The Food Show

Ingrid and I left the boys with the kids and escaped early to check out Auckland's "Food Show".
We arrived at 9am to beat the queues but didn't realise it opened at 10am! There was NO-WAY we were going to wait for an hour so headed to the Cornwall Park cafe for breakie.
I know we aren't a "review blog" but sorry Cornwall Park, very average food...

The Food Show - we had been many times in the past but had been out of the loop for a couple of years so were excited to see what was new and innovative.

We queued to get in, and had to queue to get money out after discovering not everyone had eftpos. We ended up buying a $3.00 Food Show bag for all our goodies to beat the queue and get cash out at the same time. PHEW mission and we hadn't even stepped foot inside.

Hmmmm same old same old - and it was too early to hit the wine stalls!

We felt that we had paid money ($22 from memory) for foodie places to bombard us with advertising. Samples seemed less and our goodie bags were pretty much empty!
One place insisted on opening the packet for us rather than it going in our goodie bag for later!
It felt like a "double dipping" convention combined with "get what you can for free".
We even had to ask if they gave away samples at the cat food stall - LOL we took away 2 tubs of food for the kitty cat and that was the most generous sample!

So what was good about it?
Fair trade bananas - WOW they froze the bananas and squeezed them through a professional looking juicer and out the other end was the most amazing frozen banana ice cream - TOTALLY fat free - just bananas. This is to be tried to believe!
Vanilla paste - beautiful vanilla products that smelt truly nostalgic and romantic. it makes me want get creating.
NZ produced peanut butter made with Aussie nuts - delicious!
Cute honey pots with different blends of honey - they looked and tasted divine especially the VIPER Gloss!
The sealed section of DISH magazine - a great and innovative idea from the team as well as a lovely chat with the editor! KUDOS to you!
The packaging of an American soda pop range - recently imported to NZ, interesting old fashioned taste but the packaging appealed to me more not being a fizzy drink girl!

Would I go again?
Not next year - food for thought!
V

Breakfast for the busy working mums!

I struggle every morning with breakfast. I usually don't feel like it for at least an hour after waking BUT I am usually en route to daycare - in the car.
I LOVE stopping at my local cafe but its becoming a habit that is affecting my pocket and waist! So time to think up solutions....
I am a savoury person, I don't do cereal and I love my coffee - oh yeah I also try to eat reasonably healthy (He He)

Solution...
Buy the best rolls/bread you can find - ie Ciabatta, Pane Di Casa (bakers delight) - I don't like the doughy and airy bread so I hunt out something with a bit of guts to it!
Also buy ham, a nice cheese like Jalsberg, mustard and/or mayo.
Sunday evening - make up your buns. Wrap them first in baking paper and then tin foil and throw them into the freezer.
I found if you just do tin foil the cheese sticks and if you just do paking paper, you end up with spillage!
Keep one out for breakfast/lunch the next day though...

Now in the morning all I do is put it into my panini/toasted sandwich maker fresh or frozen and throw it into my handbag and eat it whilst on the way or when I arrive at work.
I often end up sharing it with Jake!

Coffee - after trying many plastic takeaway cups and having leaks, cold coffee, burnt my mouth or spilt it in the car, I discovered "keepcups" They are about $20, look cool and you can choose your own colours. The coffee doesn't seem to stay as hot as a cafe takeaway flat white BUT does the trick as I drink it pretty fast! Roll on Friday when I am kid less and will stop at the cafe!

V

We have a publisher!!!

OMG!!! We love you Helen from www.livewires.co.nz for being 'delighted' with our creations and willing to take a punt on us and print and distribute our first range of cards all over NZ.

She tells us they will be featured in an upcoming gift fair in Auckland on 29-31 August at ASB Showgrounds www.giftfairs.co.nz/christmas/ and will be in shops around September.

Check out our first range on flickr

www.flickr.com/photos/52439375@N02/