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 ⬇️

120 day dry-aged wagyu. Now available at Pasture Pantry for contactless pickup via our Tock page. Link in bio.

At Pasture we’re known for our beef. We get in whole New Zealand wagyu cows and butcher them right there stretched out on the chefs counter before hanging them up to age and get funky and perfect for getting ravaged on the fire accompanied by some ACDC. Exactly the Pasture experience our Hell’s Bells, the most baller pantry box, is named after.

While I never imagined making these ingredients we pour months of our time and energy into available for people to work with at home, having to rethink the entire restaurant to keep moving forward during the COVID-19 pandemic shows me how differently this time has made me. Instead of worrying about others working with something I typically get control freak over, I’m genuinely excited to let people create with the same things I do. Instead of worrying about “selling out” I’m happy to provide to people a piece of me, like I do when they sit down at Pasture, and give them something to make them happy and excited about food.

Working with the team as we speak on putting these boxes together for you all. In between, testing a menu that will be an entirely new approach for Pasture, a result from time off and introspection, from myself and the team. Exciting things on the horizon.

Live lobster, fresh wasabi, bluff oysters, 120-day-aged wagyu, and 1 year aged butter. Pasture Pantry now live and available for order on . Also available in support for us are gift vouchers including shared access to our Playlist (what!) LINK IN BIO TO ORDER

While I would love to offer you delivery or prepared meals, at Pasture we believe in quality, intimacy, and immediacy. That said, takeout meals do not translate to the Pasture experience. I simply will not compromise when it comes to our patrons for the sake of cash flow. With that said, I am proud to now offer a limited amount of special pantry ingredient boxes carefully curated by myself and my team. Sourced for uniqueness and quality, items include such offerings (beyond the ones listed above) as our sourdough bread, month aged salmon, selection of cheeses, and even a small preview of our secret new project for select boxes too.

As we are changed, slowed down, and more reflective and focused on what’s important (like time over food with loved ones) from this time of quarantine and brought back into our own home kitchens, we hope you too can enjoy some time cooking, tasting, eating, and experimenting with these special items we’ve either fermented, aged, or otherwise created by hand for you at Pasture. I truly cannot wait to get back in the kitchen with my team and back across the counter from my customers. Maybe even hearing how some of you used the same produce and ingredients I do to create something cool yourself in a hard, sometimes sh*tty, and endlessly unsure time to feel, just, good.

We’ll be offering three unique boxes suited for a variety of party sizes, culinary abilities and price points, as well as a selection of a la carte items (like ice cream). Pasture Pantry is available for contactless pickup every Wednesday and Friday. To find out more about what each box includes, visit our website, link in bio. To reserve your Pasture Pantry box please visit our Tock site. As always, thank you for your continued support as we strive to keep Pasture moving ever forward.

With the final week of lockdown announced I’m feeling excited with a heightened sense of comradery and appreciation. Feeling lucky to be able to come back into our kitchen next week with new inspiration and energy.

Having been shut down for a whole month I think we all appreciate the little things. For me I feel closer to my team, suppliers and regulars, who have all made compromises and gestures in support of this restaurant that was always a dream of mine.

Along the way during all of this I met - food writer, travel writer and LA journalist. Together we worked our way through lockdown, herself in a foreign ghost town and myself suddenly having to use the home kitchen.

Tonight we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and thought it’d be fun to post a little collage of what we were up to in a kind of Pasture at home. Working on Pasture’s new bar , making sushi, teaching sourdough, distilling weird things like lobster heads.

While there are too many little things that I’ll always remember from this weird wild crazy time to possibly chronicle, I’m thankful to for giving us the chance to showcase some pieces on stories today. If you’re interested, pop over and take a long look.

Excited about a new menu, a new chapter and (very unexpectedly) a new sort of world when we all come back from this. Love Pasture x

I don’t want this post to be about the virus. This post is about my team.

Last week I found myself in LA trying to get back just under the wire as airlines cancelled flights and borders locked down around the world. Today is day 5 of my mandatory self-quarantine. For the last two weeks my team has been running Pasture entirely without me. A prospect that would have been unfathomable to me just a couple of months ago considering that in three and a half years I have not once missed a service at pasture. There hasn’t been one diner I haven’t personally greeted or a plate touch the table that I haven’t had my hand in. But now all that has changed. And while part of that is because I’ve changed and become a different chef and person than I was when I first opened Pasture, it’s largely because of my team.

It’s given me so much pride these last few weeks to watch this group of amazing chefs that I am fortunate enough to be able to call my team. From ordering and executing to welcoming the diners into our home at Pasture, my chefs have made me realize that part of the reward of being a leader is being able to step back and see them flex, on their own. I’ve watched them grow in confidence as I’ve given them more responsibility. They’re looking after my baby like it’s theirs and seeing them take pride in it makes me realize that it is theirs just as much as mine now. Thank you, guys.

If I’m honest with myself, as I’m trying to be more and more these days, I wasn’t always the leader I should have been for my team. I would snap or yell instead of guide and explain. I would keep recipes and techniques to myself for fear of them not being properly executed instead of teach, mentor, and share. I had to learn how to be a leader the hard way. I still have a long way to go but I know the direction I’m moving is finally the right one.

Feeling strong, fulfilled and proud and truly that Pasture is stronger than ever. Today was monumental for the team and I as I finally loosened my death grip on my bread recipe and FaceTime walked the team through it from quarantine. (Continued in comments below...) @ Pasture

Distilling sugar snap pea for our dessert cocktail. One of 12 distillates on the current drinks pairing. @ Pasture

Course four this summer - Beetroot cooked over fire, preserved roses and lovage.

Photo - Tess Maree @ Pasture

Fresh Jersey Cow cheese, set just ten minutes before serving with whipped whey and summer truffle. @ Pasture

A Pasture favourite, Striped Trumpeter from the team @ Pasture

Next month we’re so excited to be bringing Pasture to Melbourne and Lesa, for Melbourne Food And Wine.

March 24th 2020

Thanks so much to team , & Christian for the invite. We can’t wait.

The Short Rib Doughnut Nigiri.

Using parts of our cow which don’t quite make it onto the fire.

Photo @ Pasture

Black foot Abalone or Paua... cooked in pig fat, cherry leaves and kelp until tender. With a stock of smoked shiitake. Menu #015 @ Pasture

‘Tuna or not’ - the final bite on this menu. Watermelon all day over fire, giving it the texture of meat. Rolled in lemon verbena.

Summer Pairing #10 - Fermented Strawberry, Sugar Snap Pea, Whiskey

Photo - Tess Maree

Summer Pairing #02 - Grilled Tomato, Watermelon, Green Jalapeño, Black Pepper

Photo by the awesome Tess Maree

Summer at Pasture - the first bites. Ice cold baby corn from the fire, buttered and pickled with a wedge of golden peach and wild fennel pollen.

New Zealand Wagyu Sirloin from the fire - aged 3 months.

We’re so grateful to be able to work with whole animals at Pasture - currently we’re looking after three cows in house.

Last two seats for tonight’s early sitting have just become available - get in touch if you want us to cook for you tonight. Email [email protected]

Our sous, Vini, preparing the cheese course for Menu 015.

Iced goat’s cheese made in house, sushi rice and shaved toasted hay.. inspired by the mighty Japanese ‘kakigori’.

Photo courtesy of Tess Maree

Menu #015 Aperitifs

Smoked nashi pear, elderflower kombucha, sake

Peach, umeshu, wheat, tarragon

Summer at Pasture - Menu 015. Cured courgette, aloe vera and fig leaf.

This season we’re really excited to be working with a very talented photographer - Tess Maree, and we’ll be working together to capture this summer’s menu. Find her at

We’re back with a new menu for summer and with it we’re focusing on everything fresh, herbaceous and green that excites us as chefs right now. We have a lot planned for 2020 and Pasture will be going through yet another evolution very soon.

Rewind to the beginning of this year and Pasture was going through some seriously rough times. We can’t be more thankful to the support of our industry to finish the year on such a high. Thank you - we’ve always been on the chase for this and especially happy we achieved this with a chef run restaurant. Also thanks to everyone who has pushed during their time at Pasture it’s an accumulated effort and three years in the making 🙏🏻

At Pasture the drinks have always been as important as the our food. Excited as we work on the next step of our drinks program. @ Pasture

Last night we were incredibly humbled by for recognising Pasture and the hard work of our team - past and present. Thank you .jean and the metro team.

Thanks to all of our guests who have supported us and loved what we do - that's what keeps us going. We have so much fun cooking for you all.
. and to everyone that has pushed on for us through the fun times and the tough times, Pasture wouldn't be what it is today without you guys. Our staff and suppliers big ❤️

this one's for us x

- Best Dish
- Best Chef
- Best Fine Dining
- Restaurant of the Year

🙏🏻🔥

Thank you for this review Cuisine Magazine. The latest issue is on the shelves now.

Pasture - Cuisine - For the love of New Zealand food AUCKLAND There is a lovely bit of theatre near the end of an evening of some stupendous dining at Pasture.

It is chef’s 36th birthday today. Here he is in his happy place: serving drinks and cooking over our wood fire.
Have a great year ahead, Ed! 🔥

Photos by @ Pasture