Feed by Various artists

Is the Food Show in Auckland significantly different from the one in Wellington? I don't understand why you didn't get rollingly drunk! Where are your priorities? Where's the fun if cases of wine you don't quite remember ordering show up at your house in the following weeks?

Plus one for the Green Meadows beef. We hit it very early and by the time we went back to actually buy meat just before leaving they had sold out of half their stocks. It really is a credit that something as simple as minced beef tastes so great.

I also liked that Lucky tacos actually looked like they were having fun. There were other stands that could have taken a lesson from them in engaging with the public - pro-tip telling your potential customer they are wrong and "they haven't tasted their wines before" ... bad move.

Overall I felt like the show lacked the small new players. I'm not sure why, maybe the fees for the stands were too high, but there really were too many "corporate stands" and too few genuinely passionate food producers this year.

My WTF moment was the stand where they were making pizzas, in a massive open oven - but not for the patrons of the show - oh no - these pizzas were only to be tasted by the judges of some weird pizza competition. What a waste of space.

Oh and the show special at Simon Gault's stand 5 for $25 instead of $6 each. Kinda meh but cudos for seeing the man actually there talking to people and serving tastes. He does come across as genuinely passionate about food.

That Pic's peanut oil is very good. Healthier too as it can endure a high heat.

Is the Food Show in Auckland significantly different from the one in Wellington?

My impression - the Auckland show is bigger and less chaotic, even when it's full of the groups of grannies determined to stick their toothpicks into every cheese sample available.

The Wellington show always felt busier and harder to move around, so getting pissed is a more fun thing to do than spend hours with someone ramming their 4WD baby buggy into your calves as you attempt to walk around.

I think next year I will make it a priority to come to the Auckland one too, to see if if this impression is true. Assuming there is enough wine there to make it worth my while, of course.

Assuming there is enough wine there to make it worth my while, of course.

There are always a few wineries at the Ak show. Selaks had a biggish stand, we bought from West Brook and I think there maybe another 6-10 other wineries (including the one that told me "no I hadn’t tasted their wines"). But for me the problem was they were scattered all over the show, so oddly I never really felt like getting into a serious wine tasting rhythm – also, it was early.

With all these events I simply don't get paying $30 for the right to be marketed to. Bunch of awesome stall holders etc I'm sure, but why would I pay for the right for them to then sell me stuff?

With all these events I simply don’t get paying $30 for the right to be marketed to. Bunch of awesome stall holders etc I’m sure, but why would I pay for the right for them to then sell me stuff?

You don't have to buy much to get savings of $30. The show deals are pretty good, with some exceptions. I don't think you can argue it's bad value - unless there is nothing there that you want to buy.