By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
There are flavours that carry you home. For Toby Worthington, Group Head Chef at Applejack Hospitality, it’s the scent of feijoas ripening in a Bay of Islands garden - a fragrance so fragrant and intoxicating that years spent abroad couldn’t dim its pull.
"After leaving New Zealand,” Toby recalls, "one of the things I missed most was feijoas. No other fruit seemed to compare - they’re simply the most delicious and fragrant I have come across.”
In New Zealand, feijoas are a seasonal abundance, scattered generously across backyards, given freely to friends and neighbours and preserved in countless ways so their fleeting sweetness can be savoured year-round.
For Toby, this humble fruit is inseparable from childhood memories: the kitchen filled with its perfume, the warmth of a family gathered around a familiar favourite.
Among his nostalgic recipes, none is more evocative than the feijoa and apple crumble - a dish that, for him, epitomises comfort, tradition and the quiet joy of home. Served with custard or whipped cream, it’s a recipe that has been passed through generations, simple yet unforgettable.
