It was an early start for us last Saturday (well early for a weekend). We drove up to Masterton to check out the market and see the cooking demo put on by Marc Soper. The drive was pleasant and the weather got hotter and hotter as we headed north.
The market was quite intimate with about twelve stalls, so the tour didn’t take too long to see what was on offer. Small as it was there was a great selection of quality produce, excellent vegetables, rare breed pork, mouth watering breads, cheeses, olive oils, wines, preserves and so much more.
It may not of taken long to walk around and see each stall, but the warmth and friendliness of the stall holders meant you spent time discussing their produce, instead of the Wellington market mindset, grab what you need and push your way through a crowd to pay.
We had already a small bounty when Marc put on his first demo, Spätzle with Lamb loin finished with a pinot noir/olive oil syrup. He had a nifty little tool for scraping the Spätzle in to the boiling water, I have to get my hands on one, I usually use my potato ricer which isn’t the best. I love love love Spätzle and blue cheese and this dish had both. Luckily for me Sophie doesn’t like the cheese so much, so more for me!
During the break between demos we did a bit more shopping, on the other side of the market this time, picking up some fruit (some of the best grapefruit I’ve tasted in a while, ripped open and eaten fresh right there and then)
The Second demo was a Wanton with a filling of Kale and Blue cheese with smoked garlic served on a Fennel and apple salad. These were really tasty and so easy to put together. They would be great for party finger food, and has found a spot in my recipe collection.
We will be back to Masterton for this market, it's a great day out of the city.
Recipes from the market can be found at this link outstandingfarmersmarkets.wordpress.com
The Spätzle maker (Amazon, though I'm sure you could get at a kitchen shop in NZ easy enough)
