Cooking Shows Are Raising The Bar: New Zealanders Becoming More Comfortable With Spice And Flavour

According to Alexandra Fine Foods, a New Zealand family owned business, which creates Moroccan ready meals, authentic stone-ground spice blends and dukkahs, the continued popularity of TV cooking shows and the increase in people creating recipes at home, means that New Zealanders are becoming more comfortable with spice and experimenting with different flavours.

This has led to the company launching a new range of Alexandra’s Moroccan Couscous – three varieties of easy to prepare, 15 minute one-pot gourmet meals, along with a new line of spiced Rice Puddings, also in three flavours. The couscous flavours include Dates and Pistachios; Apricots, Prunes and Currants; and New Zealand Olives and Sundried Tomato, with a new Mushroom and Pine Nut variety that will be ready for market this month. The spiced rice puddings are available in Sticky Date and Ginger; Raisin and Toasted Almond; and Chocolate and Blueberry.

Every couscous and rice pudding contains authentic Moroccan spices that are stone-ground and roasted onsite at the Alexandra Fine Foods premises in Auckland.

“We know that Kiwis are developing more of an interest in different spices and experimenting with flavours. We also know that New Zealanders want to feel good about what they’re eating and do not want to compromise between eating delicious, naturally healthy food and eating conveniently,” says Murray Kinsella, Alexandra Fine Foods Managing Director. “The Alexandra’s Moroccan Couscous and Rice Puddings ranges provide for all of those needs. They require hardly any time to make – all people need to do is add hot water or milk in the case of the Rice Puddings, and they’re ready in 15 minutes. Perfect for individuals who are time poor but still want a rewarding, authentic tasting gourmet meal.”

Alexandra Fine Foods is a true New Zealand family success story. Raele Kinsella, Murray’s wife, is the creative brain behind the Alexandra’s Moroccan Couscous and Rice Pudding line and trials every recipe in the test kitchen before it is put into production.

“The meals taste so authentic because we use our own North African spices, all manufactured in New Zealand to genuine recipes, and we love experimenting with a broad range of spice blends,” explains Raele. “Some of the spice blends have over 20 ingredients in them and they all contain over 14. The Alexandra’s Moroccan Couscous and Rice Puddings products really showcase those spice blends and provide an easy, tasty, and impressive meal, without any artificial colours or ingredients. They are also a great introduction to Moroccan spices for people who aren’t quite sure where to start with spice.”

Since Alexandra Fine Foods was founded, more than 15 years ago, it has become renowned for using the highest quality nuts, herbs and spices, to produce a fine range of dukkah, flavoured salts, couscous, seasonings, and puddings to proprietary recipes.

For more information on Alexandra Fine Foods, visit www.alexandrafinefoods.co.nz.

Alexandra Fine Foods also shares news and participates in foodie conversations via Twitter. Their Twitter handle is spiceNZ.