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.
My First Love
I can still remember the day I laid eyes on my first love… No blue eyes or sweet words – just two wheels, a chain and a hint of freedom.
Carrot Cake
A cake spiced with cinnamon and ginger, laden with carrot, walnuts and dried fruit then lathered with cream cheese icing.
The Best Piece of Advice
I have always admired images of farming mums – the ones with stoic women standing over drafting gates with toddlers layered up in backpacks or sweeping shearing boards with babies tucked safely to the side of the shed.
Courtenay Bevan
Courteney, 28, is a city chef turned charter boat chef/deckie turned Jobs for Nature scientific diver – or, as she calls herself, a “glorified underwater weeder.”
Emma Sage on Creating an Online Gardening Journal
Emma created an online magazine for the “garden-curious” when her two youngest children were small, after a previous career in marketing and brand management.
Fiona Collis on Reaching Beyond Her Local Patch
Fiona is a fibre and textiles artist using traditional knowledge and practices handed down by her ancestors to experiment with traditional Māori textiles.
Takurua Winter 2026 Edition
Twenty-Sixth Edition
Our beautiful Takurua Winter 2026 Edition is out now.