No Kiwi thinks farming is an easy task, but new series Nadia's Farm is giving a behind-the-scenes glimpse of just how all-consuming and little-to-plan it can be — especially for one farming couple trying to do things a little different.
Nadia's Farm, proudly sponsored by My Food Bag, is a new TV series on Three documenting the life of former MasterChef NZ winner Nadia Lim and her husband Carlos Bagrie, who three years ago took over 1200 acre farm Royalburn Station at the base of the Crown Range between Arrowtown and Cardrona.
In the inaugural episode of the series, we were introduced to the family, including sons Bodhi (5) River (3), and four-month-old puppy Winston. But we also learnt that in their third year running the 135-year-old station, the couple are changing things up.
For over a century, the rugged Central Otago station has been a traditionally run sheep and barley farm. Upon first taking it over, Nadia and Carlos stuck to that method, "but we very quickly realised that wasn't really us and we wanted to start doing things a bit differently," says Nadia.
Not only will they be running the farm according to their ethos of nurturing the land and best animal welfare, but they also want to become the region's leading food producer, supplying Queenstown's premier restaurants.
"Royalburn Station produces great food — but also really cares about the environment and about the animals'," says Nadia.
The couple are pioneering the farm to plate concept by supplying their fresh produce, meat and eggs directly to some of NZ's most foremost restaurants. Their goal is simply to produce the best quality food they can with animal welfare and ethics and sustainability being front of mind. After all, "if you're going to eat them, you owe it to them to have the best life possible".
On this week's episode we were introduced to a few pet projects around the station, including a first for the property: a market garden.
"Quite simply, I love growing vegetables and, to be a complete ‘farm to plate’ farm we need to grow and offer them. However, at 700m above sea level, this could well be the highest altitude market garden in the country” says Nadia. The pair converted four acres into a sustainable market garden setup, including building a greenhouse for tomatoes and cucumbers.
We saw the couple in the planning stages of opening a farm shop: a new venture selling the goods made on farm direct to market in the heart of Arrowtown. Newshub readers unable to get to Arrowtown can check out some of the exciting range of goods at the kitchen store on My Food Bag's website.
Also in the lineup of unusual undertakings are hot composting, the conversion of a brothel from the gold mining era and the management of Nadia's beloved chickens — all three and half thousand of them, including celeb rooster Marvin (who fans might know as the rooster she hatched in a cake tin).
This, of course, led to a glimpse into the less-than-glamorous side of farming, including a rooster cull of some Nadia's feathered friends that were being "mean to the hens".
"I'm going to miss them a bit. But… I am kind of looking forward to cooking coq au vin" said Lim.
Of course on Nadia and Carlos' farm where sustainability and waste reduction are a big part of the ethos, nothing goes to waste.
Nadia tried her hand at cooking rooster in coq au vin, a traditional French dish that translates directly to "cockerel in wine".
For advice on cooking her first rooster, a hefty 18 months older than most poultry found in supermarkets, Nadia turned to one the station's French sales worker Yohann — or more specifically, his mother Anne.
With the help of Yohann's French mother, Nadia learnt the finer points of cooking the animal, including chopping the rooster into pieces, browning in the pan with a 50/50 mix of oil and butter, and using, in her words, a "massive" bottle of wine.
She served it up to Royalburn station general manager Michelle and Yohann, along with a cheesy potato gratin, and by all accounts, it was bloody delicious.
We haven't managed to score Yohann’s secret family recipe, but thanks to My Food Bag we have a delicious recipe for coq au vin — this time served with herb crushed potatoes, brussels sprouts and bacon. This My Food Bag recipe uses chicken as it's more easily available for readers, but if you can get your mitts on an 18-month-old rooster, do as the French do! Order your coq au vin today at myfoodbag.co.nz/nadias-farm.
This article was created for My Food Bag, proud sponsors of Nadia's Farm.
