[settersred]

Well flights booked and shippers booked :clap now starting to think about FOOD!!

We get through about one large jar of marmite a month and was thinking about buying 12 of them and putting them in the container. I know we can buy it there but I have only seen small jars and it's quite expensive. The other thing we all love is Daddys brown sauce.

Would I be allowed to put these in the container or should i hide them in my vaccum pack storage bags amongst the bedding??

Also what about tined items etc. Is there an allowance for food stuff or is it a big no no, what did others out there take with them?

[jubjub]

You can get HP brown sauce here, but not daddies, and like you said you can get our mate (marmite) but its only tiny jars.

Anything like that you should be fine to bring with you, lots of folks do it with bisto gravy & tins of stuff, along with the bags of crisps & the cadburys! If its a processed long life food stuff, unopened, then you will be fine.

[settersred]

Thanks for that Sal, I'll start my shopping list.

[zardell]

Have a look on here too....it's a lifeline for the desperate (me being one of 'em !!)................:laugh



http://www.theenglishcornershop.co.nz/products.htm


The stock items change regularly, but the site might just help you to prepare your shopping list.

Enjoy,

Julie

xx

[Familyofmonkeys]

Yes, you can put this stuff in your container...don't even think of hiding anything. MAF sometimes do random box searches...if they come across undeclared food, they will open everything, and you will get big MAF bill, plus fine.

[bob_the_engineer]

You are quite right about marmite, small jars only, and about $4.50 for a small jar; at just over a quid in the uk (125g), hell you may as well throw a few giant jars in the luggage.

Do tell customs; anything related to a plant, or food, is serious business at the borders, they aren’t mean, and I’m sure they will happily let you bring it in. It’s just that stuff grows like wildfire her, so if they catch you trying to bring something without telling them,,,,,,, well jumping from a great height sort of sums it up, and IMHO rightly so.

Onto food, if you’re a bit of a foodieee, and you know how to cook, well you’re in for a treat!!

I don’t care what anyone says, the food here is astonishing, if you can cook and you appreciate fresh unadulterated ingredients your in for a treat (hmm my ever expanding waistline is testament to that).

A few examples for you:

I love olives, the best I’ve ever tasted are grown in Hawk’s Bay (before I lived here I’d have said Greece)

Muscles, forget the supermarkets, and don’t get them close to the shore, ask anyone who goes diving to get you a bucket full. Throw them in a pan of hot water (the muscles, divers are quite big) until they just start to open, get them out, pull one side of the shell off and put chopped garlic and butter on them. Then cook them on the BBQ, in one side of the shell,,,, astounding!

Crayfish,,,, ooooooo grab it, slice it from heat to tail, scoop the brain and bits out then throw it on the BBQ, flesh side down on a hot plate for a min or two, then turn it over and on the BBQ, flame gridle / burn it on the shell side. Gruesome maybe, but fantastically tasty!

Prawns, forget those silly little daft pink things you get from asda, they are kind of grey and black looking (about three times the size). Chop the head off (just below the large part of the shell. Crack and peel the shell, squeeze the tail and out pops the prawn, quick knife slice from where the head was,, down to the tail and pull out the intestine. Rinse and onto the BBQ – pink YUM.

or just thrown the entire thing on the BBQ, that works too :-)

Pork wohoooooo, try the pork, oh and the corn fed free range chicken, turkey well to be honest if you want a good one, chances are you can shoot one, I couldn’t, I’m an out and out hypocrite. I’ll gladly eat them, but I can’t bring myself to dispatch them.

Anyway I’m not even going to talk about the lamb, famous in NZ since ages ago.

Ooo did I mention the fresh tuna, lightly grilled, or the snapper ooooooooooooo. Wow this is a long post and I haven’t even mentioned the astonishing fruit and veggies (ooo or cheese, or wine, oh good beer too).
Cake, I have to tell you about the cake, I can’t bake,,,,,,,, but fortunately it seems to be a national pastime here (along with cutting the lawn). Cake is caught by being nice to your neighbour,,, any good turn deserves cake, and my god I like cake.

Bob


Ham I didn’t mention the ham, try the ham (if it ain’t bigger than your head it ain’t proper ham LOL)

[zardell]

:raebanana Spot on Bob - absolutely spot on. :raebanana


Ooooooh you forgot to mention the scallops.........:yes


Julie

xx

[jubjub]

Where have you been Bob, missed your posts you make me chuckle!

[Bruckner]

Great post Bob! Now I'm starving at my desk...

Emily

[bob_the_engineer]

Oo I know, I hardly get on the forum nowadays, it’s because I only went and got a job!
I love living here, and my work mates are such a nice bunch, my job is cool too, I couldn’t be happier.

I remember JubJub saying in a post, “I hope your happy”, its funny but that’s such an important thing, its so easy just to get on with life, day to day grind in the rat race and just put up.

Well no more, almost two years in NZ, and sure things can be difficult, but half the time I wonder around grinning like a moron!

So Jubjub, Zardell and Bruckner I hope your all happy too, oo and not forgetting your little kiwi jubjub (I remember the pictures) and your mad hubby who was rewiring all the electrical stuff from the UK and building converters for anything with a transformer the last I heard :D he must fit right in here eh :nice1

My best to you all Bob

[zardell]

I remember JubJub saying in a post, “I hope your happy”, its funny but that’s such an important thing, its so easy just to get on with life, day to day grind in the rat race and just put up.

So Jubjub, Zardell and Bruckner I hope your all happy too



Thanks for that Bob.

Yes, you're right - it is so very easy just to get on with things and forget to be happy doing them !!!

If memory serves me right, I believe that you are in Welly now?

Well, wherever you are, I'm pleased to hear that you and yours are happy.

Keep smiling..........:D

Julie

xx

[jubjub]

Yup, thanks Bob, glad to hear things are still going well, and you are enjoying Welly. Have you really been here nearly two years??? Crumbs

The little kiwi is not so little, starting kindy later this year (at 2yrs). Hubby is even madder, throwing himself down hills in a Zorb and cycling along forest trails getting covered in mud, and did I mention the half marathon! No more plugs to be done, ahhh.