The Good Life

(Paperback)

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Description

On Gillian Swinton's 2.7-hectare property in Central Otago's heartland she's living simply: trying to be as self-sufficient as possible, living with the seasons, building community and remembering not to take it all too seriously. With her partner Hamish, their two dogs, a cat, a few sheep, bees and a lot of chooks, Gillian just wants to live an honest, simple, good life.

It's a lifestyle of self-sufficiency, community and learning that harks back to our grandparents' generation and earlier, to a time when people led a simpler life - working with the seasons, raising animals for meat and growing vegetables.

In this gorgeously illustrated guide to living off the land, Gillian tells the story of how she became a modern-day homesteader, and how you can too - whether you're looking after livestock on a lifestyle block, or tending to an inner-city garden (or planter box).

Includes more than 25 recipes for pickling, preserving and delicious meals to help you get the most out of your kitchen, garden and paddock.

Author Bio

Hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland, Gillian Swinton has called New Zealand home for the past 15 years. Initially only meaning to pop over on her OE, she went as far away from home as you could go without coming back again, after falling in love with the Kiwi life - and a good Southland farmer.


Ski lift operator, snowmaker, DOC Ranger, farmer, station cook, vet tech, relief milker and calf rearer... she's a bit of a 'Gill of All Trades'. Gillian and her partner Hamish now live on their lifestyle block in Central Otago, trying to live as self sufficiently as possible and remembering to try and have some fun along the way. Animals, food preserving, beekeeping, gardening, trapping - they love it all.