Innehållsförteckning för Christmas 2024 från Country Style

MEET MOMO, our cover star, who has made a long-held dream of mine come true: to have a koala joey front and centre on our Christmas issue. When I showed this cover to colleagues at work as part of a presentation, I heard “ooohh”s and “aaahh”s and I knew we’d captured a very special image. It’s a cover I’ve wanted to do for the past two Christmas issues, but it always fell through. With the help of Jo Runciman from Aussie Ark and Hayley Shute from the Australian Reptile Park, who is hand-raising Momo, we photographed this koala happily snuggled into her custom-made pouch while cuddling her own toy koala, her constant companion. At nine months old, Momo needs a lot of care, and she’s in good hands as Hayley…

DEEP SEA DREAM Salt Living’s fabulous French linen sheets bring a touch of coastal cool to bedrooms. This Kelp Ticking Stripe colourway is ideal for the warmer months; from $59 for a quilted pillow sham. Visit saltliving.com.au CUTS THE MUSTARD Beloved for its classic metal lockers in a rainbow of shades, Aussie brand Mustard has just launched a new glass-fronted range, so you can display your treasures. This is The Mixer in Olive, $699. Visit mustardmade.com room to move This magnificent four-seater sofa – fittingly named Titan – has a solid timber and plywood frame, topped with cosy goose-feather, fibre and high-density foam upholstery. Clean lines and a lovely neutral green shade mean it slots into any interior, no fuss; $2999. Visit domayne.com.au healing herbs Jurlique’s new Herbal Recovery Revitalise…

FIGURING OUT WHAT MAKES ANIMALS TICK has been a lifelong pursuit for Hayley Shute, life sciences manager and resident ‘koala whisperer’ at the Australian Reptile Park on the Central Coast of New South Wales. “I was that kid who, instead of playing with dolls, would make houses and gardens for the snails and skinks in my backyard,” she recalls. “I hand-raised a flying fox when I was 14; I got my mum to say she was the one doing it because you had to be 18 – there was no stopping me!” As soon as she was old enough, Hayley enrolled for work experience at the Australian Reptile Park in Somersby. “After that, I started volunteering there and got casual work really quickly,” she says. “When I went to university…

ELIZABETH PILKINGTON HAS an open-door policy in her Southern Highlands kitchen on Christmas Day. She’ll happily defer many of the culinary duties to her French sister-in-law. “Marion is an amazing cook, and we call her the ‘salad queen’. We provide the venue, but she really turns it on with the food,” says Elizabeth. “My daughters and I will do the details, such as beautiful tablecloths, napkins and bonbons. We’ll also decorate a big tree from a local Christmas tree farm.” Textiles and decorating are undeniably Elizabeth’s forte. Outside of her day job as a senior communications advisor, Elizabeth designs one-of-a-kind accessories, garments and decor through her online business, Piece by Piece Home. Meanwhile, her husband of 20 years, Col Feilen, works for agriculture technology company Atlas Carbon and is a…

Desert Fig wall paint, $165/4L, from Bauwerk Colour. J Randall Powers Albert petite tri-leg floor lamp in Aged Iron, $1400, from Bloomingdales Lighting. Thatched Cottage etching, $295, from Vintage Art Emporium. French two-seater armchair in Natural, $1999, from Provincial Home Living. Etro Olive lumbar velvet cushion, $130, from L&M Home. Lonely Planet Dream Trips of the World book, $60, and Bedside Companion for Travel Lovers by Jane McMorland Hunter book, $45, both from Kinokuniya. Roaming backpack in Tan, $190, from Ottway. Golden Garden gift wrap in Mint with Gold foil, $14.95/3M, Gold velvet ribbon, $19.95/3M, Rust velvet ribbon, $19.95/3M, Fern Green cotton ribbon, $36.95/30M, all from Bespoke Letterpress. BH Fraserfirtree , $2599, from Balsam Hill. Paper ornaments in Rust, Linen and Dusty Blue, from $10, from Nordic Rooms. Assorted…

THE FIRST TIME I noticed a trend toward highlighting the bit-player aspect of a dish or recipe and giving it ‘leading man’ status was many years ago at a shop in Hawthorn, Vic, called Jocks. To clarify, this was not a men’s underwear store; rather, it was an ice-cream studio at the vanguard of the frozen confectionery craze of the time. “Cookies and cream ice-cream…” I mouthed the words slowly as I read the menu. How on earth did they come up with this sorcery, I wondered. At the time, we were yet to fully commence our backlash against the cultural swamping from America so, to my 14-year-old eyes and ears, the addition of the word ‘cookies’ embellished it with a luxe sheen of the exotic. “They’re bloody BISCUITS!” my…

sfoliage wreath MATERIALS • 1 spool green florist’s wire • string and ribbon • sprigs of foliage • cotton sewing thread or fishing line • small decorative ornaments, dried orange slices, mini bells or berries for decoration (optional) 1 This wreath is a great way to make use of garden prunings. Start by making a wire circle as a wreath frame in the desired size. Loop this on itself about 3 or 4 times for extra strength, and tie together with string at 5 evenly spaced intervals. 2 Start to tuck short sprigs of foliage into the frame, either heading in one direction around the circle or beginning in the centre bottom and going up either side. As you go, you can tie the sprigs in place with…

EVERY YEAR AT THE END of December, I carefully pack the decorations away and put them in the attic. And every year there is at least one ornament I miss, then discover in the new year and never get around to packing away. This year it was a little green angel who got to spend the year sitting on the dresser, watching the comings and goings of my family. A couple of times I thought to put her away with her friends in the attic, but suddenly it was September and I saw tinsel in Myer and decided she might as well stay put. The angel is still on the dresser, but now she has a mouse in a red-and-white hat sitting next to her, and to her right a…

Editor KYLIE IMESON Deputy editor HANNAH JAMES Creative director MIA DAMINATO Contributing art directors JUDIE SIU, KELSIE WALKER Queensland contributing editor CLAIRE MACTAGGART  Stylist KATE LINCOLN  Feature writers REBECCA HOOTON, RACHEL WHITE  Chief copy editor, Homes Group PETER GRIFFITHS  Senior copy editor GRETA DUMBLETON ADVERTISING AND PRODUCTION  Commercial brand manager, Homes MICHELLE O’HANLON Brand executive MIKAELA LEZCANO  Head of sales – NSW BLAKE WRIGHT Head of sales – Vic, SA, WA WILL JAMISON  Head of sales – Qld JUDY TAYLOR  Advertising production manager KATE ORSBORN Head of directories REBECCA WHITE  Head of creative CLARE CATT  Head of events and sponsorships CATE GAZAL  Production controller KARA STEAD  Advertising production controller DOMINIC ROY  All advertising inquiries ADVERTISING@AREMEDIA.COM.AU MARKETING AND CIRCULATION  Director of marketing CARLY BOWRA  Head of consumer marketing…

1 Christine five-ball 9k gold necklace, $799, from Hardtofind/Women’s Weekly Marketplace. 2 Wish Me Luck starter plate, $77, from Hardtofind/ Home Beautiful Marketplace. 3 Crosley Voyager Dune Bluetooth portable turntable, $199.95, from Hardtofind. 4 The Ike Brûlée sunglasses, $150, from Hardtofind. 5 Salon small vase in Putty, $96, from Hardtofind/Home Beautiful Marketplace. 6 Sky+Kingfisher ESCC dinner candles, $39.95 (set of two), from Hardtofind/Home Beautiful Marketplace. 7 Gingham cushion, $390, from Hardtofind/Home Beautiful Marketplace. 8 Hamlin brass desk lamp, $235, from Hardtofind/Home Beautiful Marketplace. 9 Waterfront Island capri hat, $245, from Hardtofind/Women’s Weekly Marketplace. 10 Juniper sandal in Crema, $229.95, from Hardtofind/Women’s Weekly Marketplace. 11 Gold 9k Moss Aqua ring, $1789 each, from Hardtofind/ Women’s Weekly Marketplace. 12 Light Green leather crossbody bag, $559, from Hardtofind/Women’s Weekly Marketplace. 13 Alina candle…

RURAL LIVING IS A GIFT that keeps on giving to Ellen Bennett and her daughter, Jess Dyne. “We love the peace and beauty that comes with living in the country,” says Ellen, 67. “Every day, we’re surrounded by kangaroos, eucalyptus trees, and a kaleidoscope of colourful birds, with views that stretch for miles.” The close-knit pair owns and operates the e-commerce brand Bandicute, making and selling handmade clothing and educational toys. “Celebrating Australia’s unique wildlife and flora has always been at the heart of what we do,” says Jess, 38. The duo hails from Gunning in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. They live on their 80-hectare sheep and cattle farm overlooking the Yass Valley – Ellen with husband Warwick, 70, and Jess with husband Chris, 42, and daughters…

NESTLED IN AUSTRALIA’S WOOL capital, the Western District of Victoria, Sarah and Peter Hope’s farm, Coroona, has been a labour of love for the couple, who bought it in 2016 and have since restored much of the bluestone homestead. “We’d been living in Queensland and decided to return to Victoria,” says Sarah, an author and creative director of Hope & Co and Australian Country House, who lives there with her farmer husband, Peter, and youngest son Toby, 18. They get regular visits from their adult children James, Chloe, Georgie, Eliza and Skye, plus a menagerie of pets. “The farm came up online and Pete said to me, ‘I think this is the one for us.’ I was going to be overseas at the time of the auction, so we wrote…

The citrus bite of the orange and the slight bitterness of the radicchio in this salad is the perfect accompaniment to the richness of the roast goose. STEAMED GREEN BEANS & RADICCHIO SALAD WITH WALNUT & ORANGE DRESSING Serves 6 400g green beans, trimmed and blanched 1 radicchio WALNUT & ORANGE DRESSING 1 orange 2 teaspoons honey 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts 4 tablespoons walnut oil To make the walnut and orange dressing, finely grate the zest of the orange into a small bowl. Add honey, vinegar, walnuts and walnut oil. Stir to combine. With a sharp knife, remove the pith from the orange and then finely slice into thin rounds. Set aside. Arrange the green beans and radicchio leaves on a serving platter. Top with…

A GOOD CHRISTMAS PUDDING is a thing of great beauty. Although, I have to admit that this was not something I came to appreciate until I was well into my 30s. For a long while, Christmas pudding was just too dense, too fruity, too boozy and, well, too brown for my liking. These are all things that, at the ripe old age of 38, I have now come full-circle on and are precisely the reason why I love a good, fruit-filled pud. Making a traditional boiled fruit pudding from scratch can seem intimidating to many people. Unless you’ve grown up in a pudding-making family, where the recipe and method has been handed down, generation after generation, the whole process can seem a little mystifying. I mean, just the thought of…

Hammock reads WE SOLVE MURDERS Richard Osman, Penguin Viking, $34.99 Quit when you’re winning. With Osman’s Thursday Murder Club quartet selling a cool 10 million (and counting), he’s wound it up and launched a new series. It features what will become, in sequels, a family sleuthing business; murder a specialty. Amy (top-grade bodyguard), Steve (ex-cop) and Rosie (exceedingly rich novelist) cover five continents. Amy has been framed for the murders of her three most recent clients and she’s to be the final target. Behind it all is a name familiar to Interpol, but it’s an alias and top minds are flexing to try and unmask him or her. The cast list is rather large and most are much too lovable or merely ineffectual to be the hidden mastermind with a…

MAGGIE’S MAGIC I really appreciated the update from Maggie MacKellar about her next chapter in Tassie (September Country Style). I picked up Maggie’s book Graft in an airport one year ago following a trip that left me with a bout of COVID. The book left a mark; thankfully COVID didn’t. I’ve since shared the hardcover beauty with friends both near and far. What has always struck me the most about Maggie’s writing is her experiences with animals. Having recently said goodbye to our beloved German shepherd April, I feel the sentience and presence of animals in our lives is a gift. Every blessing for your future adventures, Maggie. Jenny Esots, Willunga, SA HELPING HANDS Despite a longstanding back problem, I recently decided to drive solo from Melbourne to visit my…

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP Jolly Santa gift tags, $16.95 (pack of six), from Bespoke Letterpress. 12 Days of Christmas wrapping paper, $29.95 (set of three), from Hardtofind. Letterpress Christmas copper foil luxury swing tags, $15.10, from Etsy. No.2 Botanist archive festive edition wrapping paper, $29.95 (set of three), from Hardtofind. Jolly Santa/Holly & Twinkle double-sided wrapping paper, $29.95 (pack of six), from Bespoke Letterpress. Sarah Smith watercolour assorted Christmas tags, $35 (pack of 10), from Love After Love. Gold velvet ribbon, $19.95 (three metres), from Bespoke Letterpress. Burgundy silk ribbon, $19.99, from Amazon. Berry Mix Green wrapping paper, $29.95 (set of three), from Hardtofind. Holly & Twinkle/Jolly Santa double-sided wrapping paper, $29.95 (pack of six), from Bespoke Letterpress. Scandi Christmas bauble gift tags, $10.10, from Etsy. Festive Foliage Ivory wrapping…

AS A CHILD GROWING UP in Queensland’s Darling Downs region, Tim Schloss had a vivid imagination – so much so that even a routine trip to the chicken coop could be a wild adventure. “Mum tells stories of having to duck and hide behind trees just to feed the chickens whenever she came with me, because there were all kinds of enemies about,” Tim says. “I grew up running around paddocks and trees, building cubbyhouses and making up games.” Decades later, Tim is putting his imagination to good use making medieval-style swords and shields, magical castles, surprise puzzles and toy guns out of recycled timber to furnish other kids’ fantasy adventures. A furniture-maker and aspiring architect, Tim didn’t plan on becoming a toy craftsman. He stumbled into making “imaginary adventure…

WHEN I WAS A KID, Christmases were spent around my grandparents’ table, which was crammed into the small kitchen of their housing commission home in Alamein, Melbourne. With a mixture of stubbornness and tenacity, my grandfather would squeeze so many chairs around the table that, once seated, you were stuck for the whole meal. The tabletop was Grandma Alvina’s domain, and her glazed, clove-studded ham outshone the other players in the holy trinity of the festive menu, the roast turkey and the Christmas pud. With perfectly squared and measured crosscuts, Alvina’s ham was lacquered with an unctuous glaze that resulted in an almost decoupage-like lustre. In my own quest to achieve glazed-ham nirvana, this year I went back to the drawing board. I started with the best ham I could…

I LOVE CHRISTMAS AT HOME. It gives me the chance to cook for my family and any stray friends in need of festive hospitality. My wife and daughter decorate the house and set the table, complete with bonbons and their silly hats and corny jokes. I pull bottles of good and great wine from the cellar to match the food and the mood. If the weather is clement, an outdoor lunch is my preference. The food (and the wine) reflects the season: prawns, oysters, a whole ocean trout and a ham I glaze with an Asian twist. Potato salad and lots of greens. A long, slow lunch with a nap afterwards. Leftovers for dinner. Some years we find ourselves in the Northern Hemisphere for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Coming…

TASMANIA The Penguin Pantry Located one street back from the beach, The Penguin Pantry is just the spot for a post-swim coffee to kickstart your festive season shopping. The food-lovers on your Christmas list will be delighted with gifts – such as curated gourmet produce hampers – sourced from this charming corner spot on Tasmania’s north coast, a 90-minute drive from Launceston. Business partners and local share-farmers Robert Arvier and Hannah Lewis admit they had no idea what they were getting themselves into when they bought the town’s greengrocer in 2021. They have since created a gourmet food and produce store, added select homewares and opened their popular espresso bar. Hannah says their initial focus was about understanding supply chains better: “On the farm we’re focused on responsible production, and…

MADE WITH LOVE Based in Holbrook in NSW, Bella Lou The Store offers beautiful women’s clothing for all body types, ensuring comfort and style year-round. Whether you’re in-store or online, Bella Lou is your one-stop shop for fashion, gifts and decor. bellalouthestore.com.au ESSENCE OF ITALY Italian Tours’ exclusive 2025 Veneto tour offers travellers an authentic journey of discovery through historic cities. Guests can explore the local culture, savour traditional cuisines and discover off-the-beaten-path destinations. italiantours.com.au NIGHTIE NIGHT Made in Australia from 100 per cent pure merino wool, Sleepy Merino’s comfortable range of pyjamas, including the pretty Flutter Sleeve Nightie, are naturally cool in summer and toasty-warm in winter. sleepymerino.com.au HAPPY FEET These bright, patterned garden clogs by Clogees are lightweight, soft and comfortable. They come in a range of playful…