Local fare a post-Covid celebration

Residents at The Croft celebrated living in South Canterbury post-lockdown with a special afternoon tea made from the region’s abundant foods.

On the menu were salmon vol-au-vents, custard squares, chippies, beer, mince savouries, jams and honey.

While the food affair was held to celebrate life following lockdown, residents said they were pleased they were at The Croft and not living alone when the country went to Covid-19 alert level 4.

Resident Mollie Thomson, 85, recalled lockdowns during the polio epidemics. The one in the 1940s meant she had to study by correspondence as her school was shut.

‘‘At the age of four I gave my family a hell of a fright when I had all the symptoms but no paralysis,’’ she said.

She recalls evening dinners were made from half a side of hogget every fortnight.

She remembers how the menu was set, starting with stewed neck chops, shoulder chops, flaps with stuffing, shoulder roast then roast leg.

‘‘In summer we had to pickle the meat and keep it in the meat safe behind the laundry under a large tree.’’

As she waited to be served afternoon tea she said she was ‘‘very partial to salmon’’. ‘‘This is real party fare,’’ Thomson said. Jim Booth, 89, said salmon was also his favourite. He tucked into some beer and chippies as well.

‘‘It’s lovely we have a lot going for us – food and booze.’’

Fellow resident Anne McGuffie, 78, was looking forward to the sweet treats.

She was born in Scotland and grew up in Yorkshire, emigrating to New Zealand in 1972. Her favourite food was roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

The Croft activities co-ordinator Janice Foley said that when researching the afternoon tea she was surprised at how much produce is grown in South Canterbury.