Cuisine

LUNCH AT THE SHERWOOD

Anyone interested in good food would no doubt already see the Sherwood as a mandatory stop on any Queenstown itinerary. The food and service are exceptiona­l and deserving of a Cuisine Good Food Guide twohat status but learn more about the backstory and commitment to the planet and you’ll fall deeper in love.

In winter, a fantastic kitchen garden that looks out over the Remarkable­s and Lake Wakatipu (a clear contender for best view from a kitchen garden in New Zealand) is lush with leafy kale, Brussels sprouts, cauli†ower, vibrant rainbow chard, carrots and beetroot. The team has also recently started work on a much larger garden further up Coronet Peak. “It’s incredible using fresh produce picked just metres from the kitchen,” says super-talented executive chef, Chris Scott. “And it’s great for our chefs to learn to get creative with something we have a lot of – and how to use all the parts of the fruits and vegetables, rather than waste perfectly edible food. Of course, we still have to buy food in, but we try to keep it as local as possible and limit it to the South Island.”

And it’s not just in the kitchen that the innovation happens: the bar sta‘ love poking around in the garden and further a’eld to create clever foraged concoction­s. A stunning twist on a gin sour is made with Ri“ers Gin from Arrowtown, elderberri­es picked personally by bar manager Carolina Front in Dale’eld, paired with pineapple sage fresh from the garden. “The wine list is all from New Zealand and either natural, lowinterve­ntion, organic, bio-dynamic or all of the above,” she says. Mini bars in the rooms have been replaced with a ‘re’llery’ where guests are encouraged to bring the provided bottles into the restaurant and have them ’lled with local wine or beer to enjoy back in their rooms.

And that’s not the only regenerati­ve element you’ll see if you stay at the accommodat­ion. The thick, warm curtains are beautifull­y sewn ex-army blankets, the lino is made from recycled tyres (you’d never know) and there’s a compost scrap bin on the bench. It’s so good to know that one of New Zealand’s best dining experience­s also has a sustainabl­e, planet-loving heart.