Sommaire pour September 2016 de Country Style

Everyone needs a neighbour like Beryl Olsen. She has not one, but three sponge cake recipes she makes for different occasions and we are lucky enough to have one on page 81. Beryl told her neighbour Tamsin Carvan it’s a cake she has spent some time perfecting — “I’ve been practising for 52 years!” — so we are certain it will quickly become a family favourite. Tamsin’s own favourite is Mum’s Banana Cake and she describes the excitement she felt when, as a child, the smell of it baking came wafting down the street to greet her as she walked home from school. I’ve just read the recipe and it’s on my list of things to make. Another scent that evokes childhood memories for me is that of the hybrid…

“ THE FIELD RO SES ARE WHERE PAULA GO T HER NAME… SHE WAS BOLD ENOUGH TO RISK IT.” Ask any florist who sells the best roses at Sydney’s frenetic, thrice-weekly flower markets — the largest in Australia — and the answer is almost certain to be B&B Roses. Such is the exquisite beauty of the roses Paula Bandiera and Tam Horan (nicknamed ‘Bob’ and ‘Bob, the name Paula’s pet corella calls everyone in greeting) grow on Paula’s farm in Glenorie on Sydney’s rural fringe. The daughter of Italian immigrants, Paula has lived her whole life on the family’s 10-hectare farm, which is today carved into several properties. At its highest point, where the 50-year-old lives with her two daughters — Ruby, 14, and Eva, 12 — there are panoramic…

 The move from Sydney to Canowindra in the Central West of NSW — where the land gently undulates and leafy gum trees dot the horizon — was a homecoming of sorts for Michael Jeffery and his wife, Barbara. “WHAT WE LOVE IS THE SPACE... AND THEN THERE ARE THE VIEWS.” No stranger to rural life, Michael was the son of a bank manager and spent many of his formative years in country NSW, with stints in Trundle, Wagga Wagga and Tamworth, where he attended the Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School. “I’d always had a soft spot for the country,” Michael says. “I moved to Sydney when I was 18 and it has taken this long to get out of the place!” As you make your way along the winding road…

With bud burst on the almonds and ripe fruit on the blood orange tree comes the first egg of the season, and it is pure joy. It’s small, as pullet eggs tend to be, and a perfect fit for a 10-year-old’s hand. We put it on the kitchen table and admire its whiteness. It must be from a Silver-Grey Dorking, the only one of the heritage breeds we keep to lay such a light egg. In a few weeks, the chooks will lay more eggs than my daughter, Martha, can carry in her scooped-up school dress, and my partner, Al, will find secret nests in the haystack and on top of his old tool cupboard. By Christmas, I’ll be making eggnogs, pavlovas and Champagne ice-cream, and still there will be…

WITH A GROWING number of artisan producers in SA’s Barossa Valley, it’s not just world-famous wines that draw people to the area. And, to celebrate some of the region’s makers, Country Style is hosting a special reader event at Langmeil Winery in Tanunda on Sunday, October 30, that includes a series of workshops presented by local producers. Home bakers will delight in making delicious sourdough with chef William Wood, the owner of Carême Pastry. Referred to locally as the ‘Bread Jedi’, William will share his expert knowledge to help you create the kind of bread found in artisan bakeries at home. Baking is thirsty work, so Cherie Hausler of Scullery Made Tea will demonstrate the art of brewing kombucha, a fermented tea that’s lauded for its health benefits. Cherie originally…

CROWD FAVOURITES Tamworth Country Music Festival One of the world’s top 10 music festivals, with 700 performers and 55,000 visitors each year. 20–29 January, 2017. (02) 6767 5300; tcmf.com.au Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre Rodeo, showjumping, eventing, campdrafting and bull riding are regularly held. (02) 6767 5658; aelec.com.au Capitol Theatre A hub for performing arts, from touring shows to homegrown drama and music. (02) 6766 2028; capitoltheatretamworth.com.au SHOPPING Willa Floral Design Owned by Julie McDougall, who trained at Pearsons School of Floristry, and specialises in textured, natural arrangements. 103B Piper Street. 0404 005 350; willafloraldesign.com.au Tarnished Interiors This store stocks upcycled furniture with exceptional painted finishes and contemporary designer homewares. 535 Peel Street. 0429 073 030. The Lemon House Contemporary homewares, fashion and jewellery. 273a Peel Street. (02) 6766…

GETTING THERE CAR With large tracts of wilderness to cover, driving distances in Tasmania can be deceiving. Queenstown, the gateway to the west coast, is 260 kilometres from Hobart on the Lyell Highway, and 165 kilometres from Burnie on the Murchison Highway. Strahan is 40 kilometres south-west of Queenstown. PLANE Domestic flights to Hobart and Launceston from mainland capital cities are operated by Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar. Qantas also flies between Melbourne and Devonport several times a day, and Rex has regular daily flights between Melbourne and Burnie. COACH Tassielink Coaches has four weekly services between Hobart and Strahan, and between Launceston (via Cradle Mountain and Queenstown) and Strahan. A bus service runs between Strahan and Launceston during school holidays. A service between Queenstown and Burnie runs on Tuesdays…

Spring comes late to the Central Highlands of Victoria. For Stonefields, sited at 650 metres altitude, it means frosty mornings, occasional light snow and strong winds. These conditions sound harsh, but in fact the garden is magical when carpeted in a white layer of frost or snow. One of my favourite morning walks is across a crunchy icy lawn and watching the mist in the valley swirl up into the lower reaches of the garden. We prepared for spring several months ago: all the perennials were cut down in late autumn and underplanted with either tulips or crocus. The beds were fertilised with well-rotted manure and then mulched with compost, creating a nutritional blanket for their winter hibernation. Each year, the four parterre beds are topped up with many more…

CIRCLE OF LIFE Get the whole picture in this luxurious rotating holiday house, located on 16 hectares in the Manning Valley, NSW. rotatinghouse.com.au THINK PINK Soft, warm and blushingly sweet, rose gold is having a moment. These delicate 9ct rose-gold hoop and freshwater pearl earrings by Luone will complement any outfit and skin tone. luone.com.au SHINE ON Add a warm glow to your home with ‘Stella’ pendant lights from Harvey Norman. Available in small and large. harveynorman.com.au LABEL LOVE Established in 1992, Goondiwindi Cotton is renowned for creating stylish, quality clothing made from premium Australian cotton. In addition to its original Queensland store, this family-owned label is available in more than 180 retailers around the country. goondiwindi cotton.com.au COUNTRY CLASSIC Central Stores, located in the small town of Gilgandra in…

PAUL BANGAY The internationally acclaimed landscape designer shares spring in his country garden, page 141 . Stonefields — Paul’s property and gardens in Victoria’s Daylesford region — is a true labour of love for the landscape designer. “Every year I learn new things about planting combinations,” he says. “I’m constantly experimenting with new plants and never hesitate to pull out weak choices.” Right now, Paul is working on a 55-metre double lilac walk leading to a new fern glade. “We’re also adding a ha-ha and crowning it with a new flower border.” Dining in the garden is one of Paul’s greatest pleasures in spring, although there is plenty in the region that tempts. “Daylesford is blessed with some of the best growers and cooks in Australia,” he says. GEORGINA…

WEEKEND AWAY VICTORIA The Kilns In the north-east of Victoria, in the Ovens Valley high country near Bright, a stay at the kilnhouses is a mix of modern luxury, design and glorious landscape. There are three houses to choose from, each with views of the mountains, vineyards and meandering cattle. This month, Country Style readers can enjoy a complimentary breakfast on the first morning of their stay and also a bottle of wine. From $300 per night. 0400 733 170; kilnhouse.com.au NSW Spicers Sangoma Retreat Spicers Sangoma Retreat in Bowen Mountain is reopening this month after an extensive refurbishment. The Blue Mountains haven now features Luxury Bush Suites, an outdoor fireplace and a new landscape design with a bush tucker and herb kitchen garden. All this has been…

If you’ve grown up in the country, and loved the space and the freedom of a life that’s closer to nature, there’s often a yearning to return one day. Such was the case for Marnie and Ryan Hawson who had that dream — but thought it might take much longer to achieve it. In 2010, after spending six months in Europe, they returned to Melbourne with a strong desire to settle down. But as they did the rounds of the city open inspections, they ruled out one house after another. Their disappointment was tempered by their belief in one thing — when the right home came along, they’d know it instantly. “We wanted something with character; we’d been to a lot of open houses where we’d go in and immediately…

Tucked away in the tree-lined streets of Blackheath, NSW, a stately 1920s mansion is home to illustrator and designer Edith Rewa Barrett. Inside, in her sun-dappled studio, or out in the gardens and national parks of the Blue Mountains, Edith works assiduously, sketching every tiny detail of the flora she collects. The drawings she creates for her brand, Edith Rewa, are modern versions of the long tradition of botanical illustration. But instead of assigning them to the pages of weighty scientific tomes, Edith offers her pictures as limited edition giclée prints and digitally prints them onto pillowcases, tote bags and silk scarves. These delicate designs, which she calls “wearable museums”, have seen her cultivate a substantial online following. Botany and natural history have long been twin inspirations for the 25-year-old…

Farmer Fiona Simson won the hearts of ABC TV’s Q&A national audience in June when she was a panellist on the program, filmed live at Tamworth War Memorial Town Hall. The crowd erupted with support when Fiona, one of their own, said emphatically, “Rural and regional Australians shouldn’t have to accept a lesser standard for anything.” Fiona’s refreshing point of difference was her local knowledge, understanding and empathy for her community. Like many others, she was frustrated by a loss of services, with governments directing stretched budgets towards population pressure on the coast and in metropolitan cities. It is this sense of vexation that’s catapulted Fiona’s trajectory as a lobbyist championing rural and regional Australia, first at a community and local government, then state and national level, for the past…

THE BIGGEST CHANGE MOST WOMEN FACE IS GOING GREY. ON HOLIDAY IN Spain, I visited a small beachside hair salon where I spent an hour laughing with some wonderful women I’d never met before and who spoke as much English as I do Spanish — exactly none. We had to communicate with hand gestures and smiles, but it worked perfectly. I was particularly fascinated by a vivacious lady in her eighties who made a flamboyant entrance, embracing the hairdressers and talking so rapidly that she never seemed to take a breath. Throughout the exchange, she paused only to throw her head back in laughter every few minutes. Clearly she was having fun. Going to the hairdresser has always been a social experience — a salon is a place that brings…

MIXED BLESSING A mixed selection of fragrant spring herbs makes a handy display on a sunny kitchen window and is a great weekend project or gift idea this Father’s Day. Anchor Ceramics stoneware planters, $160 each, and copper tube trowel, $69, all from Koskela. (02) 9280 0999, koskela.com.au EASY DOES IT Finnish brand Fiskars’ new ‘Light’ series of garden tools is just that — the digging fork and spade weigh in at only 1.2kg each. The white makes them easy to spot, too. $44.99 each.fiskars.com.au GARDEN EVENTS 1ST MACEDON GARDENS TOUR, VICTORIA Open Gardens Victoria host a day-long coach tour of three significant Hill Station gardens. $195. opengardensvictoria.org.au 10TH–11TH & 17TH–18TH DAFFODILS IN RYDAL, NSW Rivers of white and yellow Narcissus colour public and private gardens in this…

After Store 0400 002 189 afteronline.com.au Bhave 1300 40 20 64 bhave hair.com Boden bodenclothing.com.au Brigid McLaughlin (02) 9716 4331 brigid mclaughlin.com Capocchi (03) 9822 3700 capocchi.com.au Cellini (02) 8338 7277 cellini.com.au COOP by Trelise Cooper +64 9379 5005 trelisecooper.com COS (02) 9231 3944 Country Road 1800 801 911 countryroad.com.au Cult 1300 768 626 cultdesign.com.au David Lawrence 1800 100 366 davidlawrence.com.au Domayne 1800 366 296 domayneonline.com.au Dulux 132 525 dulux.com.au Elk Accessories (03) 9478 1800 elkaccessories.com.au Euro Fireplaces 1300 733 705 eurofireplaces.com.au Everyday Cashmere (02) 9958 5725 everyday cashmere.com Feast Watson 1800 252 502 feastwatson.com.au Funkis (02) 9358 3093 funkis.com Georg Jensen 1800 536 736 georgjensen.com Great Dane (03) 9682 2777 greatdanefurniture.com Grown Alchemist (03) 9023 8851 grownalchemist.com Hay (02) 9538 0855 hayshop.com.au cultdesign.com.au Holly Ryan hollyryan.com.au Honeybee Homewares (02) 9948 9908 honeybeehomewares.com.au House of Orange (03) 9500 9991 houseoforange.com.au Hunting For George huntingforgeorge.com Izzi & Popo (03) 9696 1771 izziandpopo.com.au Jo Malone 1800 661 062…

MOST WILL NEVER KNOW THE BRACING ECSTASY OF RISING IN A SUB-ZERO DAWN TO FIND THE WATER PUMP FROZEN SOLID. PHEW, THAT was a close thing. Spring is upon us at last… and we were down to the last few Dan Murphy’s cartons that’ve kept the open fire burning for the past three months. Winters can be cold on the Central Western prairie. How cold? “Cold as a gravedigger’s bum,” I once suggested to The Chosen One. She found the simile unsavoury, but countered with, “Cold as a brass toilet seat on the shady side of an iceberg.” Ah, well, whatever. I tend to approach winter by lecturing anyone who’ll listen that the most unhealthy aspect of modern civilisation is the life led by the average urban dweller. They spend…

ÒYour publication gives me inspiration and comfort.Ó INSTAGRAM   Country Style’s Anna Delprat shared one of her favourite photographs from the magazine. “This shot of galahs flying past Saint Carthage church in Silverton, NSW, by Michael Wee (September 2013) captures the ephemeral beauty and magic of the Australian landscape.” Follow us on Instagram @countrystylemag SOCIAL MEDIA Our July issue had you talking on Facebook and Instagram. Photography Mark Roper Styling Michelle Ball It always puts me in a good mood to sit and enjoy Country Style. Sarah DÕAstoli Got my copy today... woo hoo! I’m always eagerly waiting for each issue to come out in stores. I can’t thank Country Style enough — it puts me in a beautiful place. Tina Hill Such a great cover! Stunning shoot @wanderingfolk Just…

MEET THE PRODUCERS Belinda and Jason Hagan, McIvor Farm Foods, Tooborac, Victoria The old butchery in Tooborac, a community of about 100 people, lives again. Its restoration has been just one of many projects that farmers and pork producers Belinda and Jason Hagan have undertaken since starting McIvor Farm in 2010. Jason is the third generation of Hagans to farm and run the butchery in this small hamlet. The couple met in the pig industry when they were working near Ballarat. “We knew we wanted pigs,” Belinda says. “They’re such great animals to work with and such fun.” The pigs live in groups and graze in cells, moving to a new area every few days, a rotational system that took the Hagans a few years to finesse. “We wanted a…

 A PHOTOGRAPH OF George and Harold Newton proudly holding homegrown produce hangs in the office of Newton Orchards in Western Australia’s Manjimup, and is a reminder of the heritage of this family-owned business. The two brothers left England in 1927, aged 15 and 16, and came to Australia as ‘Ten Pound Poms’ under a migration assistance scheme. After two years on allotted farms in the Margaret River, they travelled south-east to Manjimup and purchased 40 hectares to grow vegetables and fruit. “My family realises how special it is to grow something healthy and good.” The innovative forebears, who were among the first to trial cool storage of apples in the state using local jarrah panels and sawdust fill, would undoubtedly be impressed with the latter-day enterprise. Almost nine decades on,…

1 TAMWORTH’S CAFE CULTURE “Addimi’s coffee is always good and I like Ruby’s Café and Gift Store’s lovely outdoor eating areas and homemade authentic flavours.” Addimi, 306 Peel Street. (02) 6766 7802; addimi.com.au. Ruby’s Café and Gift Store, 494 Peel Street. (02) 6766 9833. 2 THE MAGIC PUDDING “I like cooking and The Magic Pudding is good for specialty kitchen ingredients.” 295 Peel Street. (02) 6766 5611; themagicpudding.com.au 3 THE TAMWORTH HOTEL “I like plain well-cooked food. We had dinner at The Tamworth Hotel the other night and I had the best steak I’ve ever eaten.” 147 Marius Street. (02) 6766 2923; thetamworthhotel.com 4 WESWAL GALLERY “Weswal Gallery always has interesting exhibitions and promotes local artists. It is a good place to buy locally made jewellery and ceramics.” 192 Brisbane…

YELLOW is no-one’s favourite hair colour, so include the violet-tinted Matrix Total Results Color Obsessed So Silver Shampoo (300ml, $16.95) or L’Oréal Professionel Silver Gloss Protect System (250ml, $26) in your routine to wash away any brassy tones from silver, grey or blonde hair. AUSSIE BRAND Bhave’s hair-care range swaps harsh parabens and sulphates for natural ingredients, such as aloe vera and macadamia oil, to help restore strength to weak, dry or damaged hair. This Bombshell Blonde Shampoo (300ml, $32.95) has clever colour-correcting pigments that work to minimise any yellow tones in grey, blonde or highlighted hair. NOTHING TURNS a dreaded bad hair day around faster than volume-boosting products — a must in any hair-care arsenal. Focusing on the roots, apply a mist or mousse to towel-dried tresses and then…