Table of contents for June 2017 in Country Style

A Jersey cow named Nigella, closely followed by another called Poh, ambles along the track on her way to the milking shed. The names tell you that someone on this farm must have a good sense of humour to name these golden beauties after the stars of television cooking shows. Four generations of the McCauls have lived on these 111 hectares on the southern Fleurieu Peninsula, where today the family make award-winning cheeses under the Alexandrina Cheese Company label — discover their story on page 100. Food and family go hand in hand, so it’s no surprise to discover that many of the people we’ve featured in our annual Food and Wine Issue are following in their family’s footsteps, just like the McCauls. Young winemaker Nic Peterkin is making waves…

WEEKENDS AWAY NSW Capella Lodge, Lord Howe Island Escape for four blissful nights and pay for three with Capella’s Kentia Dreaming package. Find an idyllic picnic spot on this stunning World Heritage site and the world’s southernmost coral reef to enjoy an island-inspired barbecue lunch, then relax in the spa. Solo travellers can use the Sophisticated Solo bonus and pay only twin-share rate. From $2,250 per person, valid until August 31st, (02) 9918 4355; capellalodge.com.au NSW The Winter Warmer at Byron At Byron The perfect getaway package for two in a Superior Suite with rainforest views includes a full buffet breakfast, hot chocolate by the fire, a box of Duck Creek chocolate macadamia nuts and a cheese plate matched with a bottle of Australian wine. You’ll also receive…

Nic Peterkin is the vivacious 31-year-old behind L.A.S Vino wine label. A third-generation wine producer, Nic has impressive origins; his mother Shelley is from the Cullen family of Cullen Wines, while his father Michael is a doctor turned vigneron, who founded Pierro vineyard at Margaret River. “Wine was always at the table when we were having dinner, especially with my grandmother, Di [Cullen], when we would go there for Sunday dinners,” he recalls. “Even from the age of five I would smell the wine and guess what it was.” And now the young winemaker hopes to take his own unique brand of wine around the world. Much of Nic’s childhood was spent working in the vineyard and winery at Pierro, earning pocket money over summer breaks. “Looking back at it,…

The New England seashore never meets the Danish coastline on the world map, but it does in Julie Brandt Dam’s country retreat. The building and interior design consultant has cleverly brought iconic New England and contemporary Danish styles together in her beach house. Built in 2016, Julie’s weekender is in Hornbaek, a coastal resort 50 kilometres north of Copenhagen and 40 minutes’ drive from the family’s home in Hellerup. Julie, who spent childhood holidays in the former fishing village, says it was “a dream come true” when she found a block of land at Hornbaek where she could design and build a sanctuary by the sea for her husband Thomas Dam and their three sons. With colourful old buildings, a sheltered harbour where boats are moored, long sandy beaches…

Handcrafted ceramic and wood pieces make your breakfast table unique. A dining table set with work by a local potter is sure to be a conversation starter. LOCATION Natasha Morgan’s property in Spargo Creek, Victoria. For more information about Natasha and her work in design, events and horticulture, visit natashamorgan.com.au Find more decorating ideas at homelife.com.au/decorating…

DO YOU EVER wonder what it would be like eating a pudding that people enjoyed more than 100 years ago? I do and several sweet treats spring to mind — Victoria sponge, spotted dick and jam fancies. No list would be complete, however, without that most venerable of British puddings, the treacle tart. My grandmother, Gramma Alvina, lauded in my previous columns for her prowess at making apple pie and her ability to balance a smoldering rollie on her lips while working the pastry, used to bake it occasionally. She always managed to sneak a little ‘Alvina magic’ into her efforts and, in this case, she would add a pinch of baking powder to the pastry. Too young to comprehend the chemistry, I agreed with contented mouthfuls that she had…

“Dobermans are really gentle dogs, even if the public perception is different to that.” BELLA, A SLEEK young doberman, greets every arrival to Hopeful, the Alto Olives grove at the foothills of the Great Dividing Ranges near Crookwell in NSW, with an enquiring sniff. She stands tall and her look is bright and alert. There’s a sense that you’re being appraised as a potential playmate. Her head cocks one way, then another, as she takes you in. Bella came to live on the farm with her owner Robert Armstrong when he bought her as a puppy to be a companion for his doberman, Zac. She came from the same breeder as Zac; in fact he was Bella’s uncle. “Zac was really put out when Bella arrived,” Robert says. “It was…

IT’S THE TIME OF year when the country comes to town. There’s a sudden increase in the number of Akubras and R.M. Williams boots that you can spot in the CBD — all signals that the Sydney Royal Easter Show is on again. During the 14 days of the show, wool valued at more than $11 million was sold in the two-day on-site auction; 1700 head of cattle stayed on the showground; and the District Exhibits Perpetual Shield was won by the South East Queensland display. The Country Women’s Association sold a record-breaking 51,000 scones from their famous tearoom near the Country Style show bag stand (and, yes, we did eat a few of them!). Next year’s show will be held from Friday, March 23rd until Tuesday, April 3rd.…

“THE LAID-BACK SETTING OF THE ESTATE PROVED THE PERFECT VENUE.” THE ONLY THING that wasn’t relaxed about this intimate wedding was the couple’s rescue dog Gizmo, who let guests know he wasn’t happy on the sidelines. “He was so anxious that he couldn’t be with us up the front, he wouldn’t stop crying,” says real estate agent Melissa, 29, whose marriage to finance manager, Sam, 33, took place at The Estate in Trentham, Victoria. “Sam is from Tasmania and I grew up in the country so we knew we wanted to get married out of the city,” says Melissa, who spent her childhood in Cobram Barooga, Victoria. The couple fell in love with the property, just over an hour north-west of Melbourne, the moment they arrived. Meeting in 2012, Sam…

CROWD FAVOURITES Cosmopolitan Hotel A local icon, this restored 1860s pub has a shady beer garden, wine bar and menu showcasing regional produce, wine, beer and cider. Corner High Street and Cosmo Road. (03) 5424 1516; thecosmopolitanhotel.com.au Trentham Farmers’ Market The place to buy fresh produce from local growers, markets are held from 9am to 1pm on the third Saturday of every month. Trentham Town Square, High Street. Trentham Falls A picnic spot overlooking one of Victoria’s longest single-drop waterfalls. Trentham Falls Road. Domino Trail Starting at the historic railway station, this walking and cycling trail follows the original rail line and is a good way to check out the Wombat State Forest. railtrails.org.au Great Trentham Spudfest Held in May, the festival of food, music and entertainment honours Trentham’s potato-growing…

STYLE SCENE This season, Zebrano has a new selection of must-have fashion from top New Zealand and Australian designers. Find classic pieces, such as this ‘Euphoria’ draped top, $340, and fashion forward styles in sizes 14+. zebrano.com.au GOT YOU COVERED Porter’s Paints’ Grasscloth wallpaper collection is crafted with natural fibres and available in 22 beautiful colours. 1800 656 664; porterspaints.com WARM REGARDS The Birdsnest girls have your winter wardrobe all sewn up. Snuggle up in comfort and style and take on the season with confidence. 1300 696 378; birdsnest.com.au IN THE BAG Since 1989, Aussie Bush Leather has been handcrafting quality leather goods with fine workmanship. (02) 6761 3374; aussiebushleather.com.au COUNTRY RETREAT Built in 1860, Mutton Falls B&B, located in rural NSW, is steeped in history, and makes the perfect…

SARAH NEIL Our food features editor asked country chefs to share their local knowledge for her Journey story on page 106 . Pulling busy chefs away from the kitchen to give us their recipes is a challenge Sarah thrives on, so we asked her to do a very special story for this issue — our Country Chef hot list. Sarah spoke to five culinary geniuses around Australia to get the lowdown on the best places to eat, drink and shop in their region, as well as things to do and see. “Sometimes it can be hard to get these guys to finalise a menu or provide more information about how to cook a particular dish, but ask them for their top travel tips? I think I have enough for…

“IT WOULD BE easier to live with a horse,” said my husband, slumping his tired shoulders. “Things have to change.” And so, after seven years living the dog version of the life of Riley — drinking out of unlidded toilet bowls, sleeping under the aircon vents, feasting on food the children seem to intentionally scatter on the floor — our enormous, gentle Newfoundland dog, Pommes Frites, has been banished outside. She is doomed to peer in longingly through the windows with her hopeful yet non-judgemental eyes, although it’s hard to be sure what her eyes are saying because you can’t actually see them through her fluffy black fur. Pommes Frites has always been an indoor dog, much to my husband’s horror. He, like many country boys I know, is well…

It’s been 20 years since Penny and Graeme Hart first embarked on their rural adventure. It started as a search for a weekender for their family, including their two (now adult) daughters, Madelaine and Rachael — somewhere with enough space for Rachael’s pony and enough left over to support a boutique enterprise or two. When it came to fruition it was in a place that brought Graeme back to his family roots. Now known as Hart’s Farm, 10 fertile hectares lie along Manton’s Creek at Shoreham, which overlooks Western Port Bay at the southern end of the Mornington Peninsula. “Graeme has ties to Shoreham from quite a few generations ago and his parents had a beach house here for many years,” says Penny. “And so we loved the idea of…

1 ‘Stanton’ lamp, $89.95, from Madras Link. 2 ‘Alena’ throw in Carbon, $229.95, from Sheridan. 3 ‘Preto’ serving platter, $60, from Weylandts. 4 Velvet mini cushion in Storm, $57, from L&M Home. 5 ‘Rotvik’ bamboo pendant lamp, $79, from Ikea. 6 ‘Gus Margot’ three-seater sofa in Velvet London, $3570, from Globe West. 7 Florabelle ‘Ankeny’ bamboo decorative ladder, $125, from Living Styles. 8 ‘Sockerärt’ vase, $14.99, from Ikea. 9 Turkish whitewash urn, from $499, from Maison et Jardin. 10 Terrace bar cart, $699, from West Elm. 11 ‘Endure’ interior low-sheen paint in Grey Dusk, $63.86 for 4L, from Taubmans. 12 ‘Endure’ interior low-sheen paint in Grey Castle, $63.86 for 4L, from Taubmans. 13 Notre Monde nesting coffee-table set, $1995, from Papaya. 14 ‘Calais’ floor lamp in Antiqued Silver, $1195, from…

MAKE YOUR FIREPLACE THE FEATURE “A lot of people have that memory of standing around a little fireplace as a child,” says Melbourne-based architect Claire Scorpo, who specified the finishes in the living room of Hart’s Farm B&B in Shoreham on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria (see more on page 34). “Fireplaces instantly create a social space and a sense of warmth, and we like that they bring people together.” To ensure the freestanding, Australian-made Nectre fireplace was the focus of the room, the masonry wall behind was painted in Porter’s Paints Liquid Iron, $94.78 for 1 litre, with Instant Rust solution, $31 for 500ml, over the top. GO PORTABLE FOR DECKS AND PATIOS Compact and low-slung, fire pits look great in the garden, but decks, verandahs and patios often benefit…

“I ENJOY BEING OUTSIDE IN THE FRESH AIR AND CALM OF THE PLANTATION. ” From June through until early September, Mel Booth and her labrador retrievers spend most days hunting the trufferie plantations of the Southern Forests region of Western Australia. As contractors to various growers in the region, their day starts early amid the hazelnut and oak trees and there is often a layer of frost on the forest floor. “I love hearing the dogs crunching through frost-covered leaves,” says Mel, who sometimes finds up to 100 kilograms a day of the black truffle, Tuber melanosporum. The dogs wear special boots on their front feet and are trained to paw the ground where they’ve picked up the scent of ripe truffles, so as not to damage the precious fungi…

“I used to live in heels but now they are a novelty for special events.” You and your partner, chef Darren Robertson of Three Blue Ducks, split your time between Byron Bay and Sydney... Yes, we base ourselves in Byron and go back to Sydney around once a month for mine and Darren’s various commitments. Describe your personal style. I’m a bit of a chameleon, depending on where I am. I like pieces that are relaxed, classic, beachy and a little boho so my Byron Bay wardrobe is filled with a lot of white and neutrals, in cotton, linen and natural fibres. I also like to support local labels like Spell, St Agni and the Bare Road, and I live in First Born knits. When I’m in the city…

HOW CAN THE ORCHID live for more than a century and not look a day older than when it first bloomed? It’s a question scientists are now asking. Could this coveted ornamental, long prized since the ancient Greeks who saw them as a symbol of virility, really hold the key to anti-aging? “The orchid has the most exceptional longevity in the plant kingdom,” says Wendy Phillips, Guerlain’s National Training Manager. “It is capable of living longer than 100 years in the most hostile of environments and under extreme conditions. It defies time and the laws of nature.” Orchids are distinctly different to other flowers — they live on trees for starters, and can survive with little food or water and still retain their wow-factor beauty and colour. It’s this peculiar…

CLASSIC RATTAN We love the elegance of this outdoor terrace, pictured left (see the house on page 50 ). Get the look with the ‘Kasbah Verandah’ chair, $499, from Provincial Home Living. (03) 9825 9432; provincial homeliving.com.au IN SEASON Now is the time to purchase and plant bare-rooted fruit and ornamental trees, such as Lagerstroemia (crepe myrtle) ‘Purple Magic’. (03) 9756 6105; flemings.com.au GARDEN EVENTS Up your garden game with one of these educational workshops. 4th HERBS FOR TEA AND MEDICINE, NSW Set in the beautiful grounds of Buena Vista Farm in Gerringong, this three-hour workshop covers the use of fresh and dried herbs in home remedies. $75. buenavistafarm.com.au 13th YOUR GARDEN WITH JOSH BYRNE, WA The ABC Gardening Australia host will help Perth participants develop waterwise…

 THE CHOSEN ONE is worried about Polly the cat. She’d like me to check her out. I assemble the bandages, the cotton wool, the adhesive plaster and the antiseptic ointment. There will be blood. Mine. “WHAT LANGUAGE IS MOST SPOKEN IN YOUR HOME? OUR ANSWER WOULD HAVE TO BE MEEPING...” Tell me if I’m paranoid, but I actually asked a published crime writer if he thought a woman wanting to kill a man from blood loss, might ask him to check out a devil cat knowing he’d be torn to shreds, and maybe come down with ringworm as well. He said it was an interesting idea but he had to dash away to start a new book. I took that as a ‘yes’. Polly regards men with the same indifference…

“I kept to the Australian style when designing the house.” Jaking a wrong turn in the Hunter Valley of NSW proved a fortunate mistake for a Sydney couple who, dreaming of establishing an olive grove to supply oil to their popular Sydney Italian restaurant, Buon Ricordo, happened upon the perfect spot. “We’d just returned from a trip to Italy with an idea of what we wanted,” says Gemma Cunningham, who, along with her husband, Naples-born chef Armando Percuoco, was captivated when she found herself on the historic Great North Road during a drive to the renowned Hunter Valley wine region. “We loved the hills, the streams and the valley,” says Armando. “I rang a real estate agent and Valleyfield was the first place she showed us.” That was more than…

Winemaker Cathy Howard has vivid memories of gardening with her grandfather at Blackmans Bay in Tasmania, where she grew up, and the gratification of growing flowers and vegetables together. “Grandpa was my early influence,” she says. “He taught me the wonder of planting seedlings; how to care for them and the joy of picking the flowers. It never ceases to amaze me that you can grow something from a tiny seed.” Now, almost four decades on, Cathy and her husband Neil share their combined gardening and winemaking knowledge with a unique wine sensory garden about 20 kilometres south of Busselton in WA. Visitors can wander through the formal potager-style garden at their Whicher Ridge winery and learn about flavours as well as food and wine pairing. “People really enjoy touching,…

You wouldn’t expect potatoes to be the cause of arguments in our vegetable patch. But when my desire to serve our freshly dug potatoes at every Sunday Table lunch interferes with my partner Al’s desire to have them every night for dinner, compromises must be made. Like onions, it seems that every year we grow more potatoes, but never are there enough. If you have ever eaten a handful of freshly dug pink fir apple potatoes, gently scrubbed but definitely not peeled, boiled in salty water and served with huge amounts of salty butter, then you’ll understand what the fuss is about. One of the joys of growing your own potatoes is the distinct variation in taste and texture between the different varieties, and how satisfying it is to jumble…

MEET THE PRODUCERS Carol Kunert and Mike Burston, King Valley Walnuts, Myrrhee, Victoria North-east Victoria is one of the main walnut-growing areas in the country. Carol Kunert and Mike Burston planted 4000 trees on their 170–hectare property in Myrrhee in 1996. They chose several varieties: Howard and Chandler, which have thin shells that are relatively easy to open, as well as Franquette, an older French variety renowned for its keeping qualities. Walnuts are harvested in autumn, but there is also a secondary spring harvest of green walnuts, which are used for pickling and making walnut liqueur. The trees lose their leaves in winter, which is the time for pruning and fertilising. “In summer, we make a hell of a racket, defending the trees from birds; a flock of cockatoos can…

It’s early morning milking time and, like clockwork, a herd of sweet-faced Jersey cows makes a leisurely conga line across the clover pastures of the southern Fleurieu Peninsula towards the dairy on the hill. The cows bear the names of celebrity cooks, such as Nigella and Poh, or gemstones, such as Emerald and Opal, and produce milk rich in butterfat that is made into the award-winning handmade cheese and dairy products of the Alexandrina Cheese Company. The Alexandrina Cheese Company at Mount Jagged, 72 kilometres south of Adelaide, is very much a family affair, according to Rebekah McCaul. Rebekah, 37, who is the fourth generation of the cheesemaking McCauls, grew up on the 111-hectare farm that she describes as an example of a paddock-to-plate enterprise. Rebekah’s parents, Dan and Krystyna…

BYRON BAY, NSW 100 Mile Table , 8 Banksia Drive, Byron Bay (02) 6680 9814 100miletable.com Bangalow Farmers’ Market behind the Bangalow Hotel 1 Byron Street, Bangalow.byronfarmersmarket.com.au Bayleaf Café , cnr Jonson and Marvell streets Byron Bay. (02) 6685 8900. Byron Bay Farmers’ Market Butler Street Reserve Butler Street, Byron Bay. byronfarmers market.com au Fleet , Shop 2/16 The Terrace (access via Fingal Street), Brunswick Heads (02) 6685 1363; fleet-restaurant.com au Harvest Café 18–22 Old Pacific Highway, Newrybar. (02) 6687 2644; harvestnewrybar.com.au Milk and Honey , Shop 5/59a Station Street, Mullumbimby. (02) 6684 1422; milkandhoneymullumbimby.com.au Mullumbimby Farmers’ Market , 51 Main Arm Road, Mullumbimby. mullumfarmers market.org.au New Brighton Farmers’ Market , next to the oval on River Street, New Brighton. newbrightonfarmers market.org.au Newrybar Merchants , 19 Old Pacific Highway, Newrybar. (02) 6687 2233; newrybarmerchants.com St Elmo Dining Room and…

 Describe your personal style. Mood dependent. More often than not, I lean towards relaxed clothing and lots of natural fibres like linen and cotton, regardless of being terrible at ironing (terrible, because I never do it!). “I lean towards relaxed clothing and lots of natural fibres like linen and cotton.” How has your style changed over the years? My wardrobe has always been influenced by my location — in Melbourne, everything I wore was black, which made things easy. Then in London, everything came from Benetton or Gap because I was nannying and my clothes needed to be nice but not precious. In Sydney I started to wear more colour and, because I was working in TV, things got a bit fancier — and less comfortable! Now you’re in the…