On Tuesday 1 July, we had the privilege of welcoming various local food businesses to Nayland College for a Market Day.

Year 12 and 13 students were put into rotations to go around various stalls including Neudorf Black Garlic run by duo Noël and Teena Jelsma, Craft French Pâtés run by Benoit and Anne, Cranky Goat run by Hellene, Sausage Press run by Miles Drewery and lastly, Little River run by Virginia Thomas with sour dough bread supplied by Johan from Big Score. At each station students were able to learn the processes that each producer goes through to create their products. Additionally, there was an opportunity to grow our knowledge about culinary practices while simultaneously expanding our palates through tasting unique products.

Neudorf Black was created in 2019 by Noël and Teena Jelsma who are located in the Tasman region. They started their business when they heard Ralph who made Karamaya Black Garlic paste was looking for a buyer before closing up shop. Noël and Teena could not let New Zealand's best Black Garlic products disappear, so they had to buy the place. And that was when Neudorf Black was born. We were fortunate enough to try multiple black garlic products that Neudorf Black supply, these include Black Garlic oil, Black Garlic essence and Black Garlic puree, as well as learn what sweet and savoury dishes can be made with these various products.

Craft French Pâtés was founded in 2017 by Benoit and Anne. After living in New Zealand for 3 years, Benoit was missing some of the flavours he grew up with in France and decided it was time to try something new and introduce Kiwis to traditional French Pâtés. Benoit brought along several Pâtés we were able to try as well as some boudin noir (black pudding) that many people were brave enough to try. Benoit talked us through the ingredients and process of his products in addition to answering any questions we had.

Cranky Goat was established in 2013. Cranky Goat produces handmade goat cheeses using high quality goat milk from their neighboring farm from September to May. Mooody Cow, owned by the same owners as Cranky Goat, produces high quality cow cheese with traditional French methods. Using Oaklands A2 cow's milk from Nelson, they produce cow’s cheese From May to September. Hellene, who markets the cheese, came and talked to us about their products and how they pride themselves on coming up with original names for their goods like “BOB” and “ELLADALE” instead of the traditional cheese titles. We were fortunate enough to try a variety of both Mooody Cow and Cranky Goat cheeses.

Miles Drewery started “The Sausage Press Deli Co” in 2016 after owning a Café in Richmond. Miles specialises in a range of preservative free and filler free cured and smoked meats, salmon, sausages and salami. Miles's aim is to “let the meat speak for itself” with natural ingredients and no added preservatives. He specialises in using an old-fashioned way of smoking and curing, and none of his products are forced through this process, which helps make the products as natural and traditional as they can. Miles brought in several salamis for us to try, and he talked us through the process of how they were made and how passionate he is about making natural products.

In 2017 Little River Estate was born. Little River makes their cow's milk in the Upper Moutere in Tasman. They use local Oakland whole milk to make their various cheeses. Little River does not use any preservatives, fillers, thickeners, stabilisers, sweeteners or any other unnecessary additives in any of their products. They will also continue to look for ways to improve packaging while maintaining the measures required for food safety. Little River produces yoghurt, sour cream, halloumi and a wide range of cheeses. We were lucky enough to try some halloumi and various cheeses that were made into a fondu.

We were privileged to welcome all these amazing local businesses to our school for a market day. This opportunity allowed us to learn about what it takes to create these incredible products, alongside allowing us to gain a better understanding of the taste and techniques used to create these natural foods.