# Left my home town of Huntly... # Jools and I are country singing cowgirls from Huntly and spent our childhood helping Dad on the farm and eating Mum's amazing home cooking. The Topp Twins have been all over the world making people laugh, but it's always good to get back home to NZ and a good old cheese and Marmite sandwich ` or one of Mum's ginger nuts. This country is overflowing with incredible produce and amazing home cooks. We're hungry for a new adventure, so we're hittin' the road in search of the true food heroes of NZ. Yeehah! # I'm just a local farmhand... # workin' the... # This week we meet a woman who loves her chooks so much she spends more time on their hairdos than her own. This was one of the most sensational moments of our lives. Then we take off our gumboots and head into the city to eat a dead duck. First up, we're in Mid Canterbury, meeting free-range turkey farmers Phil and Judith Crozier. They're craaazy about turkeys, and once you've spent some time with these big birds, it's not hard to see why. Hi, Mr Crozier. Hi, Mr Crozier. Good morning. I know you people. How are you, buddy? How are you, buddy? Good, mate. This is my wife, Judith. Mrs Crosier, how are you? Mrs Crosier, how are you? She's doing all the hard work. Mrs Crosier, how are you? That's right. Righty-oh. Righty-oh. Couldn't do without her. Righty-oh. Couldn't do without her. Here, give us your shoulder, Toppy to get up there. And who's this? to get up there. And who's this? Uh, this is Max. He` He helps round them up. You're the turkey wrangler? How are you, buddy? (CHUCKLES) You're the turkey wrangler? How are you, buddy? (CHUCKLES) He's the most important dog. (GRUNTS) You must feed out a lot of this to turkeys, do ya? Oh yeah, about two or three ton a day. < About that many? < About that many? Yeah, that'll do. Right, well, we'll have to bring the turkey wands. Here, Toppy. Give me those. Here, Toppy. Give me those. Those are turkey wands? Here, Toppy. Give me those. Those are turkey wands? < That's right. There you go, Jools. There you go, Jools. Oh, we call those rakes in our parts. ALL CHUCKLE And what's that? And what's that? That's a turkey catcher. All aboard. You coming, Max? Come on, Max! PERSON WHISTLES PERSON WHISTLES Hey, go and get some turkeys. > PERSON WHISTLES Hey, go and get some turkeys. > Get on board, Max. ENGINE TURNS OVER ENGINE TURNS OVER Do you have to hold on ` is he a mad driver? ALL CHUCKLE Can be a bit rough. Can be a bit rough. (CHUCKLES) There's the turkeys. There's the turkeys. What a beautiful thing. There's the turkeys. What a beautiful thing. Oh, amazing! Hey, we've got a turkey that's out on the road. Oh. Oh. That's the first one we'll get. Hello, darlings! Oh, how beautiful are they? We better get these ones off the road. > Come on, Max. This is where the wands come in handy. BOTH: Yes. BOTH: Yes. Here, Max. Come on, turkeys. Thataway. Come on! Whoo-hoo! There they go. Max just had to look at 'em and they went inside the pen. > Max just had to look at 'em and they went inside the pen. > ALL CHUCKLE How`? How`? How long you been farming turkeys? 50 years, we've been in turkeys, and Judith just a little less, and, uh, I've loved it. Quite amazing to be in a big mob of turkeys. I don't think I've ever felt that before. It's quite amazing. You` You find a real good-looking turkey for us, mate. Yeah. Those ones there, with the red, uh, tops on them are gobblers and the littler ones are hens, so you'll want a big one. so you'll want a big one. Which one's the best eating? They're all good eating, but` but I'd say the gobblers are b` bigger and better, but they don't have as much fat on them. but they don't have as much fat on them. OK. So there's one there, and, um, its weight's about` oh, it's about 6 kilos there, and they would work out about 4-and-a-half to 5. He's hefty, isn't he? Yeah. Yeah. You gotta hold him round the legs? Yeah. You gotta hold him round the legs? Yep. There you go, buddy. There you go, buddy. What a handsome boy he is. > There you go, buddy. What a handsome boy he is. > Yeah. Hello, darling. He is, yes. He is, yes. He's a boy cos he's got a nice big gobbler bit here. Wattle, yeah. Wattle, yeah. A wattle, you call that, do ya? Yeah. Yeah. Wow. He's amazing. He's very peaceful. He's very peaceful. < Yes. (CHUCKLES) You've got a way with turkeys, Lynda. ALL CHUCKLE ALL CHUCKLE Do you want that one, Lynda? ALL CHUCKLE Do you want that one, Lynda? Yeah, I'm gonna call him Ted. ALL CHUCKLE ALL CHUCKLE Hello, Ted. Hello, Teddy. Isn't he beautiful? It's about time we went and cooked one. It's about time we went and cooked one. You didn't hear that, Ted. ALL CHUCKLE I'm gonna put you down now. We won't be cooking you, buddy, not just yet. Oh, look. He wants to stay with me. Off you go, buddy. Back with the mob. What are we doing, Philip? What are we doing, Philip? < We'll feed the young ones. We got the feed on the back. See ya later, team. See ya later, team. Righty-oh. See ya later, team. Righty-oh. To the oven. COUNTRY MUSIC TURKEYS GOBBLE Philip's mum gave you this recipe. Was it hard to get it off him? No. No. She gave it to you willingly? Oh yes. She always used to cook the turkey for Christmas, and she was quite happy if I did now. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. BOTH CHUCKLE Righty-oh. Egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, onions, apple, orange, thyme. What does it say for salt? What does it say for salt? It just says salt and pepper. (CHUCKLES) The classic old recipe. No measurements. In the olden days we just had that bloody instinct. You knew. You knew. And what else we got? Um, here we go. We've got a measurement this time ` plenty of parsley. (CHUCKLES) Exactly. Plenty. Exactly. Plenty. BOTH CHUCKLE Yeah. Yeah. That's out of your garden, is it? Yeah. That's out of your garden, is it? That's right. It seems right that you get it from the garden if you have free-range turkeys. As long as the free-range turkeys don't beat you to it. As long as the free-range turkeys don't beat you to it. (CHUCKLES) Do they like a bit of parsley, do they? Do they like a bit of parsley, do they? Oh yeah, quite destructive. Yep, well, if all` they all got out, there's how many out there? Yep, well, if all` they all got out, there's how many out there? 15,000. 15,000? 15,000? BOTH CHUCKLE Have they ever` ever taken your garden out? > Have they ever` ever taken your garden out? > Just about. They've, um, demolished even the rhubarb. Oh, bet they taste good after rhubarb. Oh, bet they taste good after rhubarb. Oh, they would, wouldn't they? BOTH CHUCKLE BOTH CHUCKLE How beautiful. > BOTH CHUCKLE How beautiful. > We've done it. All done. She's all ready to go. > She's all ready to go. > There we are. Oh, we better feed these turkeys. Oh, we better feed these turkeys. How old are they now, Phil? 5 weeks old. 5 weeks old. Oh, they're gorgeous. And how long before they're on someone's plate? Another six, eight weeks or something. Gee, it's a short life, but a good life. Gee, it's a short life, but a good life. That's right. They've gotta grow into big turkeys for Christmas, haven't they? > They've gotta grow into big turkeys for Christmas, haven't they? > That's right. > And you come up from a long line of turkey farmers, do ya, Phil? And you come up from a long line of turkey farmers, do ya, Phil? Oh, not really. My father was a sheep farmer and, uh, didn't like turkeys much, but I started with ducks. I had ducks first. I'll have that one. I had ducks first. I'll have that one. Thank you. The neighbours said, 'There's more money in turkeys,' so I was 12 years old at the time, and, uh, I had five turkeys to start with, which ended up a hundred young ones. Sold them, and I made �200, and I thought I was made. I was gonna be a millionaire. BOTH CHUCKLE < Where'd you meet Judith? < Where'd you meet Judith? Oh, she's a local up the road ` about 20 K's, and the farmer's, uh, daughter. Was at a party we met, and, um, uh, it's gone from there. And you talk turkey with Judith, eh? And you talk turkey with Judith, eh? That's right. And you talk turkey with Judith, eh? That's right. BOTH CHUCKLE You've got very cute turkeys, Philip. I really like them. They make you feel a bit peaceful, don't they ` the old turkeys? They are cute. They do have their different ways. > I can see why you might have got attached to the idea of being a turkey farmer. < It's actually quite amazing just hanging out with them. < It's actually quite amazing just hanging out with them. That's right. Come on, little baby blossoms. First of all, we put sausage meat in the front. Sausage meat? Sausage meat? Yes, under the neck cavity. And if I don't do that, there's trouble. Philip's mum always put sausage meat in, OK. The family would strike. It's important to wash your hands again, is it? Otherwise you'll get sausage meat in the rear end. That's right. That's right. You don't want that, do you? (CHUCKLES) It really doesn't feel that flash. It really doesn't feel that flash. BOTH CHUCKLE There's a funny little red dot on it. What's that all about? There's a funny little red dot on it. What's that all about? That's our pop-up cooking timer. Oh, OK. So we're gonna put this one in the oven? > Normally, I would, but today we're going to put it in the barbecue. Normally, I would, but today we're going to put it in the barbecue. Righty-oh. > We find the neck, and we pop that in too. Righty-oh. This turkey's all about face now, isn't it? Righty-oh. This turkey's all about face now, isn't it? BOTH CHUCKLE Oh no. (CHUCKLES) Yes, it is. (CHUCKLES) Here we are. (CHUCKLES) You know, Philip, what's really cool about these, for me? They get this fabulous life. They can go for a walk any time they want. They can go for a walk any time they want. That's right. That makes me feel good. If I was gonna have a turkey, I'd want it to be a free-range turkey. These birds have got acres to run round in, and that's what I call free-range. We've been doing it all our lives. We make our own feed. Um, everything we do is for the betterment of the bird. I feel like I could curl up and go to sleep. It's so warm in here with all the babies on the floor. This little fellow was sleeping, and I picked him up, and he is happy as Larry. He's a free-range turkey. Not many of those in this country, is there? That's right. That's right. What a beautiful boy. Is it a boy or a girl? Um, I think it's a boy, by the look of him. Um, I think it's a boy, by the look of him. OK. Well, that was a lucky guess. Yeah. Yeah. BOTH CHUCKLE Be free, my little man. Here you go, buddy. (CHUCKLES) When did you fall in love with Philip? When did you fall in love with Philip? 41 years ago. He fell in love with turkey before he fell in love with you, didn't he? He fell in love with turkey before he fell in love with you, didn't he? Oh, totally. He was 12. Yeah. Did you think that you'd ever fall in love with a turkey man? Yeah. Did you think that you'd ever fall in love with a turkey man? Never occurred to me. Never occurred to me! Never occurred to me! BOTH CHUCKLE Hi, Toppy. How are the turkey stuffers? Hi, Toppy. How are the turkey stuffers? ALL CHUCKLE You can smell a cooked turkey from 10km away, can't you? You can smell a cooked turkey from 10km away, can't you? I can smell that one. Shall we go in? Shall we go in? Look at that! Shall we go in? Look at that! Wow. Whoo-hoo! Look at that. Look at that. And the timer's popped too. Mmm. You've gotta try that stuffing. Right up the front is the sausage meat, Jools. I'll steal a bit of that. I'll steal a bit of that. Oh, look at that! Look, it has ` it's gone like a sausage roll. (CHUCKLES) Isn't that amazing? Just magic. (CHUCKLES) Isn't that amazing? Just magic. Mmm-mmm. We won't eat it all, cos you have family coming. The kids are coming out to eat that turkey too. What a beautiful day we've had here with your turkeys. Not you turkeys but those other turkeys. Not you turkeys but those other turkeys. ALL LAUGH Thank you. Thank you. I'm glad you have. It may seem rude, but do you think we could have the parson's nose? It may seem rude, but do you think we could have the parson's nose? (CHUCKLES) You certainly can. That's not everybody's choice. That's not everybody's choice. (CHUCKLES) Well, who's gonna have that? Well, who's gonna have that? Well, I asked for it. OK. OK. So I'm gonna get it. See you both next Christmas. See you both next Christmas. See ya, yeah. Thank you very much, team! Here you go ` parson's nose. Here you go ` parson's nose. You gonna share that with me? Here you go ` parson's nose. You gonna share that with me? Yeah, you can have a little bit. Is it a good bird ` the turkey ` Jools, you think? Is it a good bird ` the turkey ` Jools, you think? Yeah, I love them. Quite relaxed. Quite peaceful. Hello, NZ. This week I'm making a creamy 'caper and gherkin' sauce. Hang my bag up, please, Camp Leader. In my bowl, I've got cream cheese, mayonnaise and chopped-up egg. Just giving it a good mix. I'm gonna add to that some capers. Camp Leader, you can chop up the gherkins. YODELLING YODELLING STOPS YODELLING STOPS Camp Leader, that jar's gone off. Use the ones in the bowl, please. And I'm gonna put a little bit of parsley and some chives. And I'm gonna put a little bit of parsley and some chives. Hi-yaaaa! That fine enough for you, Camp Mother? Camp Leader, go and get my chicken, please. Drop in those lovely chopped gherkins. (IMITATES CHICKEN CLUCKING) Fill that bowl up. Beautiful. Look at that. Lovely. Chips and chicken and my creamy sauce. Look at that. Lovely. Chips and chicken and my creamy sauce. And a little egg on top. (CHUCKLES) Camp Leader, you've ruined it. MID-TEMPO GUITAR MUSIC Old stuff ` most of us chuck it away and never give it another thought. Thankfully, some people make it their life's work to preserve the ways of old. With a farmyard of animals to care for, it's the rare-breed chooks that are Raewyn Norton's special collector's item here, on Heritage Farm in the Waitakere Ranges. Raewyn has a stunning flock of over 25 breeds of rare chooks. She couldn't have done it without the support of her equally passionate collector husband, Gary. This place is teeming with lovely lookin' birds. Wow, this looks like chook heaven. These are my show birds. These are my show birds. Yeah, so these are rare breeds, are they? Yes, they are, and they're all our NZ heritage breeds. > Yes, they are, and they're all our NZ heritage breeds. > What's that fella down the end? They're brown leghorns. These guys here were our commercial breeds back in the 1950s. They were nearly decimated as a breed. > It's taken a lot of work from breeders previous to me to get leghorns back to where they're meant to be. For laying ` purposes of laying eggs ` they're awesome. You can't beat 'em, eh? You can't beat 'em, eh? Nup, can't beat 'em. The heritage breed egg-laying machine. These are pretty kooky looking, aren't they? > These guys ` they're Araucanas. They lay a green egg. These guys ` they're Araucanas. They lay a green egg. A green egg? This will be where the saying 'green eggs and ham' comes from. Very friendly. This one's pretty friendly now. Come here, darling. Come here. (CHUCKLES) Whoa there, bubbie. When did you realise that you were in love with chickens? I was about 8. I used to love going down to my great-uncle's and help my grandmother collect the eggs. We would just spend ages down there, so it's been a long time that I've loved chickens. Gary's part of it as well. Gary's part of it as well. Is he? Yeah. Gary's really passionate about heritage, so that's where the chickens fit in. If I didn't have Gary, I wouldn't be able to do it. It's real teamwork. But he's also passionate about the vintage machinery, because the farm is all about heritage; keeping our history alive for the next generation. We spend a lot of time taking our vintage machinery to shows. Like, you've got the mills out there that can mill the food for the chickens so it's all fresh, so that it doesn't lose any of its goodness. Pretty cool, ain't it, darlin'? You get your tucker from a heritage mill. (CHUCKLES) Do you eat chicken? Do you eat chicken? Yes, I do eat chicken. > Do you eat chicken? Yes, I do eat chicken. > (CHUCKLES) But not my chickens. I can't even kill a chicken. They basically die of old age here. I can't do it, and nor can Gary. Well, they're pretty happy chooks, aren't they? They know you love 'em. Well, they're pretty happy chooks, aren't they? They know you love 'em. They are. They are. Look at this one. It's this boofy hair. Look at this. Love that little boofyness. Yeah. What is it you love about chickens? What is it you love about chickens? I just think sometimes chickens are underrated. People think that they're dumb, but they're very very clever, definitely. They've got beautiful personalities. They're very friendly. They're rewarding, because they give you an egg. They give you something back. As well as attention and a bit of something to fluff around with, you get an egg for your breakfast. Just, yeah, great pets. Hello, darling. Hello, darling. They get excited about going to the shows, cos they like to think, 'Oh, you know, we're going in the car.' It's great. They like to go ride in the car? They like to go ride in the car? Yep. They don't mind going rides in the car, and I think they like to look at the people. Oh, right. Oh, right. They're very nosy, and they take it all in. So we wash them and we blow-dry them, do their nails, do their combs. They just, um` They're used to being fluffed around with, yeah. It's like they go to the salon? (CHUCKLES) < Yep. It's definitely` It's a salon. Yep. We've done some things in our time, but this takes the cake. (CHUCKLES) Chicken bathing. Gonna have a bath. It's like a little kid not wanting to have their hair washed. Gotta get all that dirt off your head, buddy. Gotta get all that dirt off your head, buddy. Now it looks like a drowned rat. You need a toothbrush? Is that yours or Gary's? (CHUCKLES) Is that yours or Gary's? (CHUCKLES) Nah, nah, nah. This is one I got for the animals. (COOS IN BABY VOICE) You can't really wring these out, can you? (CHUCKLES) You can't really wring these out, can you? (CHUCKLES) Nah, nah, nah, nah. Here you go, little manie. (HIGH-PITCHED) You are nice and clean. Peekaboo! Peekaboo! BOTH CHUCKLE UPBEAT COUNTRY MUSIC I find this extremely amusing. (CHUCKLES) Brr! OK, which end of the chook am I working with? You can't even tell. ALL CHUCKLE ALL CHUCKLE Gotta have a fluffy bum. ALL CHUCKLE Gotta have a fluffy bum. Yeah. UPBEAT COUNTRY MUSIC CONTINUES I'm going in with the fine end, just to bring the feathers up just a little bit ` just to fluff it up. He's getting the whole hog. He's watching me. He's making sure I do it properly. He's watching me. He's making sure I do it properly. Yep, cut there. There. Perfect. Finishing touch is Vaseline or Vicks, because I want their wattles to be shiny, so I use Vicks, because it actually helps to prevent them catching anything at the show from another bird that's not well. I rub this not close to his eyes ` on his wattles, on his comb and on his feet. We get it on our chests; he gets it on his wattle. And it makes them all shiny and then on the comb. Raewyn, what do you reckon? We done a good job? Very good job. I think you'd actually win something at a show,... (CHUCKLES) (CHUCKLES) I really do. (CHUCKLES) I really do. Here's our show bird, Sydney! Well, Raewyn, you're a rare bird yourself. Well, Raewyn, you're a rare bird yourself. Thank you very much. # Beside many great farmers there's a woman that's strong. # The work is hard, and the hours are long. # She's a NZer. # Cos she's a rural way of life. # She's a mother, a sister, a partner for life. # She'll raise the chooks and a family too # and look a million bucks at the reverend's do. # Yeah! Yeah! < ROOSTER CROWS MID-TEMPO MUSIC K Road is the hip and happening heart of Auckland's arts, music and cafe scene, but the hippest place to hang is at the Verona Cafe, where great food and cool tunes collide to set the scene for a fun and groovy social event. Chef Annie Guinness and her husband, Phil, have fulfilled a dream opposite to most. Two years ago, they packed up their quiet life in the country and, with their kids, moved on to NZ's busiest street. The transition was seamless. This family is living the urban dream. TRADITIONAL CHINESE MUSIC Annie's showing us how to make her speciality Peking duck curry today, and one of the best things about K Road is it's brimming with authentically cooked Peking duck. Tony Chan emigrated from China 30 years ago and brought with him China's national dish,... (CHINESE ACCENT) the Peking duck. Ahh. Spicy, crunchy, juicy and shiny. And Annie reckons Tony's duck is the best in town. How often do you come down here and get Peking duck? How often do you come down here and get Peking duck? Um, once a month, usually. It's delicious. The family love it. So, you're a country girl? So, you're a country girl? Yeah, I was a lucky girl. I grew up in the Kaipara Hills. Used to go duck shooting with Dad and the dogs and the decoys and... You don't have to camo up to get this. That's true, yeah. Just across the road. That's true, yeah. Just across the road. Just come down to the market. My parents were really self-sufficient and have the real deal, really. Amazing privilege. Was it hard for you to come and live in the city? Uh, not with the teenagers, no. They needed to get out of the mud and on to the hard concrete, I think. These` These days, it's a bit stimulating for them. You like being a chef? You like being a chef? I love it, yeah. Fresh, wholesome, nutritious food is part of my life, right from my early days, so I love food, and it continues to grow, really. GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC First of all, we're gonna fry some pineapple here ` caramelise that. Makes it nice and sweet and flavoursome. Then we're going to saute the vegetables... and the barbecued pork. Why do you put the pork in it? Why do you put the pork in it? It's a funny kind of recipe that I've made up ` duck and pork and lentils, and it really works. You're the flavour queen, are you? You're the flavour queen, are you? Well, I try to be, Lynda. You're the flavour queen, are you? Well, I try to be, Lynda. (CHUCKLES) In go the lentils. And then we're gonna pour the gorgeous duck stock on, which I made earlier. A lot of people love duck, don't they? It's a real winner. It's lovely. You might make one good thing out of a hundred, being a chef and designing your own little signature dishes. That duck's gonna all go in there. It's just gonna be a sensation. We'll make a lovely little entree. We're gonna use these quail eggs. We're gonna peel these lovely little eggs. They're so pretty, aren't they? Very delicate. Perfect. Perfect. Wow, how cute is that? What a beautiful thing. What a beautiful thing. It's like a little baby Scotch egg we're making. We're going to encase them in this lovely kumara mash, which has got Kaffir lime leaves and spring onions and parsley and then dropping it in the` the seeds, and they should all just stick... like that. like that. Nice. What are they called? like that. Nice. What are they called? They're called Chinese whispers. Chinese whispers? Chinese whispers? We came up with a whisper being a, you know, 'You tell me, you tell me, you tell me.' 'Quail eggs. Have you tried the quail eggs?' 'Quail eggs. Have you tried the quail eggs?' Exactly. > Beautiful. Beautiful. And that's what we're gonna deep-fry. Yeah, it seems to work. My little quail egg is about to disappear in its little kumara parcel. Coming from Leigh to` to the city, yeah, we just thought it would be a bit of fun, really, you know, having an urban experience. A really great experience for all of us. You still go up to Leigh every weekend? Every weekend. Friday, 3 o'clock after school, we go up. It's the sirens versus the` the duck calls and the chooks and the` the lovely peace of the country in contrast to the` the really noisy, hardcore K Road. You still do have a little bit of country in your life, eh? You still do have a little bit of country in your life, eh? Yep. Love the country. You've got the best of both worlds, here, though, haven't you? > You've got the best of both worlds, here, though, haven't you? > I think so. It's really fun. We're really enjoying ourselves. And you're still serving up good country tucker in the middle of the city. Here we go. Here we go. (CHUCKLES) GENTLE MUSIC Oh, it's beautiful. Chinese whispers ` here we are. Chinese whispers ` here we are. Righty-oh. Chinese whispers ` here we are. Righty-oh. Yeah, our entree. (GASPS) That is the cutest little thing I've ever seen. There's my little quail egg in there. (CHUCKLES) (CHUCKLES) Brilliant. > The egg kind of tastes like an egg. (CHUCKLES) No different than any other egg. Let's tuck into the duck. We'll be whispering about those eggs for weeks. (CHUCKLES) We'll be whispering about those eggs for weeks. (CHUCKLES) Good. Oh, that is so good. Good old hearty country meal in the city. One good thing about living in the city is you don't have to mow the lawns. That's true. Or cut the firewood. > That's true. Or cut the firewood. > ALL CHUCKLE > MOROSE COUNTRY MUSIC MOROSE COUNTRY MUSIC POETICALLY: I love birds, I cannot lie, but not the type that soar on high. Not the eagle or the chapel wren. You see, I'm drawn to the common hen. (CHUCKLES) (CHUCKLES) Just simple grain and some garden weeds and kitchen scraps will meet her needs. This good hen has served us well, and this good story I must tell. At sunrise, I will tend my flock and admire my great speckled cock.