Artisans offer unique fare
Move over imported fare, Hamilton locals have some very clever food and drink producers, who have made it their mission to bring something unique to the taste buds of the city.
Neat Places checks out five of these makers, bakers and icecream shakers who are well worth their salt. Mates Ed and Ryan from Volare bakery know a lot about bread. Starting out in 2009, with a dream and some old-school baking appliances, the business has grown to become one of the Waikato’s premier bakeries, with cafes and restaurants throughout the region now stocking Volare’s products.
The breads are all sourdough and low in gluten, and all the offerings are preservative and additive-free, testament to the team’s commitment to keeping it real. The sweet pastries, muffins and slices also share Volare’s values of quality, attracting visitors from far and wide. Just when you thought every icecream flavour under the sun had been thought of, Duck Island proves there really is no end to the combinations of flavours you can put in a waffle cone.
From early beginnings as a part of the dessert menu at the award-winning restaurant, Chim Choo Ree, the team realised there was such a demand for their delicious icecreams that they opened a separate establishment in East Hamilton. Now the cold sweet makers operate from a small batch icecream shop there and at new premises in Riverbank Lane. They use organic milk, freerange eggs and seasonal ingredients, while vegan options made with coconut milk (think salted coconut with mango) are a hit, too. For a couple of brewers who really are stoked to call Hamilton home, you can’t go past the fellas from Good George. After some years in the hospitality industry, this group decided it was time to take the bull by the horns and make their own craft beer. They are not afraid to challenge your taste buds with their creations, but at the same time the main motivation behind Good George is for people to try something fantastic without being intimidated. In true Hamilton fashion, they’re all about good beer and good times, with the Purveyors of the fine things in life, Zealong Tea Estate has stepped outside the box when it comes to supplying New Zealanders with a hot beverage to be enjoyed daily. With a national obsession with coffee, it’s refreshing to see the only commercial tea estate in the country is finding so much favour with fans. Producing 100 per cent organic and award-winning tea, the estate doubles as a destination for art and hospitality, where guests can enjoy the luxury of superb service and top-quality tea. The original 1500 tea cuttings imported for this project were reduced to 130 by the strict quarantine laws, making the formation of this 1.2 million plant estate all the more impressive. Brothers-in-law Graeme and Tyson have had plenty of time to come up with ideas at family gatherings, and in mid-2013 they decided to turn one of those ideas into reality and start their own roastery. If you’re thinking this has been done before, think again. This small business takes things to another level by carefully roasting the beans over Manuka wood. The resulting flavour is a lot warmer, sweeter and more complex than that from its gasfired counterparts. Proud to offer a product that is top quality and gives coffee drinkers something different, Graeme and Tyson fire up their carefully engineered roaster, Black Betty, each week to bring you coffee with a kick.
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