About me

The inspiration for this blog (and who knows maybe one day a book) is my grandma Eula's recipe book. It is full of her handwritng (which still occassionally make me cry) and so many of the recipes that filled my childhood, there are so many more that I know went with her but this is still a pretty amazing collection and I feel close to her when I cook the things she loved to make for our family. 

But it is also all of those country kitchens out there that I have had the pleasure visiting. To eat, drink cups of tea and/or pinot noir, cook in, cry, laugh and gossip in. Kitchens that I've shooed the dogs, chickens, kids and cat from. Kitchens that have history, heart and more personality than you could shake a stick at. 

But most of all this is inspired by the wonderful people that cook in those kitchens, the ones that have been kind enough to share their recipes and knowledge, that taught me that baking soda takes the sticky stuff left by labels on jars off, the ones that poured the wine and that have shared so much more than a meal with me. 

The idea of this blog is to share some of that magic with all of you. There are a few laughs, some handy tips and of course some darn good food to be had, so enjoy it and please share it.

My name is Abby France  and there are a few things you might want to know about me;

1. I live in Geraldine, which is a small town in South Canterbury New Zealand and up until I moved here and found out otherwise- I thought it was the retirement capital of New Zealand.
2. I grew up in Lake Hawea, Central Otago. There is something about the mountains there that will always have a gravitational pull on my heart. My parents are still in the Upper Clutha and there is nothing like going 'home', however a lot more people seem to agree with me these days so it's not the sleepy little town I grew up in anymore.
3. I used to live in a house that we called 'The Palace'- it was character building and in no way a palace. We have now moved to a new house on 12ha (so I'm retracting a lot of what I have said about lifestylers over the years) and it is AMAZING. The doors all open and shut, there are cupboards to put things in and it is so warm. Oh and there is a HUGE garden- yay!
4. The farmer is referred to in this blog quite often, he has an actual name. It is Dave and he is my very tolerant husband. He has big blue eyes, makes me laugh (even if it is because he thinks he is funnier than he is) and he puts up with all my crazy ideas and sometimes even helps make them come to fruition. If you take him to town he gets a condition called townfoul. It is not a great experience for anyone.
5. We have two gorgeous little humans that we made- Harriet and Phillippa. They are amazing with their story book blonde hair and blue eyes and are all smiley and spread joy wherever they go.
6. We have a little dog, he is a border terrier called Dougal. He is cheeky, and a bit stinky. We both adore him but not half as much as Harriet does! Her first word was dog.
7. I love food. Obviously.
8. I love living in rural New Zealand although a trip to the big smoke is something I am lucky enough to do for work. This is why I own so many shoes.
9. That's something else about me- I LOVE shoes. The farmer doesn't know that exactly how many shoes I have and I think that for the sake of our relationship that is a good thing.
10. I work for a company called FMG, which is a rural insurer. I am a rural manager and look after our farmer clients from Geraldine to the Mackenzie country. It is a real privilege to get to sit at the kitchen tables of hundreds of farmers and get to know them and their farming businesses. Not to mention the baking, the produce you return home with and the possibility of acquiring a pet lamb in the spring!
11. I have a few side hustles, which are actually bigger than first intended! The NZ Crate company and Copper Beech Consultants NZ, which is an event management company that I own with my amazing friend Catherine. We own and operate the Hanmer Springs Fete and we have BIG plans for the future with some exciting events to add int he coming years.
12. I am a registered marriage celebrant.
13. I have a Bachelor of Commerce and Management from Lincoln University (marketing, accounting & agribusiness majors)
14. I love to travel, buy shoes and hang out with business people. Randomly though I also love the old school way of keeping house- homefires burning and all that.
15. Gardening is my happy place. It is how I deal with stress, there is something really special about having your hands in the soil and watching something grow. 
16. I read a lot.
17. I LOVE packaging- ask my friends, I am always collecting packaging that I like and branding too. I know its weird but it makes me happy, so don't judge me please.
18. I cut my toast into 12 little squares when I eat saveloys, then I cut my saveloy into 12- perfect toast to sav ratio- OCD much??
19. I listen to country music and a bit of rock. Boy bands make my blood pressure go up, as do trash teen girls that can't really sing but for some reason are allowed onto our radio waves.
20. I talk far too much but I am what I am and the great thing about blogs is you can simply click on if you don't agree or like me..... 

That's it. If you want to know more you will have to stalk me, befriend me or keep reading my blog xx
A