When Judy and Warrick Hyland opened The Old Packhouse Market in 2014 it changed the face of Kerikeri, instantly becoming a hub for small growers and artisans in the region and a real drawcard for both local shoppers and tourists alike. The café and bakery are well loved for delicious made-from-scratch products, including sourdough breads, exceptional croissants and pastries and amazing cheese scones. The team behind these is Annie Niemann, head pastry chef and kitchen manager and Lisa Sutherland, head baker.

Originally from Tutakaka, Lisa turned a love of baking into a small home-based celebration-cake business while living in Windsor, England in her 20s. Returning to New Zealand she followed another passion, becoming a dive master and guiding and instructing in our oceans. Covid put an end to that tourism-focussed career path so, like so many others, Lisa decided to take up baking again. After completing a baking course at North Tec in Whangārei, Lisa was keen to work and learn more on the job and searched for somewhere where baking from scratch was a priority. Kerikeri’s proximity to the Poor Knights Islands and the surrounding coastlines may have swayed her a little, but the Packhouse was just the place to build her skills and share her love of baking.

On arrival in New Zealand as part of her ongoing OE, Annie was already a trained pastry chef, having served an apprenticeship in Berlin at the parliament building working at a renowned restaurant learning the crafts of traditional cake making, desserts, plating, ice cream and chocolates. Following that came a stint in Switzerland, working in a five-star hotel and a grand café for two years. A working holiday job at Makana chocolate café brought her to Kerikeri for a few months, but when lockdown hit – with flights and holiday plans cancelled – she was forced to stay put. She started work at The Old Packhouse Market café on a three-year work visa and, won over by the amazing landscapes, hiking, proximity to the ocean and lovely people, Annie is now a permanent resident. She misses chocolate from home, schnitzel with hollandaise, potato and white asparagus (though she makes special drives to Cambridge to an asparagus grower there) but loves to bake and share her German cheesecake as it is not too sweet, light and absolutely delicious.

Here Annie and Lisa have shared that and some more of their favourite recipes from the café, including lots of locally made or locally grown ingredients that celebrate the abundance of the autumn season.