Newsletter: Autumn Times, School Holidays, Bread & Wine

 As many of you will know, I have very deep roots in Christchurch and regularly travel back to our farm in Pigeon Bay and visit my mother-in-law June Hay, for whom I have power-of-attorney and is in her 92nd year.

Recently I have managed to combine these trips with teaching our online food safety and alcohol licensing LCQ courses.

It’s great to see how Christchurch has evolved and regained its status as a desirable place to live with a network of roads that Aucklanders could only dream of. Dining out is going from strength to strength and Canterbury‘s wine region is building its own distinctive reputation. Here are some photos of recent meals and artisan foods in Canterbury.
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Autumn is baking time and the cooler weather inspires kitchen time. Chef Ralf Schmidt has been teaching our Artisan Bread Saturday classes as well as Chocolate Essentials since 2015. Ralf's depth of knowledge of the Patisserie world have inspired many people to experiment and practice their craft at home.  Ralf's great sense of humour also make his classes lively and fun. We are very honoured to have Ralf join us for these weekend classes. Click here to find out more.

Wines in Autumn

Autumn is also a time to work on your wine skills and we are very pleased to announce a collaboration with NZ Sommeliers and Wine Professionals to offer a Wine Tasting Club that will meet regularly on Mondays from 4- 5.30pm. It is designed for people who may have studied WSET or NZ Wine with us and want to continue to taste more wines and keep practice their skills. It also slots in well to people who are starting their journey into wines especially if they are looking for a career change and perhaps find out more about the sales and marketing of wines, spirits and other beverages.

We have a new intake of the NZQA Certificate in Professional Wine Knowledge which is run over weekend and NZ Residents can use the student loan scheme to pay these fees including for WSET.

Our series of high school courses, run during the April school holidays continue to demonstrate that young people are remain curious to learn more about a world of hospitality and often provides their first opportunity to get a job. We also know it’s also exciting for these young people to come into Auckland City and get a taste of an adult world. Click here to read more.

With best wishes