Held in Cromwell the fruit bowl of the south, the Cromwell Cherry Festival celebrates the first delicious stonefruit of the season. This is a unique event where contestants compete to spit a cherry stone the farthest and for the chance to represent New Zealand at the Cherry Harmony Festival Australasian championships held in Manjimup, Western Australia.  Held every year on 4th January the event has grown to host not only the cherry spitting championship but a festival of all things about cherries. The festival celebrations will take place in the the Cromwell Mall, including a cherry pie baking competition, cherry pie eating competition, a kids colouring competition and a cherry / ping pong ball race in the mall stream. Join in the fun and festivities, and make sure you have a go to spit your cherry stone the farthest. Remember if you win you will head to Manjimup in Western Australian for the Australasian championship in December 2011. The 2011 Cromwell winner ‘spit’ a Cherry Stone a distance of 11.61m. How far do you think you can spit? For more information contact: Cromwell Promotions info@cromwell.org

Laurel Brent from Lake Dunstan Motel in Cromwell created the 2011 Cherry Festival Prize winning 'Cherry Pie Recipe'. You have got to try this.

CHERRY PIE

Filling
500gms pitted fresh cherries (very ripe) - Central Otago's are best!
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Cornflour

Mix together in a saucepan and just bring to the boil gently. Add a good "gulp" of Cherry Liquer. The filling mixture will be quite 'thick'. Cool and Refrigerate.

Sweet Pastry
Soften 125gms butter and beat with 125gms Sugar and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Add a small egg and beat again.
Sift in 250gms flour with 1 tsp baking powder and mix. If mixture is too wet / sticky add a little more flour.
Press 3/4 mix into pie tin, add cold cherry pie filling and dot rest of the pastry mixture on top.
Bake approximately 30 minutes at about 160 degrees Celsius.
(This pastry is also nice made with half flour and half cornflour)