Well the bad news is was that the group didn’t make it last night due to poor flying conditions and fog at the Chatham airport. However the weather cleared today and the group departed early this afternoon. Shaun (whitey) Poyinter headed out to the airport at 2pm with Tim the handyman who single handedly loads the bags on the Hotel Chatham luggage trailer, (the irony being that he literally does have only one hand!!).

Due to the cray season not being open at this time of year, we have to use our cooked and snap frozen supply. On the last day of the cray season we had a Big Cray Day cook off with an extra outdoor bbq grill firing with big hot pots. Jason our recently departed (still alive by the way) head chef, and I cooked dozens of cray all day long! We would drown them first in fresh cold water then select the different sized cray and batch cook them. Then from the hot-pot straight back into iced cold water tubs to cool. Then roll them in clingwrap and freeze them in boxes in the outdoor walk in deep freeze.

Now the end of tour season has come around we are short of the smaller cray for the set menu dishes. So tonight we have for our guests a Big Buck cray platter and buffet night!

The crayfish will be accompanied by smoke Hapuka (Groper) wings, Champagne ham on the bone to be carved by Skippy Val jnr, roast rolled beef, marinated raw cod, roast new pots in garlic butter, fresh vege’s, pasta salad, fresh lettuce salad and salted coleslaw tossed in saltless mayo, brandy snaps, fresh fruit salad and ambrosia with cream.

If your here tonight the buffet will be extended for non tour guests and bar patrons. Bar meals can also be ordered as per usual……