Selina Wright: The Fat Duck co-owner on the Te Anau spot being named New Zealand's best gastropub

A popular Southland hotspot has been named Supreme Champion at the 2025 Estrella Damm Top 50 New Zealand Gastropubs Awards last night.

Te Anau's The Fat Duck has been name New Zealand's best gastropub - and has received praise for its 'outstanding' culinary offerings and service.

Co-owner Selina Wright joined the Afternoons team to discuss the pub's success - and reveal how The Fat Duck got its name.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
So let's have a chat about the greatest pubs in
the country. The Top fifty New Zealand Guestro Pub Awards
were held last night and the Supreme Champion was awarded
to The Fat Duck in Tiano, beautiful part of the country.
So to chat about what makes a great pub, we're
joined by one of the owners of The Fat Duck,
Selena Wrights. Good afternoon, Selena.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Hi, guys, how are you doing today?

Speaker 4 (00:41):
Fantastic? What makes your Fat Duck so good?

Speaker 3 (00:46):
I think what makes the Fat Duck so good is
it's got to be all about the team. We've got
this amazing team of people who are really passionate about
what they do. It's not just the food, it's the hospitality.
They care about each other, they care about the community.
And yeah, I think that's all part of what makes

(01:07):
us the best gets through a pub brilliant.

Speaker 4 (01:10):
And where did the name fat Duck come from?

Speaker 3 (01:13):
Oh my gosh, Oh, We're perfectly honest with you. I
don't know. We actually we purchased Cam and I have
owned the restaurant for nine years and when we purchased it,
it already had that name, so we can't take credit
for the name. I'm afraid.

Speaker 4 (01:28):
Well, you didn't ask, you don't know, you didn't go.
We're just buying this part. We're signing the pages.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
We really should have.

Speaker 4 (01:35):
Well, well, it makes me hungry the name for it.
But anyway, not a huge population in Tire now, like,
what is it three thousand people? Is is it mainly
locals that come into to your pub or is it tourists.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
We're a really touristy town, so we're the gateway through
to Milford Sound and Doubtful Sounds. So in summer we
do the town does have a massive influx of tourists
and that would be a main client tow but yeah,
through winter, when the tourists have gone, we do have
quite a few locals come through and we always love
to see the locals come out que quite often all

(02:08):
of coming out in summer and winter's kind of the
time to come and have a meal.

Speaker 4 (02:13):
Tell us about the process, process that you went through
to win this prize.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
So they open up applications, so we put in our application.
We have descriptions, we submen at menus, and then there
are four judges that are judging the competition and they
look at their application, they look at their menus, they
look at their reviews. They have a sort of a
whole bunch of criteria that they look at, and then

(02:39):
from there they narrow it down to the fifty best
gastropubs in New Zealand and then from there they award
regional winners and also won overall Supreme winner.

Speaker 4 (02:51):
And so you came up for the awards.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
We did absolutely. So we won the lowest South Island
which was fantastic, and then we were taken quite by
surprise last night when we won the overall Supreme award
as well. So that was pretty amazing.

Speaker 4 (03:07):
Did you deliver a decent speed?

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (03:10):
Can? Did the speech? It was pretty short, to be honest,
I think we're so it was pretty short.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah, fantastic. Can I run a couple of things past you,
Selena and what I think makes a great pub and
see if the Fat Duck has it?

Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Absolutely, live music, Oh.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
My goodness, the first question. So we used to have
live music really regularly. Now we kind of have it
occasionally when we can. We're a small town, so we
don't have a heap of options around live music here,
but when we can we do all right.

Speaker 4 (03:39):
There's a great band that's not too far from you,
covers being called the wheel Wolves of Lumsden. If you
if you're looking for some great covers.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
It's a good name, all right.

Speaker 4 (03:48):
Yeah, that's a good name.

Speaker 3 (03:50):
We'll have to give him about happy hour, Absolutely happy
hour from five to six.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
Every day, fantastic. Do you have the odd meat raffle
every now and again?

Speaker 3 (04:01):
Do you know we do not have the odd meat raffle.
We are probably more restaurant than pubs, so meat raffles
not quite acting. And there is there is another place
in town that does a great meat wrestle.

Speaker 4 (04:13):
So yeah, I'm anti meat rafel. I've won meat raffles
a couple of times. Nothing that you don't know what
to do with them. It's pretty awkward.

Speaker 3 (04:19):
Yeah, you won't beat a good meat raffle.

Speaker 4 (04:22):
One night I want to meet Refel, ended up putting
it down in front of my pants and walking around
all night with it and then woke up with it.

Speaker 2 (04:29):
Hi, what about the quiz night? Is that still a thing?

Speaker 4 (04:32):
The quiz night?

Speaker 3 (04:33):
Oh, quiz nights? Again, We're not really that the new
and there are a couple of other places that now
that do a fantastic quiz night.

Speaker 4 (04:40):
So how many pubs? How many pubs have you got in?

Speaker 3 (04:44):
Oh, gosh, we have got We're definitely more gastro pubs,
certainly more restaurants style. I'd say we've definitely got a
good three or four sort of pubs. But they do
have restaurants attached as well.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yea.

Speaker 3 (05:03):
And then we've got some great offerings in terms of
restaurants and cause been here in Tian now for the
size of the town.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
Yeah, And what's your go to on the dinner menu
for you personally?

Speaker 3 (05:15):
Oh, you can't beat the Loumina lamb as absolutely fabulous.
I don't think we've ever had, you know, a negative
comment about it. Everyone comes and they absolutely love it.
But I would also always recommend a couple of small
plates to share a little bit of sharing and try
a little bit extra.

Speaker 4 (05:33):
Yeah, I'm just looking at the menu you call the
Fat Dark. If I went to the Fat Dark, I'd
expect to get a fat duck. You've got the fat duck,
pet Hay, and you've got that, You've got the duck. Wanton's,
We've got duck wanton's yet, but you're not just slapping
a big fat duck on a plate and willing it.

Speaker 3 (05:49):
You know what. I am definitely going to put that
request into the ship for the next menu change. Yep.

Speaker 4 (05:57):
Well, congratulations of I guess the final question key we
tennis lu Lusun was from Tianna. Wasn't she just lu
Lusn ever coming to the fat duck when she's in town?

Speaker 3 (06:08):
Oh? I don't know if she's been in to be honest,
I know she was here recently with tennis club. I
haven't personally seen her in, but maybe we should send
her an invite next time she's in town.

Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah. Absolutely, Selena has been great to chat to you,
and congratulations once again for the award and hopefully we'll
be down there to see you soon and have some
duck wantons.

Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yep, that sounds good. Thank you so much.

Speaker 4 (06:32):
There, there you go, the Supreme Champion at the twenty
twenty five New Zealand Gestro Pub Awards.

Speaker 1 (06:38):
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