Noel in hunt for dish winner

JOLENE WILLIAMS | Wednesday, June 1, 2011 5:00

WILD THING: Paul Andersen (left) and Greg Miller from The Thirsty Whale Bar and Restaurant hope their original venison dish will win the Monteith's Wild Food Challenge.

Paul Taylor

Havelock North retiree Noel Mayo wasn't sure his original wild pork and watercress dish had the goods to take out the home cook competition, but his recipe was certainly good enough to share among friends, family and acquaintances.

"I'm not a good cook. I just wanted to add a bit of humour to [the competition]," he said.

Mr Mayo had entered his original dish in the second annual Monteith's Wild Recipe Competition for non-professional cooks.

Mr Mayo enjoyed trying dishes that were a bit different because "you get a bit sick of steak and chicken and fish". His recipe came about when his son-in-law was a keen pig hunter and kept him well stocked with wild meat. He sourced watercress from the Maraetotara area.

Mr Mayo was the only Hawke's Bay competitor so far, although other home chefs could be still perfecting their dish and matching it with a Monteith's beverage, before the competition closed on July 11.

The Wild Recipe Competition winner would win a trip to Auckland to sit alongside judges in the Wild Food Challenge live cook off final and take home more than $1000 worth of cookware.