It’s certainly been quite the ride! It’s hard to believe that MasterChef was 15 years ago...I was so young! Winning the show really lit a fire in me and made me realise I had a special unwavering talent and passion for good food —not just to cook, but to share that knowledge and love with others to help them eat better. That led to co-founding My Food Bag, which was all about helping people cook and eat better at home. But over time, I felt this pull and need to understand more of what I like to call, the ‘journey behind our plates’ and along with my husband (and partner of 20 years) Carlos always wanting to go back into farming one day, we were destined to move back to the land, which led to us becoming the custodians of the historic 1,200 acre Royalburn Station on the Crown Terrace just outside of Arrowtown. So now we are farmers, producing on scale high quality lamb which is also processed in our on-site farm abartoir and butchery, pasture-raised free-range eggs, grains, seeds and honey. It’s been the most incredible learning journey – I am so thankful to truly know and understand how our food gets to our plates. 

I want my kids to grow up with a deep knowledge and respect for where their food comes from. I think, by natural osmosis, they are gaining that as they hear our discussions about the farm around the dinner table and in the car. They are also lucky to have access to our own garden-grown fruit and vegetables, meat, eggs, honey and grains all straight from the farm, as well as hunted and foraged food. To them it’s normal to see a wild goat hanging outside the house before being butchered or a couple of rabbits on the doorstep. I also try to teach them to try everything once, to listen to what their bodies need, and that family dinner at the table is important. 

That’s a tough one. It could be many – Mum’s mac n’ Cheese with Bacon and Onion or maybe Malaysian Chicken Curry that Dad taught Mum to cook. I spent half of my childhood in Malaysia so I grew up with a very international and East-meets-West palate!

It’s naturally temperature-regulating. So while we think of it as something for winter, it actually helps keep you cool in summer too. It’s also naturally odour-resistant, which makes it perfect for everyday use. It completely biodegrades, i.e. rots down in the ground, returning valuable nutrients back to the soil. It’s also fire resistant (something to seriously keep in mind when you are putting carpet in your house...the fumes from burning synthetic carpets are lethal). 

Seeing people hold it, wear it, and feel connected to the story behind it. There’s a real beauty in knowing that something grown on your land can go on to be part of someone else’s daily life. I was going through airport security recently and the person in front of me was carrying a wool bag, which was a real buzz!

A soft knit jumper, well-worn jeans, and gumboots if I’m on the farm—or bare feet if I’m at home! Something practical, comfy and (hopefully) a little chic.