National Dishes

Hey Dolls,

I recently took a 10 day trip with my brother’s girlfriend, Jessie, to a place so close they joke about its short distance, the beautiful New Zealand. This was my first overseas trip without my parents and it can definitely be listed as a success! New Zealand had never been high on my priorities list of travel destinations but after going I realised it should have been. For somewhere so close it is worth seeing. The scenery is breath taking and the people are so down to earth you feel instantly at home.

The tour we took travelled from the top of the North Island down to the bottom of the South Island, but Jessie and I had limited time and had to finish in Nelson the first town in the South Island. As we travelled we came across many souvenir shops and as we perused the many items we could bring home I kept seeing the same thing. A 50s style tea towel in red, white and yellow, the colours of my kitchen at home, with the picture of a housewife and the recipe of New Zealand’s national dessert. This was the ideal gift for my mum but I needed to clarify one thing with my tour guide. After questioning her about the tea towel I was shocked to know the truth.

New Zealand’s national dessert is PAVLOVA! 

We Australian’s have been living a lie!

(Which also begs the question, what actually is our national dessert? But that can wait for another time.)

Apparently, the Pavlova, although advertised as the Australian national dessert, derived from New Zealand and we are just claiming it as our own. Scandal.

I must admit that I am not the biggest fan of the Pavlova, however I feel much better saying that now that I know it is not originally our national dessert, but I decided I’d try this tea towel recipe I found in light of my recent trip. I made friends, memories and had experiences I’ll never forget and this Pavlova just represents a small part of that and it looks pretty damn good if I do say so myself.

Taking this trip and trying out something new, like my cooking, can seem quite scary but going out of one’s comfort zone and taking risks is what life’s all about. I encourage you all to do something daring this week, even if it’s just trying a food you’ve never tasted or saying hi to a stranger. Enjoy!

Lady Jayy. xo