Lamb. Smoke. Fire Cooking Class

Led By Nick Thomson & Michael Van de Elzen

Spend the morning being taken through a whole lamb butchery class – the foundation of this full-day cooking experience – then move on to cooking with Mike, learning essential techniques for the kitchen, smoking, and cooking over open fire.

After arriving at the farm your day will start with barista made coffee or tea before diving straight into the butchery of a whole lamb with our specialist butcher, Nick.

Whole-Lamb Butchery Class

Learn how to break down a whole lamb from start to finish with one of our specialist butchers. We will cover:

Boned and rolled legs
Shoulders
Butterflied cuts
Racks & ribs
Shanks
Sausage making
Knife and trimming techniques
Tips for getting the most from every cut

There is plenty of time and opportunity throughout the day to discuss the techniques and skills used by our butcher.

Building Flavour With Mike

After butchery, Mike leads a hands-on cooking session exploring the foundations of great flavour. These are all chosen to complement the lamb you’ve prepared. You’ll learn how to create things like:

Wet marinades
Dry rubs
Fresh salsas
Seasonal sides

Smoking Techniques & Open-Fire Cooking

This class brings fire and smoke to the forefront. You’ll explore:

Cold smoking
Cooking lamb over open flame
Working with our outdoor Engel fireplace
Managing heat, smoke and timing

Kitchen Garden Tour

Take a tour of our kitchen gardens to stretch your legs, learn about our seasonal produce.

Plating Demonstration

Finish the learning component with a session on plating and presentation — so your dishes look just as impressive as they taste.

Shared Lunch

Your day concludes with a generous late lunch featuring:

A variety of lamb cuts
House-made sauces and rubs
Seasonal sides and greens from the garden
Dessert
A complimentary house soda, local craft beer, or regional wine

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the sweeping views over the Muriwai Valley while enjoying a beautiful lunch together.

Our Butcher - Nick Thomson

Growing up north of Auckland, on the Hibiscus Coast, food ran in Nicks blood from an early age.

He completed his apprenticeship, and now has over twenty years of hands on experience under his belt. Nick honed his craft around the world in NZ, AUS, the UK and Europe, working alongside and closely with some of the world’s most renown chefs.

‘Food to me is medicine. What we put into our bodies and knowing what we are putting into our bodies, is very important. Food to me is medicine, community & conversations. As a butcher, I just view my craft as finishing off the great work the farmer has done, and creating cuts that bring simplicity to the home cook. I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside the likes of Fergus Henderson, Michael Van de Elzen, and Gill Miller. I’ve learnt alot from those guys’.

Nick now owns and runs butchery ‘Marrow’ in Orewa, Auckland

Lamb. Smoke. Fire

Summer / Autumn / Winter / Spring

12 Guest Maximum

Duration 6 hours – 9:00am – 3:00 pm

$350per person

Your day with us

Tea or Coffee on arrival
Butchery Class with our expert Butcher – Nick from Marrow
Hands-on cooking class with Mike Van De Elzen, including smoking different cuts and making sausages.
Tour of Kitchen gardens
Late Lunch served with a complimentary local beer or wine
Recipes to take home
Pack of sausages made in the class to take home

Please note: we require a minimum of 10 people for this class to commence.

We require all guests to wear closed toe shoes.