Home / Journal
Journal
Leek & Cauliflower Cheese
“Cauliflower cheese is a classic family favourite, made even tastier with chunks of sweet and tender leeks and crunchy breadcrumbs. This is fab served with a roast or sausages, or it could easily be served as a vegetarian main dish with fresh crusty bread and a green salad.”
This is the third comforting recipe Olivia Galletly shared with us from her first cookbook, The Hungry Cook.
Rustic Fruit Tart
“In my eyes, a seasonal fruit tart is hard to beat. This tart is the perfect way to use up any of the final sun-ripened autumn fruit.”
This is the first of three recipes Jaz Mathisen shared with us from her cookbook, A Year at Awakino Station.
Turning up for Each Other
Kath Menpes, 48, a born and bred Southlander, grew up inland in Heddon Bush and now lives in Orepuki, a small coastal settlement, with her husband, Paul, and their two children, Jamie, 15, and Lizzy, 13, on Paul’s family’s third-generation sheep farm. Three years ago, she joined PGG Wrightson as the store manager at Tuatapere. Five times a week, she channels her commitment to staying active into community fitness sessions for local women, where it’s not just muscles that get strengthened.
Hearts Racing
A shared passion for horse racing brought Jessica Murphy, known as Jess, and Marc Hamilton together, so when the couple exchanged vows on a bluebird autumn day in Central Otago, it made sense for Jess’s Appaloosa gelding, Micah, to take a starring role.
Generations of Care
Robyn Stephens, a Te Rohe Pōtae King Country farmer and grandmother of nine, took up dog trials at the age of fifty-nine, following in her father’s footsteps, and at seventy-six is still working as a casual musterer. Here, she reflects on her connection to the past and how her whānau Māori has influenced her.
Still Here
Her father’s influence and a deep love for animals inspired her to become a shepherd, but it’s not been an easy road for Wairarapa-based Lara Smith, 29. Here, she shares how her persistence has paid off.
A Dream & Hard Graft
A way of life with a love of horses at its core, encompassed by a strong belief that horses can heal.
Second-Chance Love
If you’d told Katie Vickers in 2014 that she’d be married to Luc Rodwell by the time she was thirty, she wouldn’t have believed you – after all, the two had broken up.
Gardening in Omau Cape Foulwind
A chance to flee the confines of our suburban Richmond home to remote Cape Foulwind in Buller ignited a fire in my husband, Rowan, and me. The windswept coastline and sunsets had us wanting more.
Summer Style
Shepherdess takes RB Sellars to West Wānaka Station with Samantha Goos and Nathan Roberts, who run Wānaka Horse Trekking amidst the majestic high-country scenery.
Notes from Nonna
In her own garden in Māngere Bridge, Bri nurtures the Italian ingredients she loves, sharing her family’s beloved traditional recipes in her seasonally inspired cookbook.
Raising a Shepherd
Hannah Vallance has an infectious passion for farming which has been nurtured and shaped by her family.
Takurua Winter 2026 Edition
Twenty-Sixth Edition
Our beautiful Takurua Winter 2026 Edition is out now.