The Big Foody Food Tours started in 2010 from a passion for people and New Zealand produce. Food was how I was welcomed to the country and learnt about the multitude of cultures that make New Zealand what it is. Today, I spend a lot of the time flying around the country and meeting incredible people who build their businesses, often from nothing, with local produce and passion. These are the stories I love to share.
Of all the parts of the country we tour, I definitely have a soft spot for Dunedin. Maybe it’s a nod to the Scottish heritage which reminds me of home or simply the ‘Yes’ attitude everyone has. The city is a food-lovers culinary delight and it’s also a gin-lovers mecca! The city is ever-changing and redeveloping, with the glorious industrial buildings of the late 1800s and early 1900s being snapped up and brought back to life with restaurants, cafés and apartments filling the spaces.
It’s hard not to fall deeply in love with all the goodies you find at the Otago Farmers Market (otagofarmersmarket.org.nz) – in summer the market is packed full of Otago stonefruit so fresh that the scent fills the air. I always visit the Evansdale Cheese stall (evansdalecheese.co.nz) as we have used their cheese on our food tours in Auckland for years; we especially like the Tania smoked brie. The Bacon Buttie Station (baconbuttiestation.com) is one of my favourites. You can take the girl out of the UK, but Saturday morning should be filled with hot coffee and bacon butties in my book! I definitely recommend enjoying a bottle of Holy Cow fresh milk (holycow.nz) and breads from any of the bakers’ stalls.
I’ve already mentioned that Dunedin is a drawcard for gin lovers and at the farmers’ market you’ll find No. 8 Distillery (no8distillery.com) run by the ever-entertaining Julien Delavoie. Our lovely friends from Dunedin Craft Distillers (dunedincraftdistillers.nz) are also there every Saturday. Jenny McDonald and Sue Stockwell took their desire to reduce food waste and turned it into a craft-gin business. By collecting baked goods destined for landfill, they create a mash, ferment the liquid drained from the mash and distill it to make the base alcohol for gin. Their spirit (excuse the pun) for what they do is addictive and they are very good at it, from showing off their German still, Hildegard, to patiently explaining their process to their visitors.
If you are a gin fan, you can hit the trifecta by taking a drive out to the Otago Peninsula to Sandymount Distillery (sandymount.nz). A beautiful drive over the hills, followed by delicious gins and vermouths, make it worth the effort.
Our mates from Princes St Butcher (princesstreetbutcher.co.nz) also have their stall at the market with owner Dave Gibson selling all kinds of goodies, while Richard and the team keep the customers happy back at the butchery. With a passionate philosophy for supporting local producers and sourcing quality meats from around the region, their focus on sustainability and reducing waste is a pivotal part of their business. From one week to another you never really know which sausages are going to be on the counter, and you can almost track Dave’s overseas travels by the new flavours added to the range. I love their collaborations with my dear friend Dan Pearson from Wild Fennel Co (eggspoon.co.nz). Dan and his wife Jo moved out of Auckland and down to Dunedin in 2017, taking their meat-and-vegetable-rubs business with them. They are now based in Port Chalmers and Dan and Dave often work together on sausage flavours using the various Wild Fennel seasonings.
Ruth Vaughan and Skye Macfarlane at Wild Dispensary (wilddispensary.co.nz) are two Dunedinites who know all about plants and what they do for you. Skye is a naturopath and medical herbalist and grows a huge amount of what goes into their products. Ruth has a rich background in native plants, and between them they create tonics and elixirs which support optimal health. Tucked into a wooden-beamed building in No Name Alley – yes, that is its name – the Wild Dispensary ladies are always more than happy to share their knowledge. And, if you’re having a wander down No Name Alley, stop for a beer at Steamer Basin (steamerbasin.co.nz). When owners Paul and Karen returned from Hong Kong they set about to create seasonal beer from local ingredients, and they do just that here!
Best Café (bestcafe.co.nz) has been serving fish and chips in Stewart Street since 1932. A much-beloved eatery among locals and visitors, the back wall is adorned with autographs of visiting rich and famous personalities and numerous newspaper articles about the restaurant. It has Formica tables and padded chairs, malt vinegar on the tables (thank you Best Café!) and serves sliced brown and white bread and moulded butter to go with your meal. Yes, of course fish and chips is top of the menu (and they’re good, really good), but also try the whitebait fritters which are succulent and generous, and when Bluff oysters are in season they are piled on a plate with just a slice of lemon to accompany them. Perfect!
If you are after seafood with a view, take a drive out to The Carey’s Bay Hotel (careysbayhotel.co.nz). In my humble opinion – and I may be biased but I’m right – this is the best waterfront location in the country. Currently owned by Jo Kidston and Steve Little, it is a wonderful spot to watch the fishing boats, port ships and cruise liners go by. The seafood platter is generous and delicious and, during the winter months, the seafood chowder is the dish I crave the most when I’m in the office in Auckland. I love it so much that I’ve been known to call the hotel with an order when exiting the airport at Dunedin in the middle of winter, then race across the city and down to the port just in time for last orders to find a steaming bowl of seafood waiting for me.
Port Chalmers is an enchanting village with much more on offer than meets the eye. The Flying Whale gallery (flyingwhale.co) is run by Gillian Elliot who beautifully curates the work of her husband David Elliot. She knows all the stories and background of David’s work and explains it with such passion, you want to know more. Around the corner from the gallery is a humungous 22m flying whale mural on the wall of A Shed at the Port, commissioned by the port and designed by David.
Café Santosha (facebook.com/thegalleycafeandbar) is a courtyard café tucked away behind 2gypsies in Port Chalmers, which does a very decent cheese roll. Known as ‘Southland Sushi’, the infamous cheese roll can be found in almost every café in the south, but the Dunedin team at The Big Foody are very fond of these, as well as the ones served at Heritage Coffee in the Warehouse Precinct (heritagecoffee.co.nz) and Ironic on Anzac Ave (ironiccafebar.co.nz). And yes, they should be toasted and served with a slather of butter.
If you’re looking for a spot to stay where you can cook some local produce for yourself, there is no end of stylish apartment accommodation in Dunedin. The Chamberson Hotel (thechamberson.co.nz) on Stewart Street is about as central as you can get, with great cafés such as Maggies and The Perc a couple of short strides either side. Bell Hill Apartments (bellhillapartments.co.nz) have full kitchens and dining areas with high windows and mezzanine floors to flood the apartments with light. Across the railway, The Thomas Gregg Apartments (thethomasgregg.co.nz) have the modern touch in a heritage building originally built in1878 to house the Otago Steam Coffee Mills. Next door, the LMLofts (lmlofts.co.nz) offer one-bedroom apartments that celebrate the industrial foundation of these beautiful buildings and have expansive views across the harbour.
Of course, this impressive city is famed for its history, nature and beauty, but for me Dunedin is a food- lovers’ paradise. thebigfoody.com
Craft’D is The Big Foody’s day tour of Dunedin, commencing daily at 10am from Princes St Butcher. Or join Elle on the Appetite for the South tour, a multi-day tour launching in September 2025 heading from Christchurch to Dunedin over 7 days.
