Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2023 i Country Style

AT THIS TIME of year when I was a child, Christmas cards would start arriving for Mum and Dad from family friends around Australia. Not only was there a card, but folded inside was a letter containing a year’s worth of information, catching us up on where they were living now, where they’d been on holidays, and even if a beloved pet had died. A family photo or two was always included to show how much the children had grown. Given there was no email or social media back then – in fact, we didn’t even have a home phone, let alone a mobile – we looked forward to receiving those letters. And Mum put a lot of effort into writing ours. I’d never met most of the people, or…

PAULINE BANTOCK’S UNWAVERING commitment to breathing new life into her tiny township in the middle of nowhere in Western Australia has seen her crowned the 2023 Country Style Legends of the Land winner. There were five finalists from across Australia, but Pauline clinched the title for her years of volunteer work at Mogumber, 120 kilometres north-east of Perth. Pauline, 41, says it’s the survival of the fittest for small towns in the bush. “Many towns just disappear, so you’ve got to work hard if you want your town to survive,” she explains. “Mogumber is a little country town with just six houses and a grain silo – blink and you miss us! – but we’ve managed to put it on the map.” Locals have achieved that through the community-run Mogumber…

WHEN PASSIONATE GARDENERS Treska and Dave James found themselves in a newly built house on the South Coast of New South Wales, complete with shiny new furnishings and a lawn “manicured to within an inch of its life”, they had an overwhelming sense that something was missing. “We built a massive home on a postage-stamp block,” says Dave, who, along with Treska, works as a public servant and commutes to Sydney part-time. “What we needed was the opposite – a smaller house and a massive yard.” With Treska, 32, having grown up in Berry and Dave, 31, in Kangaroo Valley, a pull to the countryside led them inland to the town of Picton, south-west of Sydney on Dharawal and Gundungurra land, in 2018. “We’d come to see another property that…

LIFE AS A GROWN-UP can often be pretty prescribed. There’s work. Family. Stuff to do. Jobs lists. How often do we seek out fun just for fun’s sake? Do we even remember what that is? As I repotted an indoor plant a few weeks ago, I realised how much fun I was having. Like, SO much. Maybe you can relate, maybe you can’t, but taking an anthurium (flamingo lily) out of a too-small pot and carefully putting it into a bigger pot, watering it, moving it around the dining room to a better-lit spot, wiping the leaves, culling a spent flower – all of these things added up to pure joy, and I was reminded that gardening of all kinds can be potent therapy. We know that hands-in-the-soil gardening is…

FOR THE OWNERS of award-winning restaurant Chauncy in Heathcote, Victoria, their fondest memories of the festive season are of food bringing loved ones together. The couple grew up in different parts of the world, with French-born chef Louis Naepels celebrating in wintry Paris. His family would sit down to a traditional Christmas meal called Le Réveillon de Noël, with briny oysters shining on the table. In contrast, Melbourne-born sommelier Tess Murray had quintessentially Aussie Christmases spent at the beach, then headed home to a charcuterie spread with cheese, fresh fruit, crudités and dips from the Queen Victoria Market. Their varied celebrations had a shared sentiment: spreading joy through food. And that ideal is also at the heart of their elegant restaurant, which was recently named Regional Restaurant of the…

ONE OF THE SPECIAL THINGS about food, for me, is the intimate connection it shares with memory. Just the smell of certain dishes can place me firmly back in my parents’ kitchen, perched on a stool beside my brothers. Similarly, any mention of trifle, however fleeting, will forever remind me of my grandmother. My grandma – or GG, as she became known in her later years, due to the gaggle of great-grandchildren she delighted in – was a Lancashire lass who brought with her from England an adventurous spirit and an enduring sense of humour. As a war bride, she travelled to Australia by boat, where her first stop was Nyah West, a tiny village along the Murray River in Victoria, during a mouse plague. Not what you would call…

STEPHANIE SHIBBLE FOUNDER AND CURATOR OF SALUBRIOUS LIVING, 35 Stephanie lives with her husband Craig, 40, and their daughters Dolly, four, and Poppie, two (plus Whiskey the Swiss shepherd, six, and cat Widdle, 11) on a cropping property north-west of Narromine, NSW. What do you love about living in the country? I love the freedom and space, and our community. I was raised on the land; my family home isn’t far from where I live now. How would you describe your style? Fresh, relaxed and simple. Who are your style influences? I love actress Asher Keddie and model/chef Vanessa Breuer. What’s the best style advice you’ve ever received? “Less is more”; “Trends come and go, but style endures”. What are your wardrobe essentials? Items that are transeasonal and made from…

AS THE LITTLE FAMILY CAR headed home from Dubbo, two massive sneezes momentarily hindered its progress. “Bugger,” said the Country Squire, “I hope I’m not getting a cold.” The occupants of the car chose to look anywhere but at each other. When the silence was finally broken, it was The Chosen One who, for half a lifetime – and the better half, it must be said – had shared with the Squire what was known as ‘the house of bad jokes’. “I suppose,” she said, in a voice frosted with disapproval, “that your cherished humour has now entered a new sardonic phase.” It was a fair call, because at Dubbo’s Western Cancer Centre they’d just been told the Squire had advanced, inoperable liver cancer and that – in the local…

Editor KYLIE IMESON Creative director SARAH FARAGO Deputy editor HANNAH JAMES Queensland contributing editor CLAIRE MACTAGGART Art director BERNHARD SCHMITZ Senior designer KATRINA MASTROFILIPPO 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 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 MARKETING AND CIRCULATION Marketing director…

HEADS UP Upgrade your bed with this dreamy Alice Bedhead in Penny duck-egg linen – its pretty botanical print contrasts with an elegant piped edge. It’s shown here with the Lucca side table and Adele footstool. Visit heatherlydesign.com.au floor show Choose Tuscan Latium Sisal carpet from International Floorcoverings for a coastal, country – or city – home. Available as a carpet or rug, it’s naturally antimicrobial, insulating and biodegradable. And it looks sensational! Visit interfloors.com.au HELLO DOLLY When Bianca Tzatzagos created her first limited-edition, all-ages storybook in 2020, it soon sold out. Now its heroine, Olive, is back in Olive at the Market – and even better, Olive herself is now a doll who comes complete with a tiny version of the first book. A perfect gift. Visit oliveandthelarder.com lead…

FOR ONLINE PROPRIETOR and Narromine local Stephanie Shibble, there is no better time of year than Christmas. “I’m the one who goes overboard and makes a big fuss,” she says. “I’ve always loved spoiling my friends and family.” So strong is this gift-giving spirit that Steph has found a way to play Santa every day of the year, spreading joy to customers around the country through her online store, Salubrious Living. The idea came about in 2019, while she was on maternity leave from her job as a primary school teacher following the birth of her eldest daughter Dolly, now four. “It grew from a need to find something that I could do from home, with Dolly at my feet,” Steph, 35, explains. “I was very mindful that the younger…

WHEN WAFTS OF FRESHLY baked gingerbread are carried on the country breeze, you know it’s almost Christmas in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. Follow your nose and you’ll find Karon Di Francesco baking with her seven-year-old son, Alessandro, in the cottage they call home. “We make a gingerbread wreath every year, and cookies for his teachers,” Karon says. “Getting Alessandro involved in making gifts is always really special.” The kitchen works overtime on Christmas Eve, as Karon prepares for the hordes that will gather for a feast the following day. As the manager of local organic farm Moonacres’ newly opened cooking school, Karon’s menu always has vibrant vegie dishes as the star of the show, together with traditional glazed ham. “It can be over whelming in summer because…

ON THE DAY OF OUR CHAT, we interrupt fourth-generation farmer Paula Charnock while she is whipper-snippering around the fruit trees at her family orchard, Hillside Harvest, in Borenore, New South Wales. She’s preparing for pick-your-own cherry season, a highly anticipated tradition for the local families, plus many more who make the trip from all over the state. “We’ve got families that have been coming for years and years,” Paula, 49, says. “They pick some cherries, then they put down a picnic blanket under the trees to enjoy some of the fruit. Sometimes we’ll see three or four generations, all together; it’s so nice to see.” It’s a legacy that Paula and her husband Allan, 50, along with her sister Erica and brother-in-law Paul, are proud to continue, having learnt the…

FARMHOUSE CHIC Wallpaper Republic Herbarium Herbs wallpaper, $215/10m, from Milton &King. Isabel vintage glass pendant light, $129, from Ivory &Deene. Winter Green paint, $149.70/4L, from Porter’s Paints. Holyoke table, $1495, from Pepperwhites by Tara Dennis. Vintage dining chairs, $1000 (set of five), from Clo Studios. Luna Aged White urn, $180, from Pepperwhites by Tara Dennis. Botanica vase in Orchard Blossom, $79.95, and Emogen’s Chickens dinner plates, $50 each, from Robert Gordon. Chopping board, stylist’s own. Neve napkin in Forest, $9.95 each, from Provincial Home Living. Laurent cutlery and wine caddy in Antique Grey, $44.95, from French Knot. Vintage bottles, $20 (for two), from Mitchell Road Antiques. Short Twist goblet, $99 (set of four), from Pottery Barn. Vintage bread knife, $35, from Keencut at The Bay Tree. Woodland Acorn Christmas tree…

round the table Keep it bright but classic with Sportscraft’s new tableware, made in collaboration with premium homewares brand In The Roundhouse. Visit sportscraft.com.au FOUR OF A KIND Four Pillars’ famous annual Christmas Gin is here, infused with fruity, spicy flavours and decorated with Australian artist Jo White’s festive work. The Yarra Valley distillery also sells its own ham glaze, made with its Rare Dry Gin, a ham bag featuring more of Jo White’s artwork, and Christmas Gin Puddings, packed with gin-steamed oranges and a splash of Christmas Gin. Visit fourpillarsgin.com MIX IT UP It’s a true kitchen workhorse, and now Thermomix has a magazine out, packed with festive recipes. Thermomix Everyday will help you whip up gourmet gifts, and create meal plans to take the stress out of celebrations.…

HAPPY REMINDER After a period of ill health, your November issue was just what I needed. I was thrilled to find the feature A Vision of Calm and discover what Frances van Hasselt has done in her art-filled cottage in the Karoo. This took me back to my life in Africa and the many journeys our family made driving miles and miles through the Karoo to reach the coast. The vast semidesert reminds me of our Australian outback; I always found something peaceful and unique about the landscape. Also, Steve Cumper’s recipes are always excellent – I enjoyed making his pea and ham soup. Thank you, Country Style, for lifting my spirits. Felicity Rooney, Sale, Vic SPREADING POSITIVITY More than ever we need good news stories. The turmoil of war…

IN TASMANIA, WE CALL holiday houses ‘shacks’. Regardless of whether the house is architecturally designed and fitted with a children’s wing, outdoor kitchen, spa, sauna and wi-fi, or a fibro cabin with a long-drop dunny, it’s a ‘shack’. Our family shack is a true beach shack. It has acquired a flushing loo in the years since it was built by my father-inlaw, but aside from that, it’s luxuriously unsophisticated. There’s a generator which we start up to cook toast, and gas for the fridge, stove and hot water. There are plenty of beds and pillows, a barbie, a boat, some waterskis, a pile of magazines dating back to 1994, cinnamon that expired in Nov ’87, and a bottle of something alarming in the first-aid kit. What else can summer possibly…

A PATCHWORK OF sugarcane fields carpets NSW’s Tweed Valley around Husk Farm Distillery, one of Australia’s very first craft distilleries. Mandy Perkins, who co-founded Husk in 2012 with husband Paul Messenger and their three daughters, loves it here. “We’re in a volcanic caldera that’s slowly eroding away over time,” she says. “When the valley opens out, you can see Wollumbin (Mount Warning), which is the first place the sun hits on the east coast. We can see the Tweed River from our house.” This isn’t just about Mandy’s love of natural beauty: Husk is Australia’s only maker of cultivated rum, which uses fresh cane juice rather than molasses, so the land is intrinsic to the product. Of the family’s 60-hectare farm, 12 hectares are devoted to growing sugarcane, which, come…

I’M OLD ENOUGH to remember when Australian cake shops traded in the reliable and prosaic. It was a time when choices were limited, repertoires were honed, and the public’s appetite for change was yet to be tested and stretched. I remember the cream bun, the vanilla slice, the neenish tart and chocolate eclair. Of course, there would always be a lamington, a jam tart and a pav of some description. These days, it seems every city centre, town, village hamlet and even roadside servo has an Atelier de Patisserie. French pastry has long been the benchmark. Over the decades, Australia has produced notable patisseries, but in the last few years there’s been an explosion of highend pastries and cakes. Much like our superior coffee culture, it is now not unreasonable…

Atria The Alabasters Candle, $299, from Trudon, has the delicate scent of iris and amber with leathery, musky base notes. A blush and bronzer in one, BareMinerals Gen Nude Blonzer in Kiss of Rose, $42, from Mecca, results in a subtle luminous glow. Add glamour to nails with the bold, high-shine Smith & Cult Lovers Creep Polish, $32, from Adore Beauty. Kevyn Aucoin The Volume Mascara in Rich Pitch Black, $65, from Amazon, is smudge-resistant, thickens lashes and boosts volume. Add sparkle and definition to eyes with the versatile Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in The Queen of Glow, $88, from Mecca. Marble Scallop Tray in Calcutta Antica, $170, from Love After Love, is ideal for holding beauty products on a bathroom vanity. Create a metallic effect with Stila Glitter &…

SET FOR SUMMER Gather round the contemporary Callanna dining setting to savour summer flavours with friends. Exclusive to Harvey Norman, the Callanna range includes a buffet, coffee and lamp tables, entertainment unit, and a round dining option. harveynorman.com.au GO FURTHER WITH FERGIE Introducing Fergie, the new knee-high gumboot from Merry People – a fashionable take on the traditional Wellington boot. Don’t be fooled by its long, lean silhouette, though – this boot was designed, made and tested to perform. merrypeople.com TIME TO RELAX The sleek and supremely comfortable Pillow Sunlounger by Kun Design is available now – perfect for relaxing by the pool during summer. Explore contemporary, sleek outdoor furniture collections from Kun Design, exclusive to DOMO. domo.com.au COMMUNITY CARE CommBank is here for hundreds of local organisations across Australia,…