Kiwi classics to nibble on

Take a trip down memory lane with our wonderfully delicious recipes for classic Kiwi nibbles! Your guests will love these favourites that’ll elevate your event – whether it be a dinner party, brunch, picnic or other occasion – to the next level.

Kiwi Onion Cheeseball

Nothing quite says Kiwi potluck as much as a cheeseball! We’ve worked hard to craft the classic taste of onion dip and think we’ve found the perfect balance of savoury flavours to mix with the cheeses and of course the traditional chopped apricots. Bring this along to your next dinner party, people won’t be able to go past the nostalgia!

Serves: 6
Ready in: 1 hr 15 mins

Coating
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds

Cheeseball
125g cheese, grated
1/4 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp cornflour
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp mustard powder
125g cream cheese
1/2 Tbsp tomato sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp sour cream

To Serve
2 carrots, cut into batons
1/2 cucumber, cut into batons
1 pack of your favourite crackers

1. Combine walnuts sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a dry fry-pan on medium heat. Toast seeds for 2-3 minutes, shaking pan often, until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool.
2. Prep cheese and apricots. Add both to a large bowl with remaining cheese ball ingredients and mix well.
3. Shape mixture into a round ball and roll in seeds to coat. Transfer to a serving plate, cover and transfer to fridge for about 1 hour, to set.
4. Prep carrot and cucumber and set aside for serving.
5. Serve cheeseball with carrot, cucumber and crackers.

Tuatua Fritters

Collecting Tuatua at low tide is a family tradition at our very own Trish Teriyaki’s family bach on the Coromandel. Rogue waves and the odd crab just add to the excitement! Her dad, Crew, has shared with us his crowd-pleasing Tuatua fritter recipe. Their fragrant flavours and crispy texture make them unbeatable and of course, are best served with an ice-cold beverage.

Serves: 8
Ready in: 20 mins

Fritters
2 cups cooked tuatua / pipis / mussels, roughly chopped (see tip)
2 eggs
1/4 cup cornflour
1/4 cup coconut flour or plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 drizzle of oil
2-3 Tbsp butter

To Serve
1 lemon, cut into wedges
6 slices of white bread, crusts removed
2 Tbsp butter, softened

TIP: Use freshly steamed or frozen shellfish here.

1. Prep shellfish. Combine all fritter ingredients (except oil and butter) in a large bowl and mix well.
2. Heat oil and half the butter in a large fry-pan on medium heat. Add 1/4 cup amounts of fritter mix to the pan, only about 4 fritters at a time and cook for 2-3 minutes each side, until cooked through and golden. Set aside on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining batter.
3. Prep lemon and bread. Spread bread with butter.
4. Serve bread topped with a fritter. Squeeze over lemon. Top with another piece of bread and cut in half.

Mini Bacon & Egg Pies

A Kiwi picnic isn’t complete without a Bacon & Egg Pie. We’ve gone down the mini route, so you get more pastry per bite and no one is ever mad about that. You won’t find peas in our version, but we’ll leave that up to your household to debate!

Serves: 12
Ready in: 50 mins

Pies
300g shoulder bacon, diced 1cm (rind removed
1/2 brown onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 cup grated cheese
7 eggs
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
4 sheets savoury shortcrust pastry, defrosted

To Serve
Nadia’s tomato sauce (get the recipe HERE)

1. Before you start, preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. Prep bacon, onion, thyme and cheese. Crack eggs into a medium bowl and lightly whisk with thyme and pepper.
3. Cut 3 of the pastry sheets into 4 squares. Cut the final sheet into 12 squares. Push the large squares of pastry gently into the muffin tin until you fill all the cups.
4. Divide bacon, onion and half the cheese between the pastry cups and pour over egg, reserving Tbsp worth in the bowl. Shake muffin tin gently to distribute mixture.
5. Top each pie with a small square of pastry and press edges of pastry together. Brush pastry tops with reserved egg and prick the top with a fork. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
6. Bake in oven for about 35 minutes, until pastry is golden and cooked. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the tin.

Devils on Horseback

The origins of this unique dish are a bit unknown, but nevertheless, no one is ever sorry when it shows up at the table. Being vegetarian, Jessie Juneberry has never actually eaten these, but she always brings them to shared lunch and they disappear in seconds! It was her nana that taught her to stuff them with cream cheese and mustard, a welcome addition to the recipe.

Serves: 16
Ready in: 25 mins

100g cream cheese, at room temperature
1 Tbsp wholegrain mustard
8 pieces streaky bacon, cut in half
16 pitted prunes

1. Before you start, preheat oven to 180°C.
2. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and mustard. Prep bacon.
3. Place half a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture onto each prince, then wrap the prunes with bacon, so that it encases all the cream cheese. Place seam side down onto a lined oven tray.
4. Bake prunes for 12 minutes, then switch oven to high grill and grill for 3-5 minutes, until bacon is golden.
5. Serve on a platter with toothpicks.

*Check out our My Local Kitchen page for more Kiwi-inspired fare.