Innehållsförteckning för December 2024 från Country Style

FOR ME, NOTHING SAYS CELEBRATE more than a glass of something bubbly. It started when I was a child – my nan used to order a crate of miniature glass bottles of cherry cheer, creaming soda, sarsaparilla, lemonade and many other flavours for Christmas from the cordial factory in Kyogle, NSW. At home, my brother and I weren’t allowed fizzy drinks, so it was a treat for us and something I came to associate with Christmas time. My mum has continued the tradition, but with her own twist. She has served up spiders (either double sarsaparilla or red creaming soda) to my kids every Boxing Day since they were toddlers. These days, I prefer a glass of sparkling wine to toast the festive season, and all other special occasions for…

WHEN ASKED TO DESCRIBE her business, Fiona Harrison, owner of Australia’s first Indigenous chocolate company, takes a moment to answer. “It’s a people-centric social enterprise, on a journey to Indigenous empowerment in the native botanical supply chain.” A proud Wiradjuri woman from Orange in New South Wales, Fiona, 62, now lives in tranquil Moss Vale, in the Southern Highlands. It’s also the base for her company, Chocolate On Purpose. “It’s chocolate, but there’s a purpose,” Fiona explains. “My business is all about equity, it’s about restoring people’s rights and, more importantly, it’s about women’s empowerment and matriarchal knowledge – women are traditionally the holders of the plant lore.” It was a deeply personal journey for Fiona, who first discovered the power of plants when she was dealing with complex post-traumatic…

FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, Jessie Zarubin and her family have been in a constant state of fight or f light. Bushfires, COVID and significant health battles have well and truly tested their determination and courage. But throughout it all, their Kenton Valley home in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia, has remained a haven. “It feels like its own little sanctuary, hidden away from everything,” says Jessie. “Renovating it in stages has become a way for us to cope and keep busy while processing the challenges around us.” Sitting on 14 hectares on traditional Peramangk and Kaurna lands, the two-storey home, called Hatchlands, was built in 1858 by the Hannaford family. Over time, it fell to ruin, before being rediscovered and restored by local couple Tori and Wolfgang Zuch in…

“A table laden with reds, greens and whites creates a festive feel. Place a gift for each guest as a special surprise, and get ready to pop the bottle of sparkling.” Beautiful Saint Bernards Mia and Enzo are on their best behaviour. Wrapping paper, ribbon and ornaments from Bespoke Letterpress. “Make your Christmas tree the central focus with a simple string of lights – its beauty will fill the room and give a sense of peace and holiday cheer. Drape a garland on the mantel and create a warm glow with candles.” All candles from Studio Billie. Bolero 56-piece cutlery set from Stanley Rogers. Wine bucket from Bed Bath N’ Table. House of Arras 2016 Blanc de Blancs. Christmas ham from Australian Pork. All other props, stylist’s own. All candles…

NO MATTER WHICH WAY you look at it, I think it must be agreed that the combination of crisp meringue, tart fruit and pillowy whipped cream really is an excellent idea. The union is somehow so much more delicious than the sum of its parts. I am, of course, talking about pavlova. To me, it is quintessentially antipodean; summer on a plate. It speaks of balmy evenings spent outside, smoky barbecues, mosquito coils and kids on trampolines – the casual sort of entertaining which, I think, we do so well here in Australia. So many gatherings and family events finishing in a sweet haze of meringue, cream and summer fruit; paper plates bearing the berry stains and happy remnants of shared joy and connection. This month, in anticipation of a…

AUSTRALIAN SPARKLING WINE. What a boring name for a buoyant, fun-filled wine. The French have the elegant ‘Champagne’, both for the region and the effervescent drink. Other French sparklings are known as Crémant, usually tagged to the region as Crémant d’Alsace, Crémant de Bourgogne etc. Like Champagne, Crémant is made using the méthode traditionnelle technique, with the secondary fermentation carried out in the same bottle as we pour from some years later. Australian winegrowers use méthode traditionnelle for their top drops, with a modified transfer method for everyday bubbles. Other fizzy wines like prosecco are made in a pressurised tank using the Charmat method. Good wines, but without the depth and complexity that comes from time in the cellar on their lees. Technical stuff over, let’s get back to that…

SOUTH AUSTRALIA Casa Carboni Opened 12 years ago by Matteo and Fiona Carboni, Casa Carboni is an Italian cooking school, enoteca and retail store. The couple named their business Casa Carboni – which translates to ‘Carboni’s house’ – as they wanted customers to feel like they were being welcomed into their home with handmade food, beautiful tableware and delicious imported wines selected from their travels (also available to take away). Their retail range is a mix of European and Australian pantry staples, as well as homewares and gifts selected for their fine quality and provenance. You’ll find local olive oils from Torzi Matthews; Scullery Made teas; ceramic dinnerware from Cone 11; mouth-blown decanters by Brian Hirst; French Opinel knives; handmade brass pepper mills and 2 Duck Trading Company French market…

FRANKIE Graham Norton, Coronet, $32.99 In the October issue, we reviewed The Scandalous Life of Ruby Devereaux, which was about an injured octogenarian who required the services of a carer. A young gay guy turns up. She tells him her life story. In Norton’s splendiferous new novel, an injured octogenarian needs care. A young gay guy, Damian, turns up. She tells him her life story. Two very different lives, but both novels are candidates for Best Fiction of 2024 (OK, OK, runners-up to Winton and Gemmell, but nevertheless tiptop). Norton, who some of us know only from his chats with celebrities, is pitch perfect as a novelist. Frankie’s life is peppered with obstruction, frustration and chicanery, and it’s only in middle age that she lands at the lower end of…

CLEVER COOKER With eight functionality options, the Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket XXXL Air Fryer does it all. From baking and grilling to toasting and roasting, it’s all you need to prepare your Christmas feast of ham, chicken, fish and vegies. harveynorman.com.au MARBLE BEAUTY Sourced from Northern Italy, Breccia Pernice Marble is the perfect statement piece. Characterised by its incredible colours and veining, Breccia Pernice adds a natural texture and depth to bathrooms or benchtops. cdkstone.com. au/product/breccia-pernice/ TIME TO BLOOM Treloar Roses Nursery presents the stunning Lionheart Hybrid Tea Rose. With exceptional disease resistance, these apricot blooms radiate a delicate perfume. For a 10 per cent discount, add the code LION10 upon purchase. 1300 044 852 / treloarroses.com.au IN THE SWING OF IT This Christmas, choose…

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 editors GRETA DUMBLETON, STEPHANIE HOPE 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…

THE DAY THAT SUKI PADDINGTON MOVED from Melbourne to rural Tasmania with her husband, Kevin Cho, was a bittersweet one. The newlyweds had been excited about moving into their first home – a cosy 1950s cottage, just 20 minutes from Hobart, with “beautiful ocean views”. But just 24 hours earlier, Suki’s mum and best friend, Margy Grieve, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. “Everything changed,” Suki says. “I didn’t want to leave Melbourne. I wanted to rent the Tassie house out and stay with Mum. Because she was such a kind person, she said, ‘No, it’s your home, I want you to live in it. I want you to start your journey and I’m not going to hold you back.’” Suki and Kevin boarded the Spirit of Tasmania with heavy hearts,…

WHEN INTERIOR DESIGNER NICKI DOBRZYNSKI and her husband, Chris, finished their first renovation, they swore they’d never live in a home during a project again. But skip ahead a few years and they’ve just wrapped up their fourth live-in renovation. “You go into them thinking they’ll be smaller, but they snowball,” admits Nicki. The latest project was a dream come true for the couple and their children, Eva, 10, and Jake, six, plus Bailey the Rhodesian ridgeback. Based in the Southern Highlands in New South Wales, they had hoped to move to New Zealand for years, and then took the plunge in 2021. After a few months of living in short-term rentals, they found a home with potential in Wanaka on the South Island. “The home was livable but not…

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT French flax linen tablecloth in Milk, $145, from I Love Linen. Marumitsu wave bowl, $85, from Bonnie & Neil. Veritas coupe/cocktail glass, $120 (set of two), from RIEDEL. Rio fringed placemat in Green, $5.95, from Pillow Talk. Cove five-piece cutlery set in Champagne Satin, $69, from West Elm. Indian Rose linen napkin in Green, $41, from Casa e Cucina. Salt & Pepper Maldo 12-piece dinner set in Green, $159.95, from Myer. CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT Willow rounded-back chair, $280, and Elm pedestal dining table in Natural, from $2790, both from Beachwood. Sthål assiett in Prima Vera, $59, and Sthål pasta bowl in Prima Vera, $71, both from Casa e Cucina. Argyle salad servers with wood handles, $34.95 (set of two), from French Knot. Khaki pearl Christmas…

CHRISTMAS IS AN IMPORTANT time of year for anyone whose job is to feed people: the parties, the celebrations, the holiday feasts. But for Kim Currie, executive chef at The Zin House in Mudgee, NSW, it holds an extra significance. “Christmas Day is now celebrated at our Pavilion with about 100 people,” she explains, of her annual ritual at the marquee on Tinja Farm, the Lowe Family Wines vineyard she owns with her winemaker husband, David Lowe. “Some have come to us every Christmas for 10 years, so it feels like a family gathering. This is what we were doing on Christmas Day at The Zin House years ago when David asked for everyone’s attention, then asked me to marry him. Over the bloody gravy!” This year is special not…

A vine time Never Never Distilling Co’s Ginache gin, $71, has been making waves among gin-lovers (yes, including me). It blends the brand’s award-winning Triple Juniper Gin with grenache grapes from McLaren Vale. It’s as pretty as it is delicious. Serve neat, with tonic, or in this Ginache Spring Carnival Spritz cocktail. Visit neverneverdistilling.com.au GINACHE SPRING CARNIVAL SPRITZ I’ve tried Ginache with soda, with tonic, and neat, but this is my favourite way to drink it. The grape-y goodness of the Ginache blends beautifully and boosts the citrus tang of blood orange and the bright bubbles of prosecco. 20ml Ginache Gin 40ml Prosecco 60ml Schweppes Agrum Blood Orange Orange slice and mint, for garnish 1 Place all ingredients in a glass. 2 Add the desired amount of ice and garnish…

FEEDING PEOPLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AT THE HEART of the New South Wales town of Coolamon. Located 30 minutes’ drive north-west of Wagga Wagga, on Wiradjuri Country, the town is surrounded by a glowing halo of yellow each spring, when the canola fields burst into bloom. These days it’s also known for its artisan cheese factory. The Coolamon Cheese Co was started in 2015 by Barry Lilly white, the cheesemaker at Charles Sturt University’s Wagga Wagga campus. When that closed, Barry and his son Anton Green joined a dozen private investors who pooled their funds with government grants, and turned a 1920s-era building on the town’s charming main street into a cheese factory, shop and cafe. Peter English, one of the company’s co-owners, was Coolamon’s GP for 25 years. Now…

JESSIE ZARUBIN OWNER OF PEREGRINE STORE, 40 Jessie lives in the Adelaide Hills, SA, with husband Symon, 46, and children Eve, nine, and Viv, five, plus Jessie’s mum Leanne, 63. Their pet dogs, Scout, Hank and Wanda, are joined by miniature goats, sheep and chickens. What do you love about living in the country? I love birdwatching here – there’s a family of wedge-tailed eagles that live nearby and fly overhead daily. I could watch them for hours. We’re also fortunate to have a few acres of pine forest; it’s always fun exploring with the kids, hunting for mushrooms, foraging for different leaves and seed pods. How would you describe your style? It’s a little bit western and a little bit utilitarian. I live for deep pockets in vintage military…

AUSTRALIAN FICTION WING Nikki Gemmell, 4th Estate, $34.99 Girls’ school. Charismatic principal. Fascinating students. Off go the girls to toughen up for a few days in the wilderness… four don’t come back. Nor does their chaperone, the principal’s enigmatic deputy. You think you’ve heard this plot before? No, you haven’t. Gemmell’s insights, as usual, leave you agog. JUICE Tim Winton, Penguin Random House, $49.99 Grim. Australia in the not-too-distant future. An abandoned child, and a stranger with a bow and arrow. Nothing but dust at the surface, food grown underground in boxes. A tectonic boy-to-man saga. HERE ONE MOMENT Liane Moriarty, Macmillan, $34.99 Moriarty’s 10th novel. She just gets better and better. Imagine you’re on a plane, unable to get away, and a woman comes down the aisle, telling each…

ON THE CUSP OF THE last month of the year, in that wrinkle of time before Christmas is really upon us, I am allowing myself a moment to stand still. It’s been a year of change. The farm sold. All the trauma of uprooting ourselves from a place we loved means I’m both twinged with homesickness and loving the process of learning this new place. My other loss is more personal. This is the second column I’ve written without the reassuring presence of my black labrador snoring under my desk. After 16 years of being only a dropped hand away, she went downhill very suddenly a few months ago. It was at the time when the rain would not stop falling and the wind blew over all the trees and…

1 Vera Wang for Wedgwood swirl flute in Clear, $199 (set of two), from Myer. 2 Luigi Bormioli Speakeasies swing champagne coupe glass in Clear, $139.95 (set of six), from David Jones. 3 Heritage Mastercraft flute, $1799 (mixed set of four), from Waterford. 4 Waterford Lismore Essence champagne saucer, $339 (set of two), from Myer. 5 Eva Solo champagne glass, $69.95, from Hardtofind. 6 RCR Opera flute, $149.95 (set of six), from Harris Scarfe. 7 Confetti Celebration coupe glass, $149 (set of four), from Pottery Barn. 8 Capri champagne flute in Clear, $49.95 (set of four), from David Jones. 9 High Performance champagne glass, $220, from Riedel. 10 Bormioli Rocco Florian champagne glass, $79.50 (set of six), from Temple & Webster. 11 Nachtmann Palais champagne taper, $250 (set of six),…

IN NEWCASTLE’S HISTORIC MAYFIELD, Alicia Doyle, a former interior designer and local business owner, has patiently upgraded a 120-year-old worker’s cottage with love, self-restraint and her own brand of creativity. “I call it a gentle renovation,” says Alicia. “I knew better than to go through a big renovation – it’s just too difficult with little children, and we didn’t want too much debt or a huge amount of maintenance.” Alicia, 39, lives in the storied home – on the traditional lands of the Awabakal and Worimi people – with her husband Des, 42, a project manager, their children Alec, seven, and Emmy, five, as well as a spirited two-year-old whippet called Artie. Alicia and Des’s early married life was spent living in a tiny apartment in Sydney. Back then, the…

I THINK IT WAS PELLEGRINI’S… or the Cellar Bar at Florentino, or it could have been during my work experience stint at the venerated Stephanie’s Restaurant in Hawthorn East, just down from my old high school. I’m talking about the crème caramel – that most regal of puddings which, upon first bite, left such an indelible mark on me. Think about a dessert menu: chocolate in any form, yes, of course. Something with fruit in season, for sure. A layered pastry with enriched crème pâtissière, hell yeah. But then it catches your eye – those beguilingly simple words: crème caramel. For me, it evokes a nostalgia, comfort and deliciousness that few desserts can. Actually, as I write this, I recall many visits to the Royal Children’s Hospital, where as a…

THERE’S AN OLD-FASHIONED FEEL to Mrs Oldbucks Pantry in Berrima, in the NSW Southern Highlands: courteous staff; prettily packaged stacks of nostalgic treats; a general air of grace and gentility that conjures up the best of the past. So it’s no surprise to hear that its proprietor, Carol Brown, began her retail career as one of David Jones’s ladies in black. “I started in the china and glassware department of David Jones in Bondi Junction in the ’70s,” she says. “My parents had to buy me the imitation pearls and black outfit – I was only 14.” Carol has taken that famed ethos of exceptional customer service, respect for staff – and, of course, a love of selling the best possible products – into many jobs, including the role of…

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT Infused with hydrating baobab oil, Coco Crayon in Brave, $40, from Ere Perez, delivers vibrant colour to lips and cheeks. Play-Pen Eyeliner in Retro Rose, $40, from Napoleon Perdis, defines eyes or creates a sultry smoky effect. Long-wearing and crease-free, RMS Beauty Eyelights Cream Eyeshadow in Strobe, $46, from Mecca, is buildable for the perfect level of luminous eye colour. Great Skin Instant Glow Serum, $61, from Merit Beauty, boosts skin with lightweight hydration, leaving skin dewy and refreshed. L’Oréal Paris Colour Queen Mono Eye Shadow in 19 Mogul, $15.99, from Amazon, is a creamy formula for maximum intensity. Lasting up to 10 hours, Estée Lauder Pure Color Lipstick Creme 826 Modern Muse, $66, from Adore Beauty, resists feathering and keeps lips hydrated. Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood…