A foodie's guide to the Horowhenua Taste Trail

Pack your gumboots and make a beeline to the Horowhenua this November for a deliciously grassroots foodie's day out.

Love your homegrown produce? Well, consider yourself in luck – the Horowhenua Taste Trail is back.

This culinary celebration will treat visitors from all over to a unique ‘Country Calendar’ experience, showcasing nine of the district’s favourite food producers on a self‐drive tour. 

Nestled in the bountiful Horowhenua, The Taste Trail provides a unique paddock-to-plate experience, enabling guests to see first-hand how food is farmed, fished and produced, while showcasing the unsung food heroes within this thriving agricultural community. 

At each stop, guests will experience a unique look at local food production. From factory tours to gourmet food trucks, tastings to farming, the trail provides a delicious eye-opener into the Kiwi fresh produce industry, with an epic cook-off scheduled to cap off another great event.

This year's producers include Woody's Free Range Farm, Thoroughbread Foods, Turk's Poultry, Woodhaven Gardens, Levin Eels, Tendertips Asparagus, Genoese Pesto, RJ's Licorice and Bagrie Dairy Farms.

To celebrate its welcome return, this year event organisers are hosting a series of taster events ahead of the main trail. Enjoy the vibrancy and flavour of an Indian Vegetarian Cooking Class or kick start your day in the best way at the Tendertips Asparagus Champagne Breakfast by Little White Rabbit.

In a bid to keep you in the loop ahead of this year's main trail, here are three taster events that every devout foodie can't afford to miss.

1. Soak up the history at The Horowhenua Food Story
Join the region's favourite producers at Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom in Foxton on Friday, November 24 for a unique celebratory night out. Guests will be invited to dress their best and treated to bubbles on arrival, followed by canapes curated by renowned food personality Ruth Pretty. This is a rare opportunity to learn the history behind some of your favourite local food offerings. To secure your tickets or learn more about this event, see here.

2. Raise a glass with Tendertips Asparagus and Little White Rabbit
Put your best foot forward come trail day and fuel up ahead of the event, with a flavoursome champagne breakfast inside the Tendertips Asparagus Packhouse. Boasting a menu that showcases the region's finest, the Little White Rabbit pop-up café will be serving Tendertips Juicy Jumbo Asparagus topped with Levin free-range poached eggs, hollandaise, toasted sourdough and prosciutto. Paired with a glass of bubbles or a drink of your choice, be sure to make this your first stop. For more information and ticketing details, head over here.

3. Upgrade your vegetarian recipe repertorie with Woodhaven Gardens
Learn how to create inspired vegetarian dishes with Uma and the team at Woodhaven Gardens ahead of trail day on November 22. On the menu is Cabbage Kuruma, featuring shredded cabbage cooked in South Indian style coconut gravy and Spinach Pulao, both using the freshest produce sourced direct from Woodhaven Gardens. Guests will learn how to recreate the dish themselves and enjoy a long lunch together as a group. To secure your place in Uma's Vegetarian Cooking Class, see here.

The Horowhenua Taste Trail 2017 will kick off on Saturday, November 25. To learn more about the Taste Trail or to secure your tickets to this year's event, simply visit tastetrail.co.nz.