Wharekauhau relishes are all natural and made with local seasonal ingredients. The vegetables are grown in mushroom compost, are not subjected to high amounts of chemicals, and no pesticides are added to the produce. The relishes are made in batches with assistance from chef Marc Soper’s team at Wharekauhau Lodge. There is a garden on the farm, which in the summer provides around 80% of all the vegetables for the lodge. The recipes are tried and true and hold a meaning behind them; the Nana’s relish is Soper’s grandmother’s secret tomato recipe.
“As a child I would remember a large pot on the wood fired stove bubbling away with scents of spices filling the entire house. You cannot rush a relish, it’s a slow process but the results are amazing,” Soper said. Soper wanted to create products to sell at farmers markets, but also to utilise in the Lodge and sell to guests as they depart. All relishes are made in the kitchen at Wharekauhau Country Estate.
The beetroot relish uses locally produced pinot noir in production. The lemons in the spiced apple relish are from a 50-year-old tree on the property that fruits all year round, and is a landmark on the property.
Currently the relishes and chutneys are sold in the gift shop at the lodge, but also at the Wharekauhau Wine and Food Society farmers’ market held at the Te Kairanga vineyard in Martinborough. The relishes include Wairarapa spiced apple and lemon chutney, Wharekauhau Country garden beetroot relish, Nana’s tomato relish, tomato and chilli jam, vine tomato, and birds eye chilli jam.
For more information contact Marc Soper at kitchen@wharekauhau.co.nz
