"My kitchen is my garden, every time I step outside, I am inspired."

I wish that was my quote but it isn't, it belongs to Skye Gyngell. No matter! I'm using it anyway because I think it perfectly describes the way I feel. I love her simpler and more produce inspired style of cooking. Her focus is on local, seasonal produce (she grows most of the vegetables/fruits/herbs in their garden at Petersham Nurseries Cafe) and makes for unpretentious and honest food with flavours that are simple,clean and clear.

People these days are more conscious of where their food comes from and there are few things in life that are more satisfying and rewarding than eating fresh, healthy home grown fruits and vegetables...cultivated and produced by your own hard work and care. There is definitely something therapeutic and soothing about cultivating the earth and watching it produce the very foods that give us life. I love starting the day watering my garden and discovering veggies that seem to have appeared overnight.

There is no way I, my family or friends would have foreseen me having a vegetable garden three years ago.... a vineyard yes... vegetables, no.  It truly amazes me how different stages in your life lead you to new and wonderful experiences.

And who would have ever thought I would own........

Chooks

I love my spice girls (named after the band because there are five of them, not because one day they will be tasty morsels for the table) - they are a delight to have around. I love watching them roam my yard, I love that they come when you call, I love collecting their eggs, I love watching the kids get excited about collecting their eggs. They are the best pets ever. For starters they eat all of my kitchen scraps and turn it into several products. The obvious one is fresh, organic eggs and the other is fertilizer for my veggie garden. Poached eggs would have to be my favourite way to eat an egg and I have never had success at poaching until now. Fresh organic free range is the answer for perfect poached eggs every time. Divine!

My hens live in the Hilton of hen houses. Designed by us and built by my wonderful and talented husband from recycled materials. The weatherboards actually came from a demolished ferry house on the Hawkesbury river and the slate roof from a skip on a building site. The site for the coop was originally an unsightly part of our land, mostly rock and not very good for anything. But now along with the vegetable garden, a permaculture paradise.

We can supply and build similar exquisite coops if you live in the Sydney/Central Coast area. Send your details via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will be happy to discuss the project with you.

The state of the environment has been an issue of concern for some time now, and the focus on environmentally sustainable options that minimise waste and use clean, green products, and modes of manufacture is one that we'll need to keep paying attention to so our children, and their children's children, can live long and happy lives in a healthy global ecosystem.

Shopping online is a great way to save money and the environment at the same time. No need for a car, therefore no need for petrol, no need for sitting in traffic, no need to look for a parking spot. You have just saved money, the environment and time - A huge win win situation!

If you are a green goddess or thinking of becoming one and want to do your bit for the environment and want to do it in style then you have to check out the range of organic cleaning products from Murchison-Hume. Here is their story......

"Why does everything made to keep a house clean have to be so ugly?"

Staring at a dizzying array of neon bright, pine-scented bottles and an army of royal-blue plastic buckets, this is the question that plagued Max Kater, when she traded her seat on the front row of Fashion Week for life as a Stay-at-Home Mother. Disenchanted with the odious and uninspiring options on offer to the design-conscious Housewife, she decided to create her own range of premium housekeeping products. Her ambition: Simply to create the finest household cleaning products in the world. That meant they had to be Ecologically Friendly, superbly effective and easy to use but above all, they had to look and smell gorgeous.

Why you'll want it:

The look and smell were major considerations when Murchison-Hume was created. Packaging was inspired by old-fashioned, brown glass apothecary-style bottles and each product is available in a choice of two delicious essential-oil based fragrances or naturally fragrance-free. The cleaning range is complemented by a renewable timber cleaning caddy and natural bristle brushes designed to air-dry on their own matching wooden brush rack, so your cleaning supplies are always charmingly within reach. Gorgeous.
Naturally, we're proud of our lovely packaging, but we realise beauty isn't just label-deep. It's what's inside those beautiful bottles that distinguishes Murchison-Hume from other ordinary household cleaners.

Why we're really greener:

Murchison-Hume is the world's first ever Premium Organic Housecleaning Product. Its uniqueness is based on Colloidal Technology (the same technology used to clean up the ocean in the event of an oil spill). It is superior to other "Eco-Friendly" housecleaning products in both efficacy and non-toxicity. It is utterly safe to use, causing zero negative effect on the environment and is actually used commercially to improve wastewater and as a soil conditioner in its concentrated state.

Why it's more expensive:

Like most organic products, Murchison-Hume is more expensive than ordinary commercial cleaning products. This is simply because the ingredients we use to manufacture our cleaners are natural and therefore more expensive than the widely used synthetic chemicals found in most supermarket brands.
With time (and increased sales) we hope to be able to produce larger quantities and therefore lower our operating costs, so we can pass the savings onto our customers. All of our cleaning products will always have an affordably priced refill bottle available (so you only have to pay for that gorgeous trigger bottle once)! Our goal is to make Murchison-Hume an affordable luxury for every household.