Blues, Brews and BBQ's

,

It is the drink of men who think
And feel or fear nor fetter -
Who do not drink to senseless sink,
But drink to think the better.

I'm feeling better. My cough is almost gone. It's time to get back out onto the social scene and what better way to start than a day out at one of the Mount's most popular events - Blues, Brews and BBQ's!

It was held on January 8th from 2pm-10pm. This was the 14th annual B,B&B - all profits from the festival are made available for donation to local community groups, charities and for youth activities making the Western Bay of Plenty a better place to live. A great reason to go out and contribute to the community!

Blues, Brews & BBQ's is a celebration of everything that is unique about the traditional Kiwi summer lifestyle; their love of outdoor cooking, great music and enjoying a fine ale or two with good friends and family. It's no wonder that it's described as an extravaganza of great music, fine ales and culinary cuisine! Let me tell you, the food was incredible! All we did was eat - ALL DAY LONG! Here I am tasting Kangaroo, Wild Crocodile and Ostrich skewers for the first time. They were really tasty! Kangaroo was a little chewy but it wasn't as gamey as I expected. I've heard that crocodile tastes similar to chicken but my opinion is that it didn't have a strong flavour at all and a firm fish texture. Ostrich was DELICIOUS! It was tender, juicy and had a really great flavour.

They had an incredible variety of food - wild pork sandwiches, whitebait fritters, mexican food, wood fired pizzas, lamb shanks, butter chicken, German soft pretzels and sausages... just to name a few. Check out this Paella - cooked on site including king prawns, mussels, calamari, baby octopus, chicken, sausages and bacon. OMG! So yummy!

B,B&B is the main fundraiser of the local service club - Tauranga Round Table - and through this they have been able to make a difference to many people in our community. This organization is comprised of a group of responsible men under the age of 45 (or so they claim to be responsible) with a strong sense of community spirit. Round Table offers opportunities for personal development, growing friendships, community involvement and promoting international understanding and goodwill. They are always looking for new members... so it might be something you'll consider doing in 2009. The president - Andrew Scott - is one of my clients.


Beer is one of the oldest drinks known to civilisations. It may even have been the cause of civilisation. Relics used for the production of beer have been dated back as far as 5000 years ago. The first beers are believed to have been made from bread, evidence of which has been found on stone drawings showing bread being baked and then crumbled into a drink that is recorded as having made people feel "exhilerated, wonderful and blissful". It was a great opportunity to taste premium beer made in some of the smaller microbreweries around the country. As a Canadian, I can really appreciate a fine lager. My favourite choice was this delicious Honey Beer...