We've picked out some of our favourite food-based local insights from the first couple of weeks. Make sure to wear a bib, you might end up dribbling.
Even the most optimistic traveller couldn’t have envisaged such early interest in our Local Insights series. A hotbed of information is simmering with such fervour there may soon be no secrets left.
Or, as us Brits might say: “it’s going alright, touch wood” **touches head with hand**.
The thing is, this isn’t about the ‘British way’. So far we've had #Localinsights from all corners of the earth. From Venice to Auckland; Marrakech to Barbados; from Paris to Reykjavik.
So please feel free to read, share and add to our bank of insights on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. For now I’ll delve deeper into some of my favourites so far.
For all the foodies out there…
Since the 1970’s, the famous blue hut known as Nin’s Bin has been a favourite stop for anyone and everyone travelling up the New Zealand coast from Christchurch to Kaikoura.
The drive alone has been described as one of the most breathtaking in the world. It is New Zealand’s take on the Great Ocean Road… and how they love to trump their Australian neighbours!
The menu is simple: crayfish, muscles and chips. But the fish couldn’t be fresher - it is picked straight from the sea (which is a stones’ throw away), the prices are as cheap as the chips they serve, and the views of the blue/green ocean and snow-capped mountains are to die for.
Between here and Christchurch are the Waipara wine valley and the alpine spa village of Hammer Springs too. And make sure you chat to the locals and savour the moment. This place is surely one of a kind.
When we think of doughnuts, the sugar or jam variety spring to mind. If we are feeling particularly adventurous, we may choose custard or, cover your eyes, coconut.
Some Heston Blumenthal types in Portland, however, trampled over expectations and created the lobster doughnut.
According to thefw.com ‘Holy Donut’ were the first to fill up Homer Simpsons’ favourite sugary snack with the king of crustaceans. “I’m taking the best of every bit of Maine, which is potatoes, deliciousness, fresh lobster, some herbs.” Said owner Leigh Kellis.
As Kellis describes it, imagine your traditional doughnut but with “a big chunk of lobster in the middle.” While that may not sound like everyone’s default craving, Kellis assures us, “I’ve tried it and it’s incredible.”
