Bestsellers: A Fieldays foodie feast

Wednesday, 10 June 2026

Morepork BBQ owner Clint Davies was ready for a ripper Fieldays week. Holding his best selling brisket burger and pork lollipop.

Crispy dumplings, juicy brisket burgers and creamy tiramisu - Fieldays is a foodies paradise with lots of new vendors, and of course some old hands, ready to feed the masses.

For almost 10 years farmers have lined up at Morepork BBQ on a frosty morning and it’s become a crowd favourite. Owner Clint Davies says he brings about 600kg of slow cooked meat to the event and would be making up to 3000 burgers.

The brisket burger would be the best seller filled with slow cooked Silver Fern Farms brisket, coleslaw and their homemade BBQ sauce. Davies wouldn’t give up his secret sauce recipe, but said it was designed to complement their fruity wood chips and has a slightly datey flavour.

The Morepork BBQ best seller was the rich slow cooked brisket burger.

The burger was $20 and delivered in a rich brioche bun packed with dripping sauce and gelatinous brisket.

Lucky Mate owner Chien Teng was excited for his first time at the event. Holding his best selling chive, garlic and pork dumplings and the runner up wagyu dumplings.

It was Lucky Mate’s first time at the Fieldays, but they were proving popular with lines stretching out of their site. The business has only been around for a year and owner Chien Teng said he didn’t know what to expect at the event but was feeling good about Wednesday’s numbers.

Tayta's Lebanese owner Madeline Austin reckons Fieldays is their biggest event of the year. Showing their best selling pita wrap.

“Our ambition is to make buns and dumplings an institutional food like chips and burgers.”

John Young Danish Delight Ice Cream owner is a carnie and loves selling ice cream because it makes people smile. His Dutch chocolate ice cream was the favourite.

The pork, garlic and chive hand-wrapped dumplings were his pick for best seller, closely followed by the wagyu dumpling. For those looking for a funky mix on classic Kiwi and Asian, there was also a mince and cheese bao bun. The dumplings were $14 for six.

French Kiss Creperie workers Chole De Villars and Ewann Le Nen are French backpackers. Holding the best selling banana and Nutella crepe.

For a lighter meal, Tayta’s Lebanese offers a menu full of breakfast and lunch items all made traditionally. Madeline Austin reckons it’s their “biggest event of the year” and a crucial financial bumper amidst the quiet season.

Basecamp Salami Emma Brake employee, left, and Kelly Fox co-owner, right, reckon their red wine salami was a winner with foodies.

Their best seller was the pita wrap filled with Lebanese salad and customers choice of either tender beef, garlic chicken or sujuk sausage. She reckoned the Lebanese sausage would be the most popular option. The wrap was $20. She said it was popular with farmers’ wives looking for a light option.

For those with a sweet tooth, Danish Delight Ice Cream is an event veteran having covered it for roughly the last 30 years. Owner John Young took over the business from his father and said he always wanted to do it because of “the big smiles” people get when eating ice cream.

Kalon Digor owner Laurence Jorieux-Lequitte says healthy desserts are her passion and reckons her tiramisu was a winner for their first time at the event.

He reckoned the Dutch chocolate ice cream was the favourite. It’s topped with fresh whipped cream and chocolate sauce and made in a homemade waffle cone. It costs $14 and is popular with the adults, mostly.

Like usual, the food areas were packed with punters filling up for the day.

The French Kiss Creperie is the ideal spot to grab a crepe and chill out on the grassy bank behind it. The team of four were all backpackers from France hired by the French company to run the food cart. Chloe De Villars was running front of house while Ewann De Len was at the stove.

She was “excited” to be at the event and said it had been “really busy” so far. Their best seller was the banana and Nutella crepe for $13.

The Pantry was packed with punters on the hunt for cheese samples, spirits and sweet treats. A highlight for many was the Basecamp Salami site from Katikati, where the counter was hard to reach with so many punters crowding around.

Kelly Fox said they have been coming to the Fieldays since her and her husband Nick took over the business in 2018.

“We love Fieldays and have a lot of regular customers who come here and see us in person. It’s very worthwhile coming to the event.”

The red wine salami was their best seller and she reckoned it was mild enough to please everyone. It was made with wild venison, pork, red wine and spices and was smoked. It was $35.

Last but not least, Kaloni Digor was at the event for the first time this year as well, having travelled down from Auckland at 3am on Wednesday. Owner Laurence Jorieux-Lequitte runs the frozen dessert business with her husband and is originally from France.

“We believe in healthy desserts and natural products, so no preservatives.”

They started the business eight years ago and sell in speciality food shops around the country. Their best seller was the tiramisu made with creamy mascarpone, fresh coffee and handmade lady fingers. She said it was popular with all sorts of customers. It came in family and single sizes for $18 and $7.