The Annual Toastie Takeover Has Returned
Photography Babiche Martens.
Smoked eel, beef birria, prawns, fried chicken, even Korean bulgogi all make an appearance in toasted sandwiches around the country this winter, thanks to The Great New Zealand Toastie Takeover.
The annual hunt to find the best toasted sandwich in Aotearoa kicks off on 25 June. More than 200 cafés, restaurants, bars, food trucks and pop-ups, from as far north as Whangārei and as far south as Te Anau, have entered this year, making it the biggest Toastie Takeover since its inception eight years ago.
Each eatery in this year’s competition has created a special toasted sandwich that will be on their menu until 5 August. Chefs push the boat out with exotic flavours, unusual texture combinations and umami ingredients to make it to the finals of the competition. This year, at Surf Shack in Waihi, smoked eel, maasdam and mozzarella cheeses, McClure’s pickle, horopito mayo, crispy kawakawa, kina butter, watercress and preserved lemon are combined in The Taniwha toastie. At Johnny Crema in Queenstown, mac ‘n’ cheese is paired with McClure’s Sweet and Spicy Pickles and crispy bacon bits for a hearty, delicious sando. There’s even a sandwich from Tolkein’s Shire on the menu at Hobbiton’s cafe.
The competition, created by Nick Brown and Becs Caughey of Cook & Nelson and McClure’s Pickles not only encourages chefs to elevate the humble toastie, it also gives foodies a reason to support their local hospitality providers during winter. A team of judges, overseen by food critic Kerry Tyack, taste-tests every dish and scores them according to presentation, preparation, eat-ability, taste, provenance and innovation.
Last year, Okere Falls Store, Cafe & Craft Beer Garden was named supreme winner of the Toastie Takeover with its ‘Figgy in the Middle’ toastie featuring Swiss cheese, pickle cheesecake mix, walnuts, figs, bacon, rocket, chilli honey, blue cheese and McClure's Pickles, sandwiched between buttered sourdough bread. It was the second time the Bay of Plenty restaurant has won the competition, and owner and cook Rich Johns has entered again this year.
“Every year I’m so impressed and inspired by what everyone else is doing,” says Johns of the competition. “We sold more than 10,000 toasties when we won in 2022.”
latest issue:
126
We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.