AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN | 59
Quintessential summer meal? Vine-
ripened tomatoes, just picked and still
fragrant with the warmth of the sun,
with basil from the garden drizzled with
extra-virgin olive oil, vino cotto, salt and
pepper. I can add to this, or eat it as
a meal on its own. When the produce
is at its peak, nothing else is needed.Favourite summer cooking pastime?
With our orchard in full swing in
summer, we are busy picking, cutting,
drying and packing our fruit. I love
seeing the trays of jewel-like apricots
drying in the sunshine – it tells me
summer is definitely here.
What’s on your reading list? I’ve loved
the [four-part Neopolitan Novels] series
by Elena Ferrante. I have the final book
of hers to read. And there’s an endless
pile of cookbooks that I read like novels.
Favourite soundtrack for summer?
I love jazz, particularly Ella Fitzgerald,
but I also love contemporary singers.
One of my favourites is Michelle Nicolle,
who grew up in the Barossa.
Your favourite sunset drink? Blood
orange juice mixed with sparkling
ruby cabernet and lots of ice.
Local summer festivities planned?
Plenty of fishing and crabbing, and of
course, sharing home-cooked dinners
with friends and family.
Restaurants you want to try? Hentley
Farm Restaurant in Seppeltsfield and
and St Hugo restaurant in Rowland Flat,
both in South Australia’s Barossa Valley.
How do you get away from it all?
Spending time in my garden. No matter
how hectic my work/life gets, I always
feel a shift in my state of mind after my
hands have been in the soil.Di Morrissey
Australia’s biggest-selling
women’s fiction author has
just released her 24th
novel, A Distant Journey.
She lives on the Mid-North Coast of NSW.
Summer is... Slowing down, dreaming
under a hat, swimming with my
grandchildren, lingering twilight
dinners outdoors.
Favourite summer pastime? Swimming
and sitting by the pool with friends,
family and food.
Are you travelling or staying home
over summer? Home! My son Nick,
his wife Mimi and their kids, Ula,
three, and Bo, five, are visiting from
the US for six weeks.
What will you be reading? A collection
of short autobiographical stories by
John Le Carré titled The Pigeon Tunnel
and Commonwealth by Ann Patchett.
Favourite place for summer reading?
Anywhere! The doctor’s, the hairdresser,
the car... I never move without a book in
my handbag. But the best place is the
sofa in my pavilion that overlooks
my garden and the Manning River.
Favourite summer indulgence? Cooking
outdoors and long conversations
accompanied by a crisp sauv blanc. >reads
SUMMER
The setting and many of the
characters in Artie and the Grime
Wave ($16.95, Allen & Unwin)
are based on Richard’s
free-range childhood growing
up in Albury, NSW.Di Morrissey’s latest novel,
A Distant Journey ($34.99,
Macmillan), charts a woman’s
life journey from Palm Springs,
California, to country NSW.You can almost smell the smoky
aromas wafting from Luke
Nguyen’s Street Food Asia ($60,
Hardie Grant). Great food from
Bangkok, Saigon, Jakarta and
Photography by William Meppem/bauersyndication.com.au (pasta), Getty Images (beach), Damien Bennett/bauersyndication.com.au (Maggie Beer). Other images courtesy of Papillionaire (bike), Country Road (towel), Hardtofind (garden tools). Kuala Lumpur.
‘This time of year puts
people in a relaxed state
regardless of whether
they’re on holidays or not.’
Maggie Beer