Matariki

Thistles and Kiwis,

Today in New Zealand we are celebrating Matariki, the Māori New Year. A movable feast, it marks the appearance of the Pleiades star cluster in late June or early July and the new year. It is a time for remembrance and reflection as well as celebrating the present, and looking to the future. It was made a public holiday in 2022. This link to a piece by Radio New Zealand is a great explanation.

It is also a time to get together with family and friends and enjoy kai (food) together. Last year Matariki fell on Karl’s birthday and Swedish midsummer, and we had a triple feast. This year, we celebrated the start of the new year with a long lunch with friends.

I decided to make the Ottolenghi version of the shepherd’s pie I made recently for the meat eaters, and a vegetarian version with lentils, spinach and mushrooms from dish magazine that was topped with kūmara (a sweet potato – I used the orange ones which are the nicest as well as most colourful) rather than potato. I couldn’t find the right goat’s cheese as called for in the recipe so just used the same cheese I used on the meat version.

I managed to get hold of some Swedish dill crisps, which I put out with some ordinary just salted ones. I got some mini melba toasts and topped then with the smoked mussel, smoked salmon and chicken patés I bought last week.

As usual, we added the small garden table to make more space. I served a broccoli salad (with almonds and cranberries), peas and mashed ‘neeps’ or swede as side dishes. We had a delicious chocolate pear cake made by my friend for dessert, along with a selection of cheeses and oatcakes and a bowl of Daim chocolates, from the same source as the dill crisps.

All good things must come to an end…plates were cleared, left overs wrapped up, and the dish washer set going. There was laughter, stories were shared. We toasted the lives of those who have left us this year and talked about some good news our friends shared with us. So begins a new year.

Mānawatia a Matariki!

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer and good food. Thistles and Kiwis can be found on Facebook and Instagram @thistlesandkiwis

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Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

37 Comments

    1. The Treaty of Waitangi of 1840 went someway to establishing rights, but in recent years there has been a lot more recognition of Maori (well, the previous government did a lot, not the current lot).

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  14. Truly lovely! I adore the following of a “moveable feast” that aligns with the movements of our larger world. A solidified date on the calendar just doesn’t always represent a true meaning of a celebration. Happy New Year!

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  17. Pingback: This week's small pleasures.

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