WINNER

MIXED ROOTS
Hot Stuff Curry Oil
Inspired by Indian green mango pickles and paying homage to Chinese chilli oil, this is a smoky, spicy paste that goes just as well with a bowl of curry and rice as it does spread on smoked salmon sandwiches. It has texture and crunch from whole spices and seeds, spiciness and heat from chilli flakes. $14.95 for a 200ml jar.
mixedroots.co.nz

FINALISTS

MITEYCO LTD
Allmite Gold Mild Chilli
A mild kick of heat from red chilli, turmeric and apple cider vinegar gives this tahini-based nutritional yeast spread a savoury warmth. Perfect just on toast or bread, it also pairs with eggs, tomato, avocado and cheese or try it as a flavour boost in soups and casseroles. $11.99 for a 250g jar.
allmitegold.co.nz

AUGUSTINES OF CENTRAL
Blackcurrants in Cassis
Keeping alive the traditional art of preserves, the rich, tart flavour of South Canterbury organic blackcurrants fuses lusciously with traditional French cassis liqueur syrup. Naturally they are delicious for dessert, but try with game or cheese for a mouth-filling pop of flavour. $17 for a 340g jar.
augustinesofcentral.com

AUTOMATIC BAKERY
Half Baked Bread – Balsamic Onion & Feta
Now you can have freshly baked artisan bread at home without the fuss and time it normally takes. Topped with housemade slow-cooked balsamic onion jam and crumbles of Danish feta, just pop it in the oven for 10 minutes. $7.99 for a 350g loaf. autobake.nz

DONA LOU’S GOAN CUISINE
Prawn Balchão
Originating in the coastal state of Goa in western India, prawn balchão melds the rich culinary heritage of Indian and Portuguese cuisine. It’s a spicy, tangy seafood dish made with prawns marinated and cooked in a flavourful spice blend. Traditionally eaten with rice, it’s also great on crackers or crusty bread. $12.99 for 200g.
donalous.co.nz

HINTERLAND
Certified Organic
UMF 20+ Mānuka Honey From one of the few certified organic mānuka honey producers in New Zealand, comes this rare, high-grade UMF 20+ mānuka honey (UMF stands for ‘Unique Mānuka Factor’, an independently certified quality assurance system for New Zealand mānuka honey). It’s a family-run operation with hives deep within the Kaimanawa ranges whose remote location ensures they are not exposed to sprays, pesticides or insecticides. Each glass jar comes with the gift of a ‘whakatauāki’ (Māori proverb) to connect back to the whenua. $130 for 250g.
hinterlandfood.com

KĀPITI
Kāpiti Bridge Street Blue
Developed to celebrate 100 years of cheese making at Kāpiti’s Bridge Street site, this is a natural-rind, small blue cheese. The buttery, creamy, gooey texture with beautiful blue veins hit the mark for blue and non-blue lovers. tastekapiti.co.nz

ROBBIES BY MRS PICKLES
Honey Sloe Gin Pickled Onions
Take a gentle combination of cider vinegar, organic plums, Canterbury pickling onions, raw honey and a soft hint of whole allspice and combine with Lammermoor Pink Sloe Gin to give a gloriously fresh and fragrant taste of summer. $30 for 1kg. robbies.nz

ROYALBURN STATION
Royalburn Fine Lamb
Everything about Royalburn lamb reflects a true ‘farm-to-plate’ experience, from the best genetics, the best feed – fresh grass, oats, buckwheat, phacelia, clovers and omega-3 rich chicory – and an on-farm micro abattoir, which means the lambs are born, raised and killed on site, so reducing stress. Finally, there’s an on-farm butchery staffed by trained chefs who dry age the lamb for five days and ensure a true ‘nose-to-tail’ process. All up this means the best-quality lamb we’ve tasted in a long time. royalburn.co.nz

SPICE TREE
Chermoula
Kashmiri chillies are blended with freshly ground cumin seeds, coriander seeds, turmeric roots and black peppercorns, parsley, sweet paprika and a touch of garlic and onion to make this north-African-inspired spice mix. It’s bright and fresh, but slightly spicy and tangy. It adds depth to a marinade for meat or fish, or is a pop of freshness sprinkled on veges. $7.95 for 70g. spicetree.co.nz