the edges of the cookies with royal icing. It really makes a difference when I take my time on these things!
Yesterday was also the start of the Auckland food show. They have a preview day which you pay a bit more to go to, but it means you’re not fighting the crowds, and the stands are a bit more generous as they know you are there as a serious “foodie” rather than just there for a “free feed”! The show can be divided into three camps – the very commercial food that you can buy in every supermarket (eg vogels, barkers, Lisa’s hummus etc), new products that while they are commercial, are new and different and worth knowing about and lastly the boutique producers – of which there seem to be fewer and fewer, possibly because of the expense in taking part. There is also an awful lot of wine, beer etc.
This year I really noticed a big increase in the number of organic and natural drinks including juices, fizzy drinks and smoothies. There was also more ice-cream. I tasted Kohu which is a fabulous new artesian ice-cream (I especially liked the milk chocolate), NZ natural and a fabulous sheeps milk cheese made in Invercargill. Other highlights for me included olive salt from Telegraph Hill, pecorino from the sheeps cheese / ice-cream place in Invercargill, Posey’s bread from the Hawkes bay (a pizza base style bread which will be so handy to have in the freezer), the most amazing coloured olives which are naturally coloured and will look stunning on an anti-pasto platter, bread from Yarrows in Taranaki which will soon be available in the supermarkets, Bulgarian cows feta (which is the same stuff I buy from the Takapuna markets but they haven’t had it the last few times I have visited) and this amazing no peanut peanut butter made from sunflower seeds that tastes remarkably like peanut butter.
I was exhausted when I left! I didn’t go to any food demonstrations as I am really there to taste the food and find new things. I do find it quite inspiring, but I really wish that some of the smaller producers were able to display their wares. If you went to the food show as well, please leave a comment to let me know what you thought!
7 comments:
Hi Tammy, I was approached to exhibit at the show with my puddings but the cost is huge for a small business!They are apparently trying very hard to position the show as more high end/boutique but continue to operate it at a more mainstream and corporate level(They have the big marketing budgets and nationwide distribution that makes it worth the spend i guess). The other issue is that most of those attending are not foodies and more into eating their moneys worth...from my experience in previous years as an exhibitor (when i was working for one of the corporates!)
Rebecca
Hi Tammy,your snowflake cookies look very professional,what a beautiful job you have made of them.Which biscuit recipe did you use ?
hello
I used a Donna Hay recipe which is a basic cut out dough cookie recipe but with a little less sugar and 2 tbsp maple syrup
Tammy
Tammy - I love your biscuits. You can see the effort you have put into them. I bet your aunt waa delighted. Is this one of the new cutters you were telling us you had ordered from ?States. Wish I could go to the Food Show - always envious when I hear you all talk about it. Cheers Raewyn
Gorgeous cookies - you really have the knack. I am way too impatient for piping well.
The cookies look fantastic. I would have loved to have gone to the food show but due to the fact that I'm not really eating at the moment it would have been a waste. I am definitely going to make the effort to go next year.
Your snowflake cookies look spectacular. I love the combination of the blue and white icing.
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