The return of the Montheith's Wild Food Challenge has wrapped up for 2025, after a jury of experts picked the best dish.
The hunt for New Zealand’s wildest dish is over. The Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge has wrapped for 2025, with The Smoking Barrel taking out the top spot thanks to their exceptional dish, the ‘Wild Pitmasters Smoked Platter’, matched with Monteith’s Phoenix IPA.
On Wednesday, 18th June, the top five public-voted dishes from across the country went head-to-head in a high-stakes cook-off finale.
Hosted at a venue in Auckland CBD, the showdown saw finalists serve up their wildest creations to an expert judging panel featuring renowned chef Ben Bayly, spear fisherman and marine biologist Sam Wild, and the founder of West Coast Pies Co Emily Lucas,
Following intense deliberation and extremely close scoring, the judges crowned The Smoking Barrel as 2025’s champion, praising their dish as a perfect fusion of creativity, technique, and wild authenticity.
“This year’s entries were truly next level, but the winning dish just nailed it,” said judge Ben Bayly.
“The Smoking Barrel’s dish truly stood out. It told a compelling story and beautifully tied in elements of nature. You could see and taste the connection. The passion behind it was clear, and it was a perfect match with the IPA. Every flavour on the plate was considered and delicious, with a great sense of variety and balance. It had that ideal mix of foraged and wild ingredients,” he said.
“We really felt the community behind the dish and the restaurant shine through.”
Josiah Smits, Head Chef at The Smoking Barrel in Motueka, shared his excitement after taking out the top spot.
“We’re so thankful for the opportunity to represent Motueka. It’s something we’re incredibly proud of. In the lead-up, we talked a lot about what brought us here and the journey we’ve been on. Our restaurant is celebrating its ninth anniversary this week. That’s most of our kids’ lives, so there’s been a lot of reflection on everything that’s gone into it,” said Smith.
“Moments like this remind us why we do it. We pour what matters most to us into every dish, and we love every element of what we create. To be crowned the winner is a serious achievement, showing we’ve got some of the wildest and boldest flavours in Aotearoa is pretty special.”
This year marked a triumphant return for the Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge after an eleven-year hiatus, with over 100 venues from around Aotearoa stepping up to the plate.
DB Breweries Senior Marketing Manager, Kate Baars, said the return of the Challenge couldn’t have gone better.
“The Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge has always been about celebrating Aotearoa’s unique ingredients, our creativity, and love of wild flavours. Bringing it back after 11 years and seeing how many venues, both large and small, get involved really shows how much passion there is for it across the country.”
From beloved neighbourhood gastropubs to fine dining, the 2025 challenge was a showcase of New Zealand’s wild bounty and culinary imagination, one bite at a time.
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