Three Central Otago restaurants have made the finals of the Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards.
Pitches Store in Ophir, Carrick in Bannockburn and Wakatipu Grill at The Hilton in Queenstown are among nine finalists chosen from 62 entrants.
They were required to create an original dish using one of the Silver Fern Farms cuts of lamb, beef, venison or Silere alpine origin merino.
Judges scored the dishes based on preparation and cooking, taste and texture, creativity, and promotion.
Pitches Store served up smoked eye fillet and green tea, while Carrick's head chef Gwen Harvie, who was also a finalist in the 2014 awards, created oven-roasted venison on a warm puy lentil, heirloom tomato, truffle and rocket salad with thyme jus.
Wakatipu Grill's sous chef Jaeyong Jang produced alpine origin merino loin, smoked aubergine puree, gochujang glazed young vegetables, mint pea soil, quinoa crumbed house-made labne and Madeira jus.
The dishes will remain on the restaurant's menus until March and the winners will be announced in February.
