Pasture

We’re back. Autumn, Menu 16, course six. Blue Abalone “Nigiri”. .
Live blue abalone sliced raw, served over spinach from the fire with our yuzu kosho made from New Zealand yuzu and jalapeño. Brushed in sea lettuce oil. .
Taking inspiration from new things and places following lockdown, we’re pleased to share one of our most exciting and different Pasture menus yet. So much thanks and appreciation for our amazing team trialing and testing this epically different menu to make something unique to share with our guests. Come see how we made the most of lockdown together.
Beautifully captured by the great @ Pasture

As a chef you face criticism. Normally, I don’t respond directly to negative comments on social media or rating sites when people are voicing their opinion regarding their experience at Pasture, as they should be allowed to. Over the years, what I’ve prided myself on developing was deciphering when to take criticism constructively & learn & grow (most of the time) and when to let things roll off your back. You never want to be beyond the input of a guest or think you inherently know better. You also don’t want to take every scathing review to heart.

BUT after waking up to tens of negative reviews and one star reviews following my decision to include lobsters in our Pasture Pantry boxes, I had to respond. Simply because these actions have the ability, when en mass, to impact my business and endanger the jobs & livelihood of my staff, the latter being a responsibility of mine as an employer I take very seriously.

Yes, we at Pasture have decided to provide live lobsters to our customers. THIS IS A DECISION THAT WE STAND BY. We do this because we believe we in supplying our customers with the highest possible quality and freshness of ingredient. While supplying live lobsters is certainly not unique to Pasture (in fact, it’s standard practice to ensure freshness in hundreds of fish markets throughout NZ) what is unique to Pasture is the care and regard for these lobsters. Working directly w/ the supplier, small deliveries of exactly what we need and no more. We look after them in a tank instead of letting them slowly die on a tray in the fridge (a practice that is quite common). We have also consulted directly with the supplier as to how best transport them in a comfortable manner & instruct our guests how to best kill them humanely. A practice we offer to do for them upon pick up, should they feel u comfortable or unsure in their ability to kill them humanely.

To those who have voiced disdain for our choice to provide live lobsters: we welcome & respect your choice as everyone has a choice. We appreciate the message you share & what you believe in, but that’s not our choice. Nor will it ever be. We choose to be a house for everyone. Cont’ in comments ⬇️