Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i Country Style

DURING THE PLANNING of this issue, which focuses on sustainability and caring for the environment, I started looking into how I could improve my own behaviour and change my buying habits. I researched washing powder sheets and I’m now a devoted Lucent Globe customer. The plastic-free Laundry Sheets were founded by twin brothers from the Gold Coast, who were dismayed by all the plastic rubbish they saw as they travelled. You simply pop one sheet in with your load of washing and everything comes out clean as a whistle. Even better, they take up very little space in the laundry. I’ve been a long-time customer of Who Gives a Crap and along with their plastic-free, sustainable toilet paper, I buy tissues, dishcloths and kitchen paper. And just like with Lucent…

DAY BY DAY, STUDENT by student, florist, mentor and educator Nadine Brown is changing the shape of the Australian floristry industry. With 30 years of floral experience tucked into her toolkit, the warm and friendly creative is dedicated to sharing her skills and knowledge on eco-friendly practices and operating in an ethical, authentic way. Since 2019, Nadine has been an international ambassador for the Sustainable Floristry Network, a global operation spearheading future-positive floral design. “I felt chuffed to be included in that realm,” Nadine, 53, says. “I see it as a big honour and responsibility to continue talking about sustainability. People tend to tune out when that word is thrown around, or they feel judged, but I don’t think anyone should be shamed into doing anything. It’s about educating people.”…

LATE LAST YEAR, Stephen McCredie and Pip Carew realised a dream to move to the country. Their plan – conceived two decades ago – became not only an exciting tree change for the Melbourne-based couple as they approached retirement, but also an example of what can be achieved through sustainable design. The result is an energy-efficient Passivhaus (or Passive House) that sits comfortably in the rugged landscape of Taungurung Country, 168 kilometres north of Melbourne, Victoria. It began on a road trip in the Christmas holidays of 1999. “Pip and I had a conversation about what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives, once our children had left home,” Stephen recalls. “We passed an olive grove on the Mornington Peninsula and thought, ‘What a lovely thing to…

Editor KYLIE IMESON Creative director SARAH FARAGO Deputy editor HANNAH JAMES Queensland contributing editor CLAIRE MACTAGGART Art director BERNHARD SCHMITZ Junior designer SAFFRON SYLVESTER Stylist KATE LINCOLN Features writer REBECCA HOOTON Junior writer LISA EASEY Chief copy editor, Homes Group PETER GRIFFITHS Senior copy editor GRETA DUMBLETON Copy editors JULIA FAIRLEY, GINA FLAXMAN, KATEY KNIGHT Editorial coordinator ANNA CAMPBELL ADVERTISING AND PRODUCTION Commercial brand manager MICHELLE O’HANLON Advertising production manager KATE ORSBORN Director of sales – NSW, VIC, SA KAREN HOLMES Head of direct sales – VIC, SA, WA WILL JAMISON Queensland head of sales JUDY TAYLOR Creative director CLARE CATT Senior event manager CATE GAZAL Head of Directories REBECCA WHITE Data and distribution manager JOSHUA BLANSHARD Production controller KARA STEAD Advertising production controller DOMINIC ROY All advertising inquiries ADVERTISING@AREMEDIA.COM.AU…

I’VE JUST COME HOME from our local tennis club’s AGM. All the regulars were there – the people who volunteer on the committees of the football club, rotary club and tennis club; those small-town institutions that stitch us together as a community. But tonight was a little different. One of our stalwarts has died and the hole she left felt huge. She was one of the first people I met when I turned up at the tennis club. A woman a few decades ahead of me, with a reliable serve, an ability to return anything, and a keeper of the spirit of the game. Just as Wimbledon dictates that players must wear white, so too my friend enforced Spring Bay Tennis Club’s unwritten rules that you should hit the ball…

AT THE FOOTHILLS of the Hunter Valley’s Watagan Mountains in New South Wales is the lovingly-tended-to Little Hill Farm. Its custodians, Simon Carroll and Kelly Eaton, have spent the past 10 years transforming the “blank canvas” of their 32 hectares into a thriving operation raising clean, chemical-free pastured poultry. The duo sells their product to some of the region’s finest eateries, including Muse Restaurant, Bistro Molines and EXP. Restaurant, along with Sean’s in Sydney. “We feel very supported by the community,” says Kelly, 41. “And that’s been essential to the success of our business.” While Kelly and Simon have always had a passion for organic food and even managed to raise pigs and meat birds while living in the suburbs, it wasn’t until 2013 that they became fully-fledged farmers. Simon,…

IS THE HUMBLE PIE the first true ‘food to go’? Perhaps the late Earl of Sandwich has a legitimate claim, but there are a few food items that fall into this category. Though not unique to Australia, the pie was proudly emblematic of our cuisine throughout the early 20th century. Differentiating our version from its English prototype, the Aussie pie is commonly referred to as the “poy”, made famous by author Afferbeck Lauder, whose seminal work, Let Stalk Strine, proudly placed our vernacular on the map. The beef mince and gravy poy remained unchanged for decades and became the official food mascot for our unique game of footy, Aussie Rules. Four’N Twenty poys became the snack of choice at VFL and AFL grounds. Poys were part of the holy trinity…

IN BOX, FROM LEFT Cotton Linen Polyester Rectangular Small Half Soft Box, $12.95, from Muji. Hand Soap Black Pump Bottle and Two Refills, $26, from Asuvi, is palm oil-free with compostable refills. Hand and Body Wash in Tangier, $39, and Refill, $79, from Saardé, comes in a signature refillable glass bottle. The packaging on Spirit Kakadu Plum and Almond Body Lotion, $13.95, from Natio, is made from renewable sugarcane. Colgate Toothbrush Bamboo Two Pack, $7.99, from Chemist Warehouse, features a 100 per cent biodegradable bamboo handle. FRONT, FROM LEFT The aluminium-free Women’s Deodorant White Reusable Tube, $24, and Refill, $20, from Asuvi, comes with biodegradable refills. Heali Kiwi Calming Solid Shampoo Bar, $22, from Ethique, is a soap-free formula with a compostable box. Lime Caviar Collagen-Rich Firming Cream, $59, from…

FAMILY FAVOURITE Every month, I walk up to our local newsagent and get the latest issue of Country Style. I find myself excited for that moment of calm when I get to sit down with a cup of tea and flick through the glorious pages, reading stories and gaining inspiration. The love affair started with my mum – she’s been an avid subscriber and would hand the magazines to me once she was finished. I now soak up this moment of calm; even more so with a newborn. Country Style has everything I need: things to do, how to style, and beautiful stories of community and heart. K Hamilton, Clayfield, Qld LOVE FOR TASSIE The August issue of Country Style was a wonderful tribute to Tasmania! It’s been many years…

1 Ruhlmann Factory pendant in Bronze with White Glass and Brass Interior, $3290, from The Montauk Lighting Co. 2 Large ceramic bell pendant light in Storm, $250, from Robert Gordon. 3 Antique French Grey painted sunflower armoire, $3600, from Dusty Luxe. 4 Peggy pegboard in Birch, $250, from Plyroom. 5 Nomad Green bean bag (unfilled), $770, from Koskela. 6 Bandy stool in Raw/Oak, $1988, from Jardan. 7 Daniel Robertson Overland bricks, from $2411 per 1000, from Daniel Robertson Brickworks. 8 Handmade ceramic basin in Mist, $1595, from Lindsey Wherrett. 9 Coast rug in Pandanas Tree, from $130, from Hali. 10 20th century antique French carver armchair, $720, from Dusty Luxe. 11 Kangaroo Valley by Harry Emmett painting, $650, from Vintage Art Emporium.…

TRAILBLAZING IS THE word that comes to mind when describing Brad and Narelle Scott, founders of plastic recycling company Transmutation. “We’re the only people we know recycling and repurposing [plastics] in Australia. It’s gone from a small, sort of wacky business at the start to something revolutionary,” Brad says. Repurposing polystyrene bread tags into high-quality homewares for brands like Country Road, Transmutation is a game-changer in the world of sustainability. But the couple, much like their evolving company, had humble beginnings. “We met on the school bus,” Brad says. “I was 15 and she was 16, so we’re childhood sweethearts.” Since then, Brad, 53, and Narelle, 54, have been a dynamic duo, raising children Ben, now 31, and Teaghan, 30, while Brad served in the army, rising to the rank…

AFTER A DECADE LIVING in the hippie and dotcom capital of San Francisco, acupuncturist Ingvild Flesland and psychologist Olaf Rademacher felt they’d had enough of city life. They were longing to return to the natural wonders of their native Norway – a longing that will be all too familiar for many Norwegians. The couple had also had two daughters during their time in California and wanted them to grow up in green surroundings. “We found a four-hectare forest plot six and a half kilometres west of Oslo, and then all that remained was to find a suitable house,” says Ingvild of their move back in 1998 to this isolated spot, which is deep in the woods but only a 30-minute train journey from Oslo. “We wanted an ‘old and charming…

Taste the seasons In 2017, when chef Zoe Birch opened Greasy Zoe’s in Hurstbridge, Vic, she decided to only use organic produce from hyperlocal farmers. Zoe and her partner, Lachlan, make everything in-house and the menu changes daily. It’s feel-good food – and Zoe’s won two chef’s hats for 2023, so you know it’s delicious, too. Visit greasyzoes.com.au BAKE, PRESERVE, FERMENT Inside the bowlo at Lorne, on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, you’ll find Little Picket restaurant, where hatted chef Jo Barrett is turning out superb, farm-to-plate dishes. Now her cookbook is out, packed with recipes and how-to guides that make sustainable, no-waste cooking simple. Sustain: Groundbreaking Recipes and Skills That Could Save the Planet by Jo Barrett ($55, Hardie Grant Books). pantry perfect Set up the kitchen pantry of your…

WHEN IT COMES TO an issue like sustainability, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. The list of things you can’t control or afford to change seems to swamp any changes that are within your power. This is how I feel, anyway. But what if we reframe our thinking? In cooking, it’s all too easy to decide what to eat and cook with little reference to what we have in the fridge, pantry and garden. Ducking to the shops for an ingredient can be done with ease; often we don’t think about what is already on hand. Swaps and substitutions were commonplace for our parents and grandparents, but this seems to have gone out of fashion. Not only is this way of cooking preferable in terms of sustainability and minimising waste, but…

GOOD BAD GIRL Alice Feeney, Pan Macmillan, $34.99 Sally Hepworth (The Soulmate) held the record for plot twists – until now. Feeney soars past. Once you’ve finished her dizzying murder mystery about a family that doesn’t know it’s a family, you’ll be dipping back to answer: “But how…?” “Couldn’t she have…?” It’s all there, but told at such a cracking pace that to keep track of the plot – along with who knew what and when – is quite a feat. The characters demonstrate that both best and worst is in most of us. Only two are irredeemably awful – one gets what she deserves; the other cruises along happily. He embodies the cynicism of the current art scene. Will this become a movie? Hard to find actors who can…

AT THE MUSEUM INSPIRED BY GREEK AND ROMAN ANTIQUITIES, THIS EXTRAORDINARY NECKLACE IS ON DISPLAY IN SYDNEY. IN THE MID-19TH CENTURY, Thomas Cook and Son changed British tourism with the introduction of package tours to the Continent. Having an agent responsible for travel and accommodation made travel easier and more accessible for all. The historic sites of antiquity in Italy and Greece were popular destinations, along with Egypt and Turkey. The wealthy had been plundering ancient sites and decorating their houses with Greek and Roman sculptures since the 18th century. However, the taste for antiquities reached a peak in the late 19th century when much fashionable jewellery was inspired by archaeological finds. This necklace was made by an unidentified jeweller in England circa 1870. While the design is inspired by…

THERE’S A TRAGICALLY emotive campaign on television at the moment, cajoling us to adopt a koala. It’s pretty darn hard not to reach for the credit card and put a smile on the face of little Blinky Bill, peering pleadingly from the screen. But there are other old fears and phobias that need to be put to rest first. I spent more than a few years of my childhood stressing that I was adopted. Perhaps we all do. I mean, I didn’t look anything like my parents. My dad was much bigger than me. And Mum was a woman, for goodness’ sake! Child psychology wasn’t something we excelled at in our house. On the Sunday afternoon drive to the coast, we’d pass the local orphanage. Twice. Dad’s inevitable joke was…