Matariki falls on Friday 10 July this year. Of all our public holidays it is the one most clearly built around a table — the star cluster rises in mid-winter, and the tradition is to gather, to remember those who have died in the past year, to celebrate the present and to look ahead.
The shared meal, the hākari, is central to that. We are a patisserie rather than anything approaching an authority on Matariki, but we do know what to bring to a mid-winter gathering.
Something for the middle of the table
Matariki is a long weekend in the coldest part of the year, which argues for one substantial thing everyone shares rather than individual plates. A 1kg dessert box serves four straight from the container with no cutting involved, and the banoffee version does the same job with more theatre.
For a larger gathering, dessert catering boxes scale up without anyone having to serve anything.
Cakes that suit a winter afternoon
Our New Zealand Classics collection is the natural place to start — Apple Crumble, with its cinnamon sponge, walnuts and buttery crumble base, Jaffa Orange Chocolate for something brighter against the weather, and the Flat White Coffee Cake, which is exactly what it sounds like.
Bundts and loaves are the most generous format for a house full of people coming and going — the whole range is in tea cakes and loaves, and a loaf sits happily on a bench for days. The Marble is the one that disappears fastest.
If you are going out instead
Our made-to-order dessert menu is at its best in July. A chocolate lava cake, the s'more cookie with its torched marshmallow and melting ice cream, or a chocolate fondue to share — all plated fresh, none of them possible from a cabinet. There is more in our guide to warm desserts.
The drink that matters most in July
A dark Belgian hot chocolate, in New York or Paris style, does more for a cold Christchurch morning than almost anything else on our drinks list. Organic New Zealand-grown Zealong tea by the pot is the calmer choice, and it is grown in the Waikato rather than shipped in.
Ordering around a public holiday
Long weekends compress everything. Whole cakes need two days' notice at the best of times, so a holiday week is worth planning early rather than hoping — and note that Matariki falls on a Friday, so check our collection hours before you pick a slot. Order online from our patisserie inside The Welder, normally open 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 3pm on Saturday, or browse the full menu.
