If you rear your own animals and want to turn one of them in to your dinner then look no further than May Meat. The friendly staff and professional services mean that your animals are well cared for during the entire home kill process.

For fresh or frozen meat, Hellaby has you covered. Serving the local community since 1873, these guys certainly know what they’re doing. Expect locally reared meats and they even sell carcasses if you want to make some delicious stock.

A gourmet butchery right in the heart of Cromwell, the staff here are qualified and professional butchers with vast experience. My favourites include dry cured bacon, boneless ham, ham on the bone and hot smoke salmon.

For some of the best salami, bacon and sausages in Dunedin, head to Jon’s. With hundreds of meat cuts available, you’ll find it hard to pick what you’d like to have for dinner. Expect excellent service too.

There’s a lot to love about Oamaru, not to mention the Ribble Street Butchery. The Ribble Street Butchery is a cute and fun place to get your dinner for the evening. My favourite meat of choice is the chippolatas (which is an amazing breakfast sausage delicious with bacon and eggs in the morning!)

Voted Canterbury’s No. 1 abattoir, it’s hard to beat the Halswell Butchery for the freshest and highest quality meat. You won’t be disappointed by the enormous steaks and delicious cheerios. They’re my favourite!

For premium cuts of tasty beat, Peter Timbs is a goodie. I head to Peter Timbs whenever I’m having a BBQ at home or heading out for a picnic. My favourite of all their products is the hot smoked salmon. It’s superb.

A family owned Cheviot-based butchery, Harris Meats is where all the great restaurants of Christchurch go for their meat cuts. They’re award winners and their famous Harris Meat Pies are my favourite!

The freshest and tastiest meats can be found at Banfields. They’re a local favourite of mine because they specialise in organic meats and their dry cured bacon is to die for!

The best things about Traiteur is not only is it a butchery but a deli as well. They make and sell the finest food in Merivale, along with a delicious selection of meats and fish. You’ll find flavours of meat here that you can’t find elsewhere in Christchurch.

A little cafe tucked away down an arcade, Reality Bites is always a good healthy food options. With vegetarian, vegan and raw food options available, you’re bound to find something that tickles your fancy here.

For $12 lunches that are healthy and delicious, I always like to go to Charming Thai. This Ashburton-based restaurant dishes up an amazing array of Thai dishes made by internationally recognised chefs. A must visit!

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Malabar is my favourite healthy lunch stop whenever I’m heading north. My favourite dishes are the South Indian style fish curry and Chargrilled salmon , ginger, black pepper & Fish sauce. Yum!

For tasty Chinese food that isn’t going to give you an overdose of sodium or MSG, Welcome Vegetarian is just the place. Specialising in meat-free Chinese dishes, this place is certainly a favourite of mine. They even have vegan ice cream!

This Lyttelton-based cafe is a favourite of mine. The healthy lunch options are always great on the weekend if you happen to miss the local farmers market. They specialise in meat-free meals so that has got to be good for you!

I love sushi and I love Bento Sushi for its fresh ingredients and freshly rolled lunches. Service is quick and friendly and the lunches are always healthy and delicious!

I love a good Japanese meal and I love Kims for its sushi and its amazing cooked dishes. The restaurant is a great place to spend your lunch break during the working week. It’s a fun and friendly place to hang.

For a quick and healthy bite to eat, I like Louise Cafe and Tapas Bar for their salads and sandwiches. The fireplace is somewhere I always like to cosy up to in the winter months.

For fresh and healthy food in Te Anau, you can’t go past Naturally Fiordland. The food here is heavy on the vegetarian and vegan side. The pizzas are healthy and delicious. A great place to stop if you’re on a health bent or diet.

The Kuaka Cottage is a magical little getaway. If you’re looking for a weekend getaway, head here and you’ll be treated with beautiful views, friendly people and healthy vegetarian lunches.

For healthy Indian food with flavour, Priya Indian Restaurant is the place for you. Dishing up lunches every day of the weekend, the guys and girls here can make your meal vegetarian or vegan, depending on healthy you wish to go

Priya Indian Restaurant is a favourite healthy food restaurant I like to visit in Hokitika AND Franz Josef. Their superb meals are delicious and healthy (just don’t order the naan!). A great way to warm up during a Franz Josef winter.

We all know salmon is good for us right? The Salmon Farm Cafe have salmon lunches perfected. Their salmon salad is probably the healthiest meal on the menu and arguably the tastiest too!

If you like salads and fresh sandwiches, head to Station House Cafe. A favourite of mine whenever I’m on the west coast. The soup is pretty darn good too whenever the weather turns cold.

Joyful is the only all Vegan café in Dunedin. It’s only open on Saturdays at the Otago Farmers Market so I always make an effort head on down there, rain or shine, to take my pick from their amazing vegan baked cakes and other sweet delights.

This vegan-friendly Dunedin restaurant is superb. I’d go far as to say that the vegetarian food is some of the best in the city! They even have an in-house bakery cooking up all sorts of vegetarian delights for you to chow down on. Take out is available too!

The Zucchini Brothers dish out some healthy salads (along with their delicious pizzas!), perfect for lunch. If you want a pizza without loads of calories then say hello to their three pepper pasta and veggie pizza – delicious food without the guilt.

Riverstone is a favourite stop whenever I’m heading south to Dunedin from Christchurch. The changing menu is fresh and local, and you can even grab a healthy salad and black coffee to go.

I love Caribbean and Latin American food, and luckily Caribe Latin Kitchen are pros at delivering burritos, quesadilla, and tapas for my lunch! The outdoor seating is great whenever the sun is shining in Queenstown. Definitely a favourite haunt of mine.