A Wild Thyme:

• About 1.5 kg wild Venison mince - best if you have harvested your self or if it is pest control from kiwi conservation area.
• 3, 4 or 5 cloves of garlic (maybe more) - If you have access to wild garlic all the better.
• Carrots - yeah about that many looks about right, best harvested from your own garden.
• Bay Laurel leaves - just a couple from in the garden.
• A sprig of wild Thyme - not too much (may require a trip to Gibbston in the Queenstown Lakes).
• Wild kawakawa - a good 4 or 6 leaves. Take one of the kids out to the local state forest park to harvest these.
• Fresh water from an alpine stream (or just the tap).
• Mead, I used Rewarewa mead (honey wine) to add a but of that special flavour.

Brown off the venison mince with <organic> butter that you have beaten by hand.
Throw in the carrots (cut to 5mm cubes) and brown them a little.
When carrots have started to brown a little chuck in the garlic - smashed/crushed.
Add some water - yeah that amount will do.
Chuck in the Bay and Thyme leaves (be careful of the wild thyme - this stuff is much stronger than your garden variety
Simmer for an hour or so, what ever…
Add the kawakawa shortly before serving - this is a very aromatic herb that is both fruity and slightly peppery.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Back story:
Each year a group of friends get to gether and have a soup off - each family bring along a big pot of soup and then we have a vote off to find a winner.

This year the above soup came in 4th out of 10. The people that liked it loved it - the kids (yes they get equal votes) mostly didn’t like the complex flavours of of the wild thyme and kawakawa–