21 Things You'll Miss About NZ Food When You Move Overseas

While New Zealand is great for just about everything (beaches, the snow, tramping, studying, overall living, let’s be honest) there’s one thing that trumps it all. And, that’s our food. Blending together dozens of international cultures to create a type of contemporary New Zealand fusion, our eating culture is unlike any other. While other countries may dabble in opening a Kiwi Store or including vegemite in the international aisle of the supermarket, there’s nothing better than coming home to the kai that you know and love. Here’s our top 21 things we miss the most when we’re overseas.

1. How appreciated and celebrated a good brunch catch-up is.

2. A strong, decent cup of coffee made just to your liking.

3. The fresh local produce that benefits the country and yourself.

4. Free range meat. No mystery meats here.

5. Not having to calculate GST + tip off the top of your head.

6. Fish 'n' chips on the beach, in summer. Enough said.

7. Making a beeline to Giapo after dinner for a cheeky sweet treat.

8. The welcoming feeling of entering Maccas Queen St on a night out.

9. Ordering a Denny’s Hot Fudge Cake.

10. Pulling over on the side of a rural road for a fresh real fruit ice cream.

11. Creamy Whitakkers chocolate blocks. In any flavour, ever.

12. The abundance of cute and quirky (and decent) cafes around. No thank-you to the chain cafes.

13. Firing up the BBQ on Christmas Day for some sausages and prawns.

14. Heading to Bunnings purely for a sausage sizzle (or two).

15. The naive excitement of visiting a newly opened American franchise. See: Taco Bell and Krispy Kreme.

16. Decent ice cream in inventive flavours.

17. Waking up early on a Saturday to get a fresh coffee and almond croissant from the local Farmers Market.

18. Fresh-from-the-ocean oysters, mussels, whitebait, salmon, snapper, crayfish. The list goes on.

19. Stopping at your favourite bakery for a chicken avo roll, mince pie, jam slice, and cream donut.

20. Shapes. And arguing with anyone about the hierarchy of flavours (Pizza reigns supreme).

21. Decent biscuits with a bit of weight to them. Toffee Pops and Tim Tams, we’re talking about you!

(Photo source: Whittaker's Chocolate Lovers)