Introducing Our Wild Side: Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge 2025

Get ready, The White Swan is stepping into the wild! We're thrilled to be part of the 2025 Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge, serving up bold, adventurous flavours paired with your favourite Monteith’s brew. From May 1st to 31st, join us to experience our special wild creation — crafted to celebrate the best of the hunt, the harvest, and a bit of Swan flair.

Teaming up with the legends at Wild Fiordland, our chefs have crafted a dish that’s as Kiwi as it gets: a Wapiti Venison Pie. Think rich, wild wapiti venison shoulder slow-cooked to perfection, layered with bold black beer flavours, and finished with a caramelised onion and black garlic sticky jam— with that same black beer running through it. It’s the classic pie, taken to wild new heights with the rib reflecting just this.

Tom Monk, Swan Execuvtive Chef says “The main inspiration behind the dish was to hero the supplier and what they do for Fiordland, and what they do for he area. It was so great to have a dish that is supplier lead.”,

“I also pick up the pastry from our local Claireville Bakery on my way to work, and there’s something special in supporting locals, doing good things locally” Tom says.

We’re pairing it with a Monteith’s Hazy Pale Ale, just to keep the good times flowing.

And here’s the best part — when you order our Wapiti Venison Pie, you’re not just treating yourself to an epic feed. You’re helping protect one of New Zealand’s greatest treasures: Fiordland National Park. A portion of every wild wapiti harvested supports conservation projects led by the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation — from pest control to habitat restoration. (You can read more about their incredible work here).

So come get amongst it. Eat wild. Do good. And get voting, if you love it as much as we do, you can vote for The Swan to be crowned the ultimate winner. This year there’s an exciting new twist: when you vote, you could be in to twin the ultimate West Coast Fishing Trip for you and three mates with local guide Sam Wild. Find out more about the challenge here.

Get ready, pie lovers — it’s time to go wild.