Culinary fusion: NZ and Australia unite

14th April 2021 | Eativity editors

Kiwi/Aussie chef duo Analiese Gregory and Clayton Wells have released Taste Buds, a trans-Tasman cookbook that unifies the unique flavours from each side of the ditch.

One thing New Zealand and Australia can agree upon is our mutual love of world-class produce and great-tasting local food. While it’s been difficult to be together physically, Taste Buds invites Australians to discover a taste of New Zealand by matching its world-class ingredients with popular Australian native flavours.

What border closure? Analiese Greogory and Clayton Wells have blended the best of two nations.

Collaborating to create unique and iconic flavours from each side of the ditch, New Zealand-born, Tasmanian-dwelling hatted chef Analiese Gregory has teamed up with Australia’s Clayton Wells, Head Chef and co-owner of Automata, to launch a collection of 10 Aussie-Kiwi fusion recipes to showcase how much better we are together.

“New Zealand producers have a special connection to the land and sea,” says Glen Murphy, Regional Director, Australia Pacific, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. “It’s a relationship that has been founded on care and respect, and something which is reflected in the quality of our food and beverage products. Taste Buds captures this essence, pairing world-class New Zealand delicacies with beloved Australian flavours – bringing together our two great nations at a time we’ve never felt so apart.”

Cloudy Bay Diamond Shell clams with pepperberry and finger lime dressing.

Sharing a passion for top-quality, deliciously unique and nutritious locally-produced food, the Kiwi/Australian chef duo have combined their years of experience to introduce foodies to an amalgamation of the best of each country’s national flavours.

“Growing up on my family’s dairy farm on the North Island, my creativity and food inspiration stems from nature,” says Gregory. “Through these recipes, Clayton and I have combined the flavours Australians know and love with great-tasting, quality New Zealand ingredients, and the results are truly outstanding.”

Lightly grilled New Zealand scampi, pomelo, candied ginger and lemon myrtle.

Meanwhile, Wells describes Taste Buds as “a distinctive culinary experience of quintessential Kiwi ingredients with a modern Aussie twist”.

 “The connection New Zealand producers have with the natural world results in some of the freshest, tastiest food and beverages the world has to offer,” he says. “It’s something I’ve always leaned towards in my restaurant.”

Manuka and ginger cake with macadamia sorbet.

Until trans-Tasman travel restarts (hopefully) later this month, you can still take your taste buds on a trip and dive into delicious, world-class food. The 10 recipes in Taste Buds are:

• Cloudy Bay Diamond Shell clams with pepperberry and finger lime dressing

• Poached Marlborough greenshell mussels with stracciatella, fennel and bush tomato

• Lightly grilled New Zealand scampi, pomelo, candied ginger and lemon myrtle

• New Zealand togarashi (Japanese spice mix) chargrilled wallaby skewers and tare (Japanese sauce)

• Central Otago lamb ribs with a Davidson plum glaze and horopito (NZ native pepper)

• Steamed Coromandel pink snapper with Moreton Bay bug roe sauce and Geraldton wax

• Caramelised kiwifruit and desert lime, with Waikato aged gouda and rye lavosh

• Liquorice cheesecake with South Canterbury organic blackcurrant and muntries (Australian native cranberries)

Whittaker’s hot chocolate sauce with wattleseed ice-cream

Manuka and ginger cake with macadamia sorbet

The Taste Buds digital cookbook is available to download here. To experience the taste of New Zealand’s food and beverages yourself, head to discovernew.nz/australia