Saturday Potpourri

For today's Potpourri, I want to immerse you in some Kiwiana. So here are 3 New Zealand icons:

Pohutukawa – NZ's Christmas Tree

The pohutukawa can grow just about anywhere – it’s a very hardy native tree – it is called New Zealand's Christmas tree because it blooms around Christmas.  A large pohutukawa with blossom is a stunning sight.

BBQ time – it's high summer in New Zealand.  The classic Kiwi barbecue isn't the sort of thing you'll see on Food TV.  The men will man the barbecue and cook up sausages and steaks (and the occasional lamb chop) – all while holding a can of beer for sustenance during this arduous task.  The women in the meantime are doing the salads, marinating the meat to deliver to their cavemen to cook and getting together the plates and utensils.  The men, of course, are convinced they are doing the hard work – but, ladies, we know, don't we?

The eagle eyed among you will have spotted that the men doing this Kiwi barbecue are Prince William and our former Prime Minister, John Key.

Meat pies – another Kiwi (and Aussie) staple – is the meat pie.  These are little pastry pies filled with a meat mixture.  The basic pie is filled with beef mince and sauce – but you also have mince & cheese, steak, pepper steak and now even butter chicken and bacon & egg.  Another fave of mine is the potato topped pie. You buy pies warm from almost every corner shop  (we call them dairies) and scoff them with a little bit of tomato sauce.