Australian Country Homes

PADDOCK TO PLATE

By her own account, New Zealand-born caterer Brigid Kennedy gained her first job picking raspberries at the age of 10 and has been “full throttle” ever since. “Growing up in the Taranaki region of the North Island in the 1970s, we knew about hard work,” she says. “Britain had entered the EU [European Union], so suddenly the demand for New Zealand butter and lamb just disappeared. They were tough times for farmers all over the country. My mother went back to working as a nurse and we all had to help out on the farm. I wanted a bike, and there was no way I was getting one without earning the money to pay for it myself.”

There may not have been much fruit on the sideboard, but there was always plenty of food on the table. Brigid recalls growing up in a

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Australian Country Homes

Australian Country Homes3 min read
Nature’s Reserve
Capetonian couple Justin Rhodes and Cameron Munro are lounging poolside at their seaside home in Misty Cliffs, a conservation village just 45 minutes away from the Mother City. They’re soaking in the sun on a deck that is tucked neatly into a pristin
Australian Country Homes5 min read
Truffle Hunters
A bad day at work and a lucky find on the internet led Ina Ansmann and Timothy Noonan to a completely new life in Tasmania. “We were living and working in Brisbane and we’d both come home after a bad day at work and just thought there had to be more
Australian Country Homes4 min read
Over The Rainbow
Alison Ray has a wedding for 130 going on in her garden when we arrive, but she appears unfazed by the chaos that could well be imminent. With the assistance of a handful of friends, she calmly continues slicing up cakes, plating sandwiches, making a

Related