Cherries, venison a winning recipe
The bold flavours of cherry sauce, a house-made venison patty, fresh rocket, smoked cheddar and gherkin, locally sourced and all tucked into a brioche bun, tickled the taste buds of many of their cliental during May, propelling the Bushman into the finals of the Monteith's Wild Food Challenge.
JJ and Mel, who have owned Saints Cafe, Restaurant, Bar for 18 years, and head chef Yash Rawat. will now wing their way to Auckland, as one of five finalists all voted into the top spots by the public — three of them from Canterbury. They will now battle it out for top honours in a cook-off on Wednesday, June 18.
JJ says Hanmer Springs is right on the doorstep of two of New Zealand's biggest high country farms — Molesworth and St James.
''We've got to know the locals, hunters and farmers who frequent these farms daily.
''So when we asked them what dish they thought would be perfect for the Monteith's Wild Food Challenge, the consensus was clear,'' he said.
He says they wanted to showcase local products wherever possible, bringing together simple, yet bold flavours in a burger that you could ''wrap ya laughing gear around'', and the Bushman appeared to hit the spot.
''We chose golden lager because its smooth, full-bodied flavour pairs perfectly with cherries and venison every day of the week — and twice on Sundays,'' JJ says.
He says the response was incredible.
''We've received loads of great feedback and sold heaps of burgers throughout May.
''Our chefs and staff have loved every minute of it.''
JJ says after nearly two decades owning Saints, making it to the top five in the country ''means the world to us''.
''We are incredibly proud to be flying the flag for North Canterbury in (thsi) week's finals.''
The other finalists are the Christchurch Casino, Thirsty Acres in Kirwee, Black Label BBQ from Rotorua and Smoking Barrel from Motueka.
The grand finale will see each eatery put their wild dish to the test in front of an expert judging panel featuring Ben Bayly, Sam Wild, and Emily Lucas.
''It's awesome to see such a mix of eateries from all over Aotearoa in the final, and some lesser-known gems putting themselves on the map,'' Ben Bayly says after a month of fierce competition, and thousands of votes from the public.
''All five finalists are bringing something totally unique to the table and I can't wait to give each dish a try.''
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Otago Daily Times
15-06-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Cherries, venison a winning recipe
Residents, hunters and farmers wanted a "bloody good burger and a pint of lager" and with that the Bushman was born, say Saints Hanmer Springs owners JJ Sandall and Mel Elliot. The bold flavours of cherry sauce, a house-made venison patty, fresh rocket, smoked cheddar and gherkin, locally sourced and all tucked into a brioche bun, tickled the taste buds of many of their cliental during May, propelling the Bushman into the finals of the Monteith's Wild Food Challenge. JJ and Mel, who have owned Saints Cafe, Restaurant, Bar for 18 years, and head chef Yash Rawat. will now wing their way to Auckland, as one of five finalists all voted into the top spots by the public — three of them from Canterbury. They will now battle it out for top honours in a cook-off on Wednesday, June 18. JJ says Hanmer Springs is right on the doorstep of two of New Zealand's biggest high country farms — Molesworth and St James. ''We've got to know the locals, hunters and farmers who frequent these farms daily. ''So when we asked them what dish they thought would be perfect for the Monteith's Wild Food Challenge, the consensus was clear,'' he said. He says they wanted to showcase local products wherever possible, bringing together simple, yet bold flavours in a burger that you could ''wrap ya laughing gear around'', and the Bushman appeared to hit the spot. ''We chose golden lager because its smooth, full-bodied flavour pairs perfectly with cherries and venison every day of the week — and twice on Sundays,'' JJ says. He says the response was incredible. ''We've received loads of great feedback and sold heaps of burgers throughout May. ''Our chefs and staff have loved every minute of it.'' JJ says after nearly two decades owning Saints, making it to the top five in the country ''means the world to us''. ''We are incredibly proud to be flying the flag for North Canterbury in (thsi) week's finals.'' The other finalists are the Christchurch Casino, Thirsty Acres in Kirwee, Black Label BBQ from Rotorua and Smoking Barrel from Motueka. The grand finale will see each eatery put their wild dish to the test in front of an expert judging panel featuring Ben Bayly, Sam Wild, and Emily Lucas. ''It's awesome to see such a mix of eateries from all over Aotearoa in the final, and some lesser-known gems putting themselves on the map,'' Ben Bayly says after a month of fierce competition, and thousands of votes from the public. ''All five finalists are bringing something totally unique to the table and I can't wait to give each dish a try.''
1News
18-05-2025
- 1News
Austria wins Eurovision crown with JJ's Wasted Love
Classically trained Austrian singer JJ won the 69th Eurovision Song Contest with Wasted Love, a song that combines operatic, multi-octave vocals with a techno twist. Israel's Yuval Raphael came second at an exuberant celebration of music and unity that was shadowed by the Gaza war and ruffled by discord over Israel's participation. JJ, whose full name is Johannes Pietsch, was Austria's first winner since bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst in 2014. JJ, who sings as a countertenor with the Vienna State Opera, has called Wurst a mentor. It was Austria's third victory overall in Eurovision. "This is beyond my wildest dreams. It's crazy," said the singer after being handed the microphone-shaped glass Eurovision trophy. JJ won after a nail-biting final in which Raphael scooped up a massive public vote from her many fans for her anthemic New Day Will Rise. But she also faced protests from pro-Palestinian demonstrators calling for Israel to be kicked out of the contest over its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza. Estonia's Tommy Cash came third with Espresso Macchiato, and Swedish entry KAJ, who had been favourite to win with jaunty sauna ode Bara Bada Bastu, came fourth. The world's largest live music event reached its glitter-drenched conclusion with a grand final in Basel, Switzerland that offered pounding electropop, quirky rock and outrageous divas. Acts from 26 countries — trimmed from 37 entrants through two elimination semifinals — performed to some 160 million viewers for the continent's pop crown. No smoke machine, jet of flame or dizzying light display was spared by musicians who had three minutes to win over millions of viewers who, along with national juries of music professionals, pick the winner. The show offered a celebration of Europe's eclectic, and sometimes baffling, musical tastes. Lithuanian band Katarsis delivered grunge rock, while Ukraine's Ziferblat channelled prog rock and the UK's Remember Monday offered country pop. Italy's Lucio Corsi evoked 1970s glam rock, while Icelandic duo VAEB rapped about rowing and Latvia's six-woman Tautumeitas offered gorgeous, intertwined harmonies. There were divas aplenty, including Spain's Melody, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska, participating in Eurovision for a second time after a 30-year gap, with GAJA, and Malta's outrageous Miriana Conte, who performed Serving – a song whose previous suggestive title and lyrics were changed on the orders of contest organisers – on a set including a glitter ball and giant lips. Dean Vuletic, an expert on the history of Eurovision, said the competition has become more diverse over the years, both musically and linguistically. There are songs in 20 languages this year, including Ukrainian, Icelandic, Albanian, Latvian and Maltese. "In the past, it was about having a catchy, innocuous pop song, usually in English," he said. But "in recent years the formulaic approach to a Eurovision entry hasn't succeeded. "An entry needs to be memorable, and it needs to be authentic in order to succeed these days." This year's contest was roiled for a second year by disputes over Israel's participation. Dozens of former participants, including Switzerland's Nemo, unsuccessfully called for Israel to be excluded, and several of the broadcasters that fund Eurovision sought a review of the country's participation. Eurovision director Martin Green told reporters that the organisers' goal was to "re-establish a sense of unity, calm and togetherness this year in a difficult world." "All 37 delegations, in difficult times, have behaved impeccably," he said.
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Austria wins Eurovision crown
Austria has won the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Swiss host city Basel, in the country's first victory since bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst won in 2014. Operatic singer JJ won on Saturday ahead of Israel in the world's biggest music competition, which was watched by a television audience of more than 160 million people across the world. The win was Austria's third in the competition, following Conchita's success and Udo Juergens' victory in 1966. JJ, a 24-year-old from Vienna, combined elements of opera, techno and high-pitched vocals in his song Wasted Love , winning the hearts of the professional juries and telephone voters. "This is beyond my wildest dreams," said the singer, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch. "It's crazy." JJ said he wanted to give listeners an insight into his deepest thoughts when he wrote the song, and was happy it had resonated with so many fans. "There's no wasted love. Love is never wasted. There's so much love that we can spread around, and we should use love as the strongest force on planet Earth," he added. His success was applauded by Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, who said JJ was writing musical history. "Dear JJ, you have moved Europe with your voice and sung Austria into the spotlight," Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said on X. Switzerland won the right to host Eurovision after Swiss rapper and singer Nemo won last year's contest in Malmo, Sweden. Fans travelled from across Europe and beyond to Basel, with 100,000 people attending Eurovision events in the city, including the final. Hermann Heyn travelled from Chile for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. "We came from really, really far away for this," he told Reuters. "We are not even competing, but we needed to be here." Eurovision, which stresses its political neutrality, has also faced controversy again this year due to the war in Gaza. Israel's entrant, Yuval Raphael, was at the Nova music festival during the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel that killed 1200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. Pro-Palestinian groups urged the European Broadcasting Union to exclude Israel over Gaza, where more than 50,000 people have been killed in the ensuing offensive by Israel, according to local health officials. About 200 protesters mounted a demonstration in Basel on Saturday night, while two protesters attempted to get on to the stage during Raphael's performance but were halted by security officials. No one was injured. Spanish public broadcaster RTVE also showed a message before the start of the Eurovision show saying "When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option. Peace and Justice for Palestine".
