OCTOBER 2025
The Tastemaker with the highest score this month will win the SMEG black hand blender and a SMEG pastel green toaster valued at $788 – the perfect addition to any kitchen.
Along with your Tastemaker box, there is a wide range of staples. Check out the list here.
What's in this month's box?
NEW! Apostle Red Wine & Plum Herb Salt
An elegant, vivid herb salt that brings a splash of colour and burst of flavour to any dish.
Silver Fern Farms Lamb Medallions
The Lamb Medallions are selected for melt-in-the-mouth tenderness and are succulent and juicy every time.
Grove Avocado Oil
Grove Extra Virgin Avocado Oil has a delicate, slightly buttery flavour and exceptionally high smoke point, making it a healthy choice for baking and perfect for searing food at high temperatures.
Blink Edible Dianthus
Dianthus flowers are edible with a sweet, clove-like flavour and vibrant shades of pink, red and magenta that brighten any dish.
Rainbow Chard
Versatile in the kitchen, chards tender leaves shine in sautés, stir-fries and hearty soups, while the crisp stalks add crunch to salads or can be pickled for a tangy twist.
Oyster Mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms, with their delicate, fan-like caps in soft earthy tones, offer a mild, seafood-like umami flavour that elevates dishes.
Endive
Endive, with its crisp, red-tinged leaves forming tight, bullet-shaped heads, delivers a pleasantly bitter, nutty flavour that adds zing to salads and appetisers.
Asparagus
Asparagus, with its slender, tender green spears, boasts a fresh, grassy flavour with subtle sweetness that heralds spring harvests.
Piccolo Potatoes
These petite, fingerling-like tubers with vibrant red, purple, or golden skins, deliver a creamy, nutty flavour with a tender bite that shines in simple preparations.
Golden Beets
Golden beets, with their sunny yellow-orange hues and smooth, earthy skins, offer a milder, sweeter flavour than their red counterparts, without the staining issues!
What else can I use?
There is a full list of staples that can be used in a dish. From flours and vinegars to spices and sauces, there's loads to help you create something delicious.
What's the scoring criteria?
Each dish will be judged on four key criteria, each rated out of 25, for a total of 100 points:
Creativity (25 points): How innovative and original is your dish? We reward bold flavour combinations and unique approaches to the mystery box ingredients.
Use of Ingredients (25 points): How effectively did you incorporate the mystery box items? Tasteraters look for thoughtful integration that highlights the provided products, rather than how many products you use.
Presentation (25 points): Does your dish look as good as it tastes? Visual appeal, plating, and attention to detail are key.
The X Factor (25 points): That special something that makes your dish stand out - whether it’s a surprising twist, storytelling, or sheer wow-factor.