FESTIVE FERMENTED FOOD IDEAS FOR CHRISTMAS

Christmas in New Zealand means firing up the BBQ and inviting your family and friends around for a feast. Whether down by the beach or within the comforts of your own home, food is the heart of the festive season.

However, it’s all too easy to succumb to sugary sweets, snacks and chocolates that accompany Christmas eating. At Living Goodness, we like to balance this out with a delicious dose of fermented foods during our festive feasting.

We’ve compiled a few quick and easy ways to add fermented foods to your Christmas meals this season.

Platter me up!

2017 was the year of platters. Large spreads of snacks adorned marble chopping boards framed with gold-hilted cheese knives. There are largely two reasons why platters soared to popularity this year - they are extremely easy to make and look amazing!


Here is how to stack your platter like a pro:

  1. Place a few small ramekins of dipping sauces in the middle of your chosen board.
  2. Frame this with slices of cured meats. Fold them in half and lay them out in a fan pattern for maximum visual effect.
  3. Add small stacks of crackers near the dips. You want to create a streamlined course on your board.
  4. Near the dips and crackers, add a few dollops of sauerkraut with a small fork. This means your hungry guests can top each cracker with a good dose of Heartbeet Kraut or Sassy Sauerkraut straight after the dip.
  5. Add an assortment of nuts, carrot and celery sticks and you’re good to go!

Feel free to add fruits, bread and flavoured dipping oils to further impress your guests. Salmon also makes a great addition, but it’ll need to be consumed quickly during hot days!

Beefy BBQ delight

Kimchi is an excellent accompaniment to beef. When you’re sizzling sausages and steaks on the barbie, make sure you have a jar of Sum Yum Kimchi close by to add an extra dose of sizzle to your meat!

Did you know, kimchi doesn’t only have to be an addition to your meal - you can also use it as an ingredient! Make some mouth-watering kimchi butter to slather onto your steaks. This creates a unique flavour by combining something usually silky smooth with the sour and spiciness of the kimchi.

All you’ll need is to blitz kimchi and soft butter in a food processor until combined. If you prefer a chunkier mix to slap onto your steak, scoop out the mixture when the biggest blobs of kimchi have been broken up.

Cook your steak as per usual, and just before you are about to take it out of the pan, spread a fair amount of your kimchi butter on top for that sizzling finish!

We hope you heartily enjoy our products this festive season. Remember, if your house guests do use up your stash of fermented foods, you can replenish at one of our stockists here.