Mary Montgomery came to Cheviot Hills as a young bride in 1962. Over the next forty years she became well known in the Cheviot district for her culinary flair. Lunch parties for twenty people, dinner delivered to a friend just out of hospital, home made chocolates as a thank you gift, a batch of scones quickly whipped up when she heard the men come in from the farm for morning tea - all were within her repertoire. Mary's interest in food was reflected in the shelves and shelves of cookbooks in her kitchen. The recipes for our Cheviot Hills preserves and sauces are based on recipes from this extensive collection - we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Cheviot Hills Rhubarb & Fig Jam
This versatile jam is rather delicious. Adding figs to the rhubarb creates an excellent partner for red meat and cheese instead of a chutney (we particularly like it with blue cheese). Alternatively it's a lovely start to the day on hot buttered toast. We're not the only ones that think this is a great product - the judges of the “From the Kitchen Bench” category of the 2011 Taste New Zealand Farmers Market Awards thought so too. Our jam was the runner up in this category, and the judges also commented that it was the most liked preserved product.
Cheviot Hills Rhubarb & Elderflower Jam
This jam is made over several days to make sure that we capture the lovely flavour imparted by the elderflowers. We like it on hot toast and scones, and it's also rather good with cheese and meat terrines. Try it with whipped cream & meringues, or add to a dollop of yoghurt with pancakes for a weekend brunch.
Cheviot Hills Blackberry & Elderberry Jam
A wonderful combination of the autumnal taste of blackberries and the distinctive elderberry flavour. It provides a fresh start to the day as a breakfast jam but the berries also go well with venison. Use a little to marinate venison, deglaze a pan or even serve on the side of cooked venison (eg medallions or a rack) instead of chutney. Warming gently and pouring over vanilla icecream is a delicious treat, especially if you scatter some chocolate over the icecream first.
Cheviot Hills Damson Jam
We found two damson trees in Cheviot Hills' 'new' orchard that Mary & Jock Montgomery planted about twenty years ago, and have used that fruit and fruit from another local gardener to make our damson jam. It has the classic tartness of damsons matched with the sweetness of a jam. Use with venison, as a breakfast jam, on scones, in baking, with cheese, or add to a sauce or marinade for venison.
Cheviot Hills Quince Marmalade
This preserve is an old fashioned product which uses local quinces and lemons. Quince is a natural match with cheese, but the preserve is just as good on brown toast for breakfast.
Cheviot Hills Very Merry Summer Jam
A silky jam, with a glorious rich red colour that can be used in a marinade or when deglazing a pan. It looks and tastes stunning on warm croissants. One happy customer even uses it on her porridge. Cherries add sweetness and richness, blackcurrants add depth and balance, gooseberries add a little tartness too, and redcurrants add sweetness too. The finishing touch is a dash of spirits.
Cheviot Hills Classic Redcurrant Jelly
No range of products to accompany venison would be complete without a good redcurrant jelly. This is a very traditional pairing with venison. It's also delicious when served with cheese & crackers.
Cheviot Hills Classic Blackcurrant Jelly
An abundance of local blackcurrants were too tempting and we have made some jelly from this delicious fruit. The jelly is good on the side of venison or added to a glaze or sauce.
Cheviot Hills Blueberry and Pinot Noir sauce
Berries and red wine - a classic match for venison. We use local Canterbury blueberries and Waipara Valley pinot noir. Not only is this sauce good with venison, but it also doubles as an accompaniment for icecream, pancakes and even cheese.
Cheviot Hills Haw sauce
Made using berries from the original Cheviot Hills plantings of hawthorn trees more than 150 years ago. The sauce really comes into its own when paired with venison. It's also excellent with other red meats such as slow cooked lamb, as a salad dressing, drizzled over roast vegetables or added to pumpkin puree. Customers' comments include "glorious" and "just magnificent". What more can we say?
Blackcurrant syrup and redcurrant syrup
Perfect when cooking with venison or when feeling thirsty and needing something more than just water. Try adding to chilled soda water or as a hot drink before bed. Local fruit, of course.
Horseradish mustard
Mary Montgomery was "world famous in Cheviot" for her horseradish mustard. We think we've found her recipe and have made a mustard using local organic horseradish. Excellent if you like a bit of heat with your venison (or beef, lamb or smoked salmon).
All of these products are hand made in small batches using as much produce as we can from Cheviot Hills and from other local growers. Each batch is slightly different - reflecting the different varieties of fruit used, the ripeness of the fruit, the time of the year that the batch was made, and even the time of day that the elderflower is gathered. If you want jars of jam or sauces that are exactly the same each time you buy them, then ours may not be for you. If you enjoy hand made products crafted with care, then you may like to try ours.
All the products listed on this page are gluten free.
Stockists of all or some of our preserves:
Wellington: Moore Wilson's, corner Tory and College Streets (www.moorewilson.co.nz).
Blenheim: BV Gourmet, 2a Park Terrace (www.bvgourmet.co.nz)
Cheviot: Harris Meats (www.harrismeats.co.nz).
Christchurch: Canterbury Cheesemongers in the Arts Centre, entrance off Montreal St or Worcester Boulevard (www.cheesemongers.co.nz), and Ballantynes (www.ballantynes.com).
Waipara: Black Estate Winery (www.blackestate.co.nz)
Amberley: Nor'wester Cafe (www.norwestercafe.co.nz)
Rangiora: Good St Deli
Geraldine: Talbot Cheese
Invercargill: Taste Matters, Shop 1 28 Windsor Street
Cheviot Hills Rhubarb & Fig Jam
This versatile jam is rather delicious. Adding figs to the rhubarb creates an excellent partner for red meat and cheese instead of a chutney (we particularly like it with blue cheese). Alternatively it's a lovely start to the day on hot buttered toast. We're not the only ones that think this is a great product - the judges of the “From the Kitchen Bench” category of the 2011 Taste New Zealand Farmers Market Awards thought so too. Our jam was the runner up in this category, and the judges also commented that it was the most liked preserved product.
Cheviot Hills Rhubarb & Elderflower Jam
This jam is made over several days to make sure that we capture the lovely flavour imparted by the elderflowers. We like it on hot toast and scones, and it's also rather good with cheese and meat terrines. Try it with whipped cream & meringues, or add to a dollop of yoghurt with pancakes for a weekend brunch.
Cheviot Hills Blackberry & Elderberry Jam
A wonderful combination of the autumnal taste of blackberries and the distinctive elderberry flavour. It provides a fresh start to the day as a breakfast jam but the berries also go well with venison. Use a little to marinate venison, deglaze a pan or even serve on the side of cooked venison (eg medallions or a rack) instead of chutney. Warming gently and pouring over vanilla icecream is a delicious treat, especially if you scatter some chocolate over the icecream first.
Cheviot Hills Damson Jam
We found two damson trees in Cheviot Hills' 'new' orchard that Mary & Jock Montgomery planted about twenty years ago, and have used that fruit and fruit from another local gardener to make our damson jam. It has the classic tartness of damsons matched with the sweetness of a jam. Use with venison, as a breakfast jam, on scones, in baking, with cheese, or add to a sauce or marinade for venison.
Cheviot Hills Quince Marmalade
This preserve is an old fashioned product which uses local quinces and lemons. Quince is a natural match with cheese, but the preserve is just as good on brown toast for breakfast.
Cheviot Hills Very Merry Summer Jam
A silky jam, with a glorious rich red colour that can be used in a marinade or when deglazing a pan. It looks and tastes stunning on warm croissants. One happy customer even uses it on her porridge. Cherries add sweetness and richness, blackcurrants add depth and balance, gooseberries add a little tartness too, and redcurrants add sweetness too. The finishing touch is a dash of spirits.
Cheviot Hills Classic Redcurrant Jelly
No range of products to accompany venison would be complete without a good redcurrant jelly. This is a very traditional pairing with venison. It's also delicious when served with cheese & crackers.
Cheviot Hills Classic Blackcurrant Jelly
An abundance of local blackcurrants were too tempting and we have made some jelly from this delicious fruit. The jelly is good on the side of venison or added to a glaze or sauce.
Cheviot Hills Blueberry and Pinot Noir sauce
Berries and red wine - a classic match for venison. We use local Canterbury blueberries and Waipara Valley pinot noir. Not only is this sauce good with venison, but it also doubles as an accompaniment for icecream, pancakes and even cheese.
Cheviot Hills Haw sauce
Made using berries from the original Cheviot Hills plantings of hawthorn trees more than 150 years ago. The sauce really comes into its own when paired with venison. It's also excellent with other red meats such as slow cooked lamb, as a salad dressing, drizzled over roast vegetables or added to pumpkin puree. Customers' comments include "glorious" and "just magnificent". What more can we say?
Blackcurrant syrup and redcurrant syrup
Perfect when cooking with venison or when feeling thirsty and needing something more than just water. Try adding to chilled soda water or as a hot drink before bed. Local fruit, of course.
Horseradish mustard
Mary Montgomery was "world famous in Cheviot" for her horseradish mustard. We think we've found her recipe and have made a mustard using local organic horseradish. Excellent if you like a bit of heat with your venison (or beef, lamb or smoked salmon).
All of these products are hand made in small batches using as much produce as we can from Cheviot Hills and from other local growers. Each batch is slightly different - reflecting the different varieties of fruit used, the ripeness of the fruit, the time of the year that the batch was made, and even the time of day that the elderflower is gathered. If you want jars of jam or sauces that are exactly the same each time you buy them, then ours may not be for you. If you enjoy hand made products crafted with care, then you may like to try ours.
All the products listed on this page are gluten free.
Stockists of all or some of our preserves:
Wellington: Moore Wilson's, corner Tory and College Streets (www.moorewilson.co.nz).
Blenheim: BV Gourmet, 2a Park Terrace (www.bvgourmet.co.nz)
Cheviot: Harris Meats (www.harrismeats.co.nz).
Christchurch: Canterbury Cheesemongers in the Arts Centre, entrance off Montreal St or Worcester Boulevard (www.cheesemongers.co.nz), and Ballantynes (www.ballantynes.com).
Waipara: Black Estate Winery (www.blackestate.co.nz)
Amberley: Nor'wester Cafe (www.norwestercafe.co.nz)
Rangiora: Good St Deli
Geraldine: Talbot Cheese
Invercargill: Taste Matters, Shop 1 28 Windsor Street
