July 27, 2026 • 49 mins
You might recognise Laura Sharrad from MasterChef but what you might not know is, since winning the 2025 season, she's become one of Adelaide's most-loved home cooks, and a serial renovator.
In this episode of The Edit, Laura chats to Home Beautiful Editor-in-Chief Elle Lovelock about growing up in a big Italian family, how a stint on MasterChef turned into an unplanned career, and the chaos of juggling content creation, restaurants and motherhood with husband Max and daughter Florence.
Plus, Laura shares some news that's about to change her next couple of years completely and gives us the inside scoop on her dream kitchen wish list.
This episode covers:
- Italian Christmas vs. Max's English Christmas traditions
- Her first food memory and her family's move to Tuscany
- From a teaching degree to MasterChef to a food career
- How her parents feel about her career now
- Juggling content creation, restaurants and motherhood
- The story behind daughter Florence's name
- A big life update from Laura and Max
- Her vision for what's next, and her dream kitchen wish list
- Handling pressure and decision-making, from MasterChef to marriage
- What being a homemaker means to her in 2026
Photo Credits: @laurasharrad
You can find Laura on Instagram here
🎧 Listen to The Edit and follow on Apple Podcasts
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👀 Watch and subscribe to The Edit on Home Beautiful's YouTube
Credits:
Host: Elle Lovelock
Guest: Laura Sharrad
Edited by: Leah Porges
Head of Vodcasting: Rachel Fountain
With thanks to our wonderful Home Beautiful team.
The Edit is a production of Home Beautiful and Are Media.
https://www.homebeautiful.com.au/home-beautiful-the-edit-podcast/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
This is an our Media podcast. So the first house
at Max and I bought so the typical the ugliest
house on the street.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
And no I wanted to buy it.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
They actually was a movie about our house, really, The
King is Dead. It's an Australian movie. So the original
owners were a lovely old Greek couple and they had
two kids. One of the men that I've been a
got into some mischievous behavior. It's safe and the house.
What's the parents did? The house got turned into a
half white house and we did not know this.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I'm our Lovelock editor in chief of Home Beautiful. Welcome
to the edit, where we bring you into the beautiful
homes with the people who create them. Today, I'm sitting
down with Laura Shaarrad. You might recognize her from Master Chef,
but what you might not know is she loves a
homemade cover and she and her husband Max and daughter
(01:03):
Florence are about to take on a new adventure that
involves cowpats, Tasmanian oak and pasta parties. In this convo,
we unpack everything from how she deals with high pressure
situations both in and out of the kitchen, to the
one thing she always takes from hotels, and she tells
me about how she ended up doing a full blown
(01:26):
reno on a halfway house. This chat will absolutely take
you on an adventure. Laura, Welcome to the edit.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
We've been spending a bit of time together today. Yeah,
because we've both been enjoying a bit of an ar
media event that we've had in the test kitchens. Here
was it the art of joy maxing joymxing joymaxingsms in July?
I mean, how lucky are we? I know, like feased
on what I think?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Sometimes Christmas food is like wintry food in like an
actual win month is so nice, Like I had won
an afternoon nap on this couch right now.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
I couldn't agree more. Something that absolutely blew my mind
is when you and fran from The Woman's Weekly were
doing your Pavlov demonstration.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I can't believe that Franz said to build up the
path on the plate, yeap, that you want to serve it,
you want to serve it on and put that in
the oven.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Yep. So she told me this yesterday in our little
trial run, and I was genuinely mind blown. Like I
think if you would have caught me in that moment
my jow would have been on the ground. Yes, And
it's like, how has no one shared this before? I know,
how is Fran just telling us? And it's twenty twenty
six and I haven't seen it on TikTok and it's
not trending. Make Fran your gatekeeping like one of the
(02:48):
best hacks I've ever heard in cooking history, like ever,
And I'm like, I can't share it because this is yours,
Like you need to post this now, I know. Yeah,
it's amazing, game changing, Like I think it literally is
going to change the way people bake their perhaps on
Christmas Day.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I definitely will be doing that. So you were sharing
a little bit about how you Christmas and though this
is not a Christmas episode, yeah, that'll come later in here.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Perfect.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
But you are of Italian heritage, yep. So you said
the tiramisiou was a Christmas thing.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, yep. So, I feel like I've grown up with
the very traditional Italian Christmas. So it's a lot of
like grilled seafood to start with, lots of like big
aunty pasto plates. We always have multiple courses, so there's
always a pasta course whether it was like a big
lasagne or like a handmade field pasta, and then you
would move on to probably two or three, maybe sometimes
(03:42):
four meats with the potatoes and the salads and the
bread and you know, all the trimmings, and then still
find room for the turramasoo and the biscuits, and then
you know, the grappa comes out the red wines. So
it's always it's like the full day affair, and it's
I kind of thought that's how everyone did Christmas, course
after course, and then when I started dating my now
(04:04):
husband Max, like his Christmas is so different. They've got
a bit of English background and so they've got that
real traditional like Sunday roast, like the mushy peas and
some ways that like like overly cheesy potato bake. There's
the creamed cauliflower and like the ham's going and stuff
like that. So but it's nice to have all of that,
I think. You know, when you're so used to something,
(04:25):
you just go, this is what Christmas is, and then
you get introduced to another Christmas, you're like, this is exciting.
It's great, and it's also great when sometimes we have
to do the back to back like lunch and dinner.
You get two completely different meals and you're like, because
I know Mum won't do a ham, so I go,
I'm actually looking forward to the ham and the culver
that I'm going to have tonight. Nor food. I don't
need it, I really don't need it, but you get,
you know, the cultural crossover. It's so special. Yes, yeah, have.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
You always been a foodie?
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Oh? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Since what age?
Speaker 1 (04:52):
I'm going to say My first food memory is when
I was five, so I would say probably around that time.
My family actually moved to Italy. My parents had what
I call their early midlife crisis, because they were way
too young to have a midlife crisis then. So I
was six and they packed I've got two siblings, packed
up our house in Melbourne, moved to Tuscany in the
(05:13):
house that my nonna was born in in like a
town of like fifteen houses on the top of it,
like like an ancient town. Really yeah, like mad. My
parents were mad and my nonna was. They were all
in Australia, like grandparents all immigrated over, but they actually
came to visit and she taught us how to make yoki.
And that's my first food memory. Which is like insane
(05:35):
to you know, the house that she grew up in
all those years ago I was born in. Then we
went back there I was five or six, five or six, yeah,
and madegnochi with her, like so special. Yeah, yeah, such
a special memory. So I feel like around that time,
but I feel like all my memories are somehow around food.
Like my memories of going to my Nona's house would
(05:56):
be helping her in the kitchen, like sitting at the
bench and like snack at things I wasn't allowed to
snack up because you know, like those bits need to
go into the source. I was always no one pushing
the boundaries and playing off family members against each I're like, no, Mum,
so they can have more chocolate and I definitely some
more cheese. I didn't. I really didn't for the food exactly.
So yeah, I feel like from a very early age,
(06:18):
I was always about food, but didn't know that food
was a career.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
And that happened.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
That actually happened when I was nineteen, after I came
of Master Chef the first time because I was I
was at Uni. I was studying to be a teacher
and then went on Master Chef and when I came off.
The production team were like, so, what are you going
to do now? And it's like, don't just go back
to UNI, Like is that what I meant to do?
Like I don't know, And they went, oh, you should
go work in a restaurant and I was like, oh,
(06:46):
like probably for the first time in my life, going oh,
so food's like a career. Wow, yeah, like it And
it was very new, Like I grew up in a
very traditional family, Like my parents wanted all of us
to get degrees and it was like very important for them.
So I was kind of like baking maybe their hearts
and like they're rulays a little bit because I was like,
I think I'm just going to keep differing UNI and
try it. And they weren't super for it, but they
(07:08):
were very much like, well, that's what you want to do.
You have to do it, like you're committing completely to it, yeah,
which is great, like great advice. And then it's it's
been like one twelve years, so it's just kind of
developed along the way in lots of different additions of
really like it's yeah, just kind of change and evolved,
and it's like and I feel like everyone's space has
(07:31):
changed that way with like whatever industry they're in, you know,
like your job can evolve, and I think especially like
with social media now you can go anywhere, yeah, which
is great and I love that.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
And that's such good advice to just do what you
love and keep evolving.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Yeah. Yeah, like you don't have to do the same thing,
yeah forever. And I feel like when I was in
school and you sit down with the career as counselor
and it's like, so, what are you doing for the
rest of your life? Girl, I don't know what I'm
doing tomorrow, Like I know, I don't know, Like I generally,
it's a lot of pressure put on, too much pressure
take your career. Yeah, And it was like, so I
was doing a teaching degree, but I was doing like
some science and health in the back, like in the background,
(08:08):
just in case I want to change. And then my
dad's like, why did you do law? I'm like, law,
I didn't study law. Like I was like, I don't
know any what I'm doing because it's like it's overwhelming,
it's too much. So yeah, I feel like sometimes things
just happen and you move in different directions and you
end up what you meant to be.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Are you a good teacher? Do you teach people how
to cook?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Yeah? I think I am a good teacher. So I
feel like I almost have had that a bit of
a full circle moment of I've forever thought I was
going to be a teacher, and I guess a lot
of my work really is teaching people how to cook.
I mean, I film from home. My content is me
at home cooking in my kitchen, and I'm sharing pretty
much is what I make for my family. So that's like,
(08:48):
you know, me teaching them what I do, and it's
it's very simple, it's very approachable. It's home cooking. But
I guess if you look at it from that sense,
it is a way of teaching someone a new technique
or a new dish or giving them inspiration and so
true in the.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Work you did with The Woman's Weekly as well. Yeah, yeah, exactly,
he's teaching people, Yes.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Yeah, And that's more exciting again because you get that
in different formats. So there's like the long video formats
you can see every single little step and you get
to see me physically making it. You can just buy
the magazine, pick it up, and there's a recipe all
written out for you as well, Like, so it kind
of it's a few different ways of teaching and learning,
which is fun.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
How do your parents feel about your career now?
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Oh, they love it. Now. My mom doesn't appreciate the
chaos that it brings to our life. I reckon, like
she's like, oh, what city in today? And where are
you going? And who's got Florence and who's made dinner?
And you know, it's like it's always chaos, but they
love it, like I think they, I reckon. At some point,
they probably thought I would give up working as a
(09:48):
chef because that's how I started. They probably thought, like
I was getting to work at eight o'clock in the
morning and I'd be getting home at two am, Oh
my god. Yeah, and six days a week, like it's
like it was a lot you have to commit to. Yeah,
And I was. My parents were in the hills at
that point. I was in the city and it was
like a fifty minute drive as well, so I might
driving late at night and they probably she's gonna crack.
She's gonna crack, Like we know she's going to crack,
(10:11):
and don't I'm sure I did internally, let's be real,
but I think I think it was just the doors
that kept opening. And I loved being a chef, and
I think when you're in that world, it is amazing
and it's exciting. But once other doors open and you
can see that you know you don't have to be
a chef and working kitchens to the rest of your life,
of your life, but still being food. I think that
(10:32):
was exciting because you know, a door would open to
write a cookbook courl so you do that, then another
door opens, and then all of a sudden, you're a
contributor for Women's Weekly. Yeah, that's exciting. So it's like
all these little things just keep happening, absolutely, and so
I just I love the thrill and the excitement of
that because you just don't know, like what work's going
to come up tomorrow, when like what opportunities happened?
Speaker 2 (10:52):
So yeah, yeah, how do you juggle all about being
a mum? And like you said, some days your family won.
Which city are you in today?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Yeah? Exactly? It is chaotic. Our shared calendar is insane.
So I've got to shared calendar with my husband and
my manager and we're all putting things in there and
like down to Max's running six am to seven am.
Laura's going to poll out is eight and a m
to nine am. Max is taking Floster KINDI like, I
just put I almost overfill it. And I think if
(11:25):
someone was to look at my calendar they'd be like,
that's a lot. But otherwise I'm like, I can't, I
can't do it. I just need to have it there
written down. But I also think it's about the people
around me. Like my parents are amazing, Max's parents are amazing.
So if I've got to get on a plane last
minute and Max is working, then someone's got to drop
(11:45):
something and it's great that they can do that, or
that Max can be flexible and you know, I'll come
to Sydney with you for the week. You know, like
let's just do that. We'll turn into like a little
working holidays. So it's never perfect, No, it's never perfect
and like, but it doesn't have to be. No, And
I think everyone thinks it's like so glamorous, you know,
the travels, and it's not literally blubbering in bed the
(12:06):
other night watching The Notebook by myself. Not glamorous at
eating chocolate and drinking red wine. I'm silly, No, but
you know it's like it's fun, and it's I think
I'm young enough to say to try and say yes
to everything and to just steal it. And like, Florence
is such a great kid, and she's just like her
(12:26):
own little human. She's two in a little bit.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Yeah, so you name her after the city.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
So my dad'side from Tuscany in Italy and like just
outside of Florence. So I've always loved the name, and
they wanted something old school, so I wanted to actually
call her Rosa, which is mine nanna's name. But then
I was like, you know, sometimes like with really thick
Italian names, like Charad's not really very Italian last name.
It's just kind of like Raza, and then not AND's like, okay,
(12:54):
let's kind of balance it. So we just kind of
flipped it. And I was actually listening to Florence in
the machine day and Max Now were both in the car,
and I thought I was having a boy. My whole
bring really convinced I was having a boy, Like, yeah,
I'm going to be a boy mom for the rest
of my life. I don't want these I'm so scared.
And then when that song came on, I was like
maybe thirty seven weeks pregnant and I was like, if
(13:16):
we have a girl, she's Florence. Like, it's definitely just new.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
And then I started having all these dreams about it
and I was like she was born and I was like,
You're a Florence.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
That is incredible.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
She's a stubborn Tuscan. That's what she is. He loves
her food.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
It is brilliant. I love the name Florence as well.
That was the girl name that I had on stand by. Yeah,
but I'm a boy mom.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
You're a boy mom.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
But my husband and I got married in Florence, no way.
We just love it.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
It's such a beautiful city. We took her there last
year and it was like Florence in Florence. I was like,
it was just so cool, so beautiful, I know, I know.
I was like, I'll happily go back to Florence. It's
a beautiful part of the world. Like it's so special.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Oh, let's come back to Australia. What is home for you?
So where is home?
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Got some breaking news for you? Yes, So home is
Adelaide and has been for the last twelve years twelve
thirteen years, and we current live in Henley beach, love
the seaside, like a beautiful coastal home, like everything I wanted,
the white picket sense walking distance to the beach, like
that was what I thought. My fever dream was. We
(14:23):
bought a house yesterday, we're doing a tree change and wow,
yeah we bought an acre and a tiny cottage.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
This is great, this is great.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
I love as I'm overwhelmed because like the home we
have in Henley is like, you know, we first bought
a house together. That was the house on the street
that no one wanted in West Croydon. It was like
a little bit grungy, but that like Adelaide character charm
of like a beautiful bungalow. Did that up sold it?
Bought this like beautiful hats and Henley, you know, put
(14:57):
our little touches on it, and I was like, this
is where I want to live for yeah, and then
we just throw the spanner into the works of like
we're too busy to do anything, but let's commit to
like a two year renovation and either bulldozer house or
flip it completely, and like what the hell are we doing?
And we are not renovators, Like we've done a few projects.
We have a lot of builders in the family. That's handy,
and I've been like on the phone, my dad and
(15:19):
my brother are morning, like just see her in twenty
twenty seven. Need you for this? You're gonna have to
do this win in to get plans in Like, so I'm.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Hitting, so I'm not surprised.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah, it's like and it's I think it's like the
right time to do something. Yeah, and it's gonna be fun.
And like, I want that lower lifestyle sometimes and I
don't think I get that living even though you know,
I see water and I'm very calm, so I love
that about Henley. But I just want to be able
to open my door and there's like no one around
and it's like serenity. Like there's literally a cow paddic
(15:52):
next door. I'm like, oh, it may smell like cowshit
most days, but it's gonna be so beautiful, nothing like
nature nothing. I'm also, let's just make it very clear,
terrified of snakes, spiders, any kind of insect. And I'm
going to move to Adelaide. Here it was where brown
snakes are.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Like everywhere, So it's a perfect move for you.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
It's gonna be great content. Did a girl take the
farm life.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
But what was it that made you go, despite everything, Yep,
we're going.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
To do this. Look, Max and I are very ambitious
people and we always like a little project. And I
think for us it was, you know, we could stay
in this house forever and just like do the grind
and be suburban people forever and like have amazing neighbors
and whatnot, like have that community. But we've got so
many friends and family who have made the bold move
(16:40):
and I've gone out and bought land and it's just
a really peaceful lifestyle. And I think it's kind of
bigger picture thing. So in ten years time, I'll be
in my forties and I'd be like, Okay, you know what,
if life is still this chaotic and I'm jetting around,
it's nice to come to the big smoke get work done,
but then go home and just like shut the front gate.
(17:03):
And I'm definitely on a property in the middle of nowhere.
I can't see any cars, hear any trucks, and there's cows,
and there's like chickens and geese. And I think for
Florence too, like to have a very nature driven childhood,
like you know, we're all I'm on my phone all
the time and like same and then when you get
(17:23):
off the phone started and but I'm just working really quickly.
I've just got to do one more thing. She's like,
mom no, and then I'm like okay, And you know,
you look at your screen time and you're like, I
just I don't want her to think that's normal, like
you come home from kidder your school and then you're
on like you're sitting from the TV all night, or
you're on your phone all the time, or like he's
an iPad or whatever. Like I just want a balance
(17:46):
for her, Like my childhood was like stay on the
street until eight pm until it gets dark and your
parents yelling, get in you of go to bed, Like
I miss that, you know, Like it's it's very different,
and I'm like that wasn't that long ago, which is
all her terrifying. Yeah, so I don't know what, you know,
her childhood is going to be in that sense, but
(18:06):
I think if we can provide her with something and
maybe future children, who knows what, you know, one day
just that peaceful, like really grounded upbringing. Definitely, Yeah, And
like she's very hands on, like I want a huge
veggie guarden, like she loves cooking with me. I want
her to know, like, you know, you don't just go
to the shops to get a lettuce, like it actually
comes from somewhere and someone has to grow that and
(18:26):
spend time and money investing in something.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Yeah, so yeah, bringing it back going like real country,
like real country, bumpkin vibe.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Well, do you have visions in your mind of what
it looks like?
Speaker 1 (18:40):
I do.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
What do you want if you were to describe your
vision board of this new life in the country?
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Okay, what does it look like? How much time do
you got? No, I think it's about half an hour.
I think for me, I really want the contrast of
older and new. Yeah. The one thing that I love
about the Adelaide Hills is that like cottage and stone
charm that it has, and it's very quintessential Adelaide Hills.
So I think it's about like the restoration side and
(19:08):
then like the modern side too. So so what is
it now? So it's actually it's currently a cottage, a
tiny like a three bedroom, one bathroom cottage. But you
know those very old school cottages. Everything's tiny, like the
bedrooms are like stone or is it brick? Brick Okay,
so it's brick, but beautiful big veranda around the outside
with a really beautiful sunroom at the back. So my
(19:32):
idea right now currently day one after purchasing is I
would love to do like a white weather board cottage
and then like restore the roof, do the veranda up
properly to kind of bring like a little bit of
that charm back, like I would have loved to have
done if the cottage was stone and to have that,
but I just think the white weather board is really
so charm It's so charming, Like I just want that
(19:53):
pretty cottage feel at the front and then kind of
take that inspiration of the sun roof and have that
almost like as a transition into the new part of
the house. And I don't know the technical term for
the material, but it's that beautiful almost like black steel
cladding that a lot of peoples like that rap that
people are using at the moment. That kind of gives
(20:15):
It's not like, you know, it's not having like a
color bond kind of house, but it's that beautiful like
steel black, and the contrast and the black and the
white then just kind.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Of so beautiful.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Doesn't have the gum tree line, the big yeah, the
big no, the big lines through it. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Term is it is a color bond product, it is, yeah. Yeah,
And it's like she and.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Do like the whole roof and everything in that with
like lots of light and it looks.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
So contemporary but it works so well. Yeah with period.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Hoss exactly, and especially because the hills it's either really
cold or it's really hot, so you're getting all that contrast.
And just to have something that still feels really cozy
but in summer it's going to feel light and bright, yes,
and stay really cool as well, I think is really important.
So yeah, something that's keeps like the heritage of the property,
Like it's a it's a nineteen thirties built home. You know,
(21:04):
we're currently like a nineteen fifteen villa. So I'm like,
I love that old school even though I'm like old
houses so many problems. I'm just like going that so
much money is going to be dumped and I'm not
going to see the results that I want.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
It's worth it, but.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
It is worth it, Like I just I want to,
I think have that restoration and then something really cool
and modern that you know, just you get the cozy
at the front of the house and the back of
the house is like light filled and big kitchen, a
big kitch.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Let's talk about kitchen. What does your dream kitchen look like?
And can you create that here?
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Yes? Yeah, okay, yeah, which I'm like really excited about. Yeah,
And I think that's why we were like we want
to buy something small to have the space to do
something really amazing and extend on. I just didn't want
to buy just another house. So my idea is like
a huge, huge bench, like long island bench, so I
can have pasta parties and get my friends over and
(21:56):
make pasta on the marble together.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
I want to come to a party to bring up
ottle of wine and I can provide the rest, you know,
like a huge nine hundred free standing oven, maybe even
like a one twenty, like something beautiful, old school, potentially
something a little bit French, you kind of get in
that cottage country feel in yes, and like a big
butler's panch, Like I just want it to be open,
big and the like the centerpiece of that new extension.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Like then I want everything that kind of goes around it. Yeah,
Because I think the kitchen is the heart of the home.
I agree, you know, And it's like I'm like, I've
got this opportunity to do exactly what I want to do.
And I'm like I'm not sparing expenses anywhere else, like
that's fine, but not in the kitchen. Yeah, And I'm
like that's my happy place. That's where we host Like
all of you come to our house, you're sitting at
(22:42):
the kitchen bar, Like that's just where you are. That
so we gather, that's where we're going to eat. That's
where I feel most of my content. Like it's just
it's not me.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
It's a tax deduction.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Yeah. Well the other thing I just get, I'm like
I've got a maker. Now I could just start putting
things over it. I also really want to put on
so when this giant garden, and I really want to
build like a almost like a little kind of shed
cross with like a glasshouse so I can like wash
all my produce in there and film in there too,
(23:11):
so I have like a little studio and like such
a great idea like pickles and stuff hanging and yeah
kind of have almost that say like mud kitchen or
mud room vib but outside exactly. Yeah. Ye, so I've
got like real country already. I need some kne high
boots though. That's what I need, some gun boots and
I'll be good.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
How much fun is Laura? More with her in a bit,
I want to know more about the pretty things. So
in the kitchen, what color do you want? What surface tops?
Would you have? Splashbacks? What do you love? As someone
whose job is food, I.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Think one of the best things is like being in
a few homes. You know what works and what doesn't work.
Like I know my splash back. I don't want tiles.
I don't want graut. They're impossible to clean. So something
very clean I am loving, like the dark walnut timbers.
Loving that with some brighter marble would be really lovely,
or some beautiful natural stone throughout it would be really cool.
(24:15):
I love those the French basins, the ceramic basins. I
just think they're like so country and like they pop.
Everyone's like, oh, you're gonna get them dirty. I'm like,
I know, but they're so beautiful, but I think yeah,
for me, like the walnuts, a bit of green, a
bit of burgundy throughout, like some warming colors, but then
those light stone colors just to kind of brighten it
(24:36):
and freshen it up as well. But yeah, I love timber.
I think there's like nothing more beautiful than really nice timber. Yeah,
and like we in Australia, We've got incredible, incredible timber,
and like, why not use some really cool local stuff
to create a little centerpiece. You know it Definitely it's
dangerous because Max and I we've been playing this for
about a year, like properly talking about it, Okay, and
(24:59):
this actually the third house to put an offering on.
And my my like last years of my life has
been every time something happens for the third time it works.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
So did you know that this was this the third
offer it's going to happen?
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Yeah, I can't. I had this feeling. And also my
husband has a thing for buying houses when I'm into
state Wait two for two okay, Yeah, So I was like,
oh god, it's like all the stars were aligning. I
got the moon over satin. Whatever's happening in the universe
right now. So I've got this like Pinterest, mood board
and Instagram like folded that we've saved of all these
(25:32):
beautiful things. And I actually was going through it last
night and I went, oh my god, our style has
changed within the year so much. But I think when
everyone started micro cementing, I went, I want micro cement
and I'm just going to micro sement my whole house. Yeah,
and I went, I'm going to get so bored of
this because it's just going to be a bit two
tonal and not have a bit of personality and like,
I am definitely a very like our house now is
(25:53):
very white. Yeah, white wolves, white sheer curtains.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Are you the the color?
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Yes, so I think I am because currently my color
only comes through artwork and when people come over. So
she's the artist, is a local girl. She's one of
my best friends. And I always say that we dronk
that my house is like her art studio. It's like
you're on my piece of art. Come to my house.
I can show you all the different phases and like
exhibitions that she's gone through. But currently, yeah, all the
(26:21):
color is just from what's on the walls. Okay, And
that's why I think I'm craving now the color in
the materials. Yep. But I just I'm eccentric a little bit.
But I don't want to be too eccentric, Like I
just want it to age nicely, yes, And I don't
want to be trendy. And I think the whole micro
s ement I just went, it's going to be trendy
in ten years time, I'm going to hate it. So
I just want something really classic country, a little bit modern,
(26:44):
something that will like last and look beautiful.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
So when you're looking back through your mood boards, yeah,
can you see any common threads from the beginning that
have carried through to the end, Because how do you
come to the conclusion that though the style and the
types of image is I'm choosing now, I love this
now and it looks this way now, but a year
ago I love that. How do you know that this
(27:09):
you will keep? This is me?
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Yeah, this is it. I think it was walking through
the house with the inspection we did, and you just
start to picture, like where the light hits and like
what's around you, and it's you know, currently, it's winter time,
so the hills are really green and they're vibrant, and
you know, there's like leaves everywhere on the trees, like
it's just beautiful, and you kind of go, you know,
you want to bring some green into the house because
(27:32):
you want that in summertime, everything's dry as a bone,
and you're getting those like mustardy kind of terra cotta colors.
Everything's really dry. So that's where I was kind of like,
I think the timber works because we're surrounded by gum
trees and pine trees. Ye you know, and I love
I love pine. I love that, like timber works throughout
and like you know, like tazzy oak. Get that everywhere
(27:54):
in my house. Slap it in if the budget allows,
if the budget allows, you know. But I think when
like once you find the spot and you see the
house and you start to look at the exteriors, then
everything just kind of starts to click. I think if
made we moved more to if we moved again to
somewhere beach, or we stayed where we are in Henley
(28:14):
and renovated there, I think then that micro cement and
all those beautiful more like light tonal cream colors would
have worked like much nicer down there.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
So I think this is like it's excited to do
something different, and I just keep seeing all these things
pop up, and he's just like, yeah, you know what
that is. That's it.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
It's so exciting.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
I know. I'm like, I just I can't wait to
go to like the tile shop and start picking out
tiles and paints, and I know I'm like a long
way off that I'm a long way off it, and
I'm like holding my excitement in so much. But We've
not really done a huge project like this, so I'm
really excited to like to watch the whole thing unfold.
I think it's me amazing.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
How do you feel about the pressure that you will
be under managing a big renovation as well as work
as well as family. Is this something that excites you?
Because I feel in my life I quite enjoy pushing
myself to see where the limits are and then you go, Okay,
(29:16):
we've reached it. Trying it back away.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
I feel like I bottle up my emotion and I
hold it, A hold it, I hold it, and then
I crack and everyone knows about it. So I feel
like I'm it's going to be an interesting journey because
I know, like my work commitments, Max's work commitments, Florence,
let's be really and probably gonna want to have another
(29:39):
kid within this next two year period, so that's going
to also happen. On top I have that Email'm kind
of going, what else can we do? You know, like
we've got restaurants and you don't know what's going to
happen there if you extend, if you don't kind everything.
So I think it's just just keep adding things to
the list and we'll just take on everything as we
(30:00):
do it, and we'll find a way. When she hits
the fan, We're just going to figure it out, like
it's you know it happens.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
Is that the advice that you would give to a
friend or a family member, No, if someone was doing
what you're doing, what would you say to them?
Speaker 1 (30:14):
I would say, you are so mad, and that play
it safe. No, I feel like we've always made like
very safe calls, but we like to kind of push
the boundaries a little bit. And I feel like this
is probably like the biggest thing we'll do together.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
I think it's definitely going to test my patient's marriage
the way I parent, because I feel like I will
be I will be stressed. I know I'm going to
be stressed, and like you know, with building, deadlines never happen,
costs of things are going to go up, and then
you have to start making those annoying decisions of like
oh yeah, like I don't want to sacrifice my timber
(30:48):
because it's going to be too expensive. So it's like
thinking about all those things, it's almost like I've got
that compromise and I've got that ticking in my head already,
which is like it's it is daunting, and you know,
you can't just go Like I was talking to my
dad about budgets and he's like, I can't tell you
it's gonna cost you x amount of money on the dot.
It could be one hundred grand under or three hundred
(31:10):
grand over. Like no one's gonna come through because it's
going to keep changing and evolving, and especially these days exactly,
you know, like all the cost of materials, deliveries like trades,
and then the other thing is, you know, with an
old house, unexpected things and there's gonna be something. Really
he's silly that pops up and you go, I don't
want to drop ten ground on that dumb problem, Like
(31:32):
that's just really annoying, but you have to. So I
am almost like using maybe using this whole like next
two year period and God, I hope it's two years,
not a day over where the God thinks cross fingers crusted,
all the things so much manifesting to maybe like grow
(31:52):
as a human and as a person in the sense
of like testing my like with like holding my emotions better,
maybe speaking those emotions out loud before I get to
cracking point. But I think it's just like part of
growing up. Like I kind of go, yeah, my thirties,
I'm a mum. I still got no idea what I'm doing.
Half the time, I am surviving, like scraping through most days.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
The smaller humans are growing and they don't know what
they're doing, and I don't know that.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
We don't know what we're exactly. They think we know it.
I'm like, yeah, I got Florence, what did you ask me?
I don't know how to do that? Can you fix this?
Still no idea how to fix that. So I'm like,
I think I'm looking forward to the growth as a
as a person and like in a different phase as well.
It's not going to be food related. It's going to
be stress related and money related and decision related. I
(32:41):
am terrible at making decisions, are you? Oh my god,
so bad? And I hate upsetting people. So I feel
like if my brother, like as the builder, goes, oh
you need you need to do this, and he like
flips the whole house and be like, Okay, go for it.
You do it, And I'm like, oh, no, what have
I done? Like, I just I'm terrible at saying no.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
And how do you deal with that? Oh?
Speaker 1 (32:58):
I get Max to be the bad guy like you,
he'd be the horrible kum and I with a really
nice one. And then behind everyone's like I like that's
a good arrangements. I'm like, it's bad and I'll get
better at it, but it's yeah, it's I find it
really hard to make like that final decision. Like it's
how to.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
Stress work for you being on Master Chef, because you're
under pressure, you have time limits, you have to make decisions.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
Yeah. Do you know an environment like that was amazing
for me because I didn't have the time to ask
someone else what I should do, and you're so on
your own that clock is ticking and it's like the
only way out is you making the decision. Yeah, And
you're the only person that's going to get you out
of the hellhole is you. So it's almost like maybe
(33:45):
if like the renovation was crammed into like a Master
Chef timeline, it would be better for me because I
can handle like that pressure and those like small little
bouts of it. Yeah, but in those it's very weird
because Max would be like, Max makes jokes to me
all the time, going, you know, if someone was dying
on the side of the street, you think you'd make
it all about you. You've been the worst person to
(34:07):
deal with it. And I was like, yeah, but I
did Master Chef and I was fine. I could do
everything and I survived and I fixed all the problems.
And He's like, that's because you were forced to and
there was no one there to help you and you
had to do it. I was like, oh, yeah, okay,
you're right. Like he's like, if there was an emergency,
you'd be like, I wouldn't even look at you, Like,
I'm just not good in those I am. I'm great
(34:29):
in those high pressure situations, but I'm also not the
same time. So I think it's just it depends on
what day of the week it is and competition or not. Chaos.
I'm just chaos.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Your self awareness is next level, Yeah, I know.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
I'm yeah, I've got a lot of self learning over
the few years. You know, like you just do it,
you just learn to just dere with it.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
Coming up what brand of tim tomatoes does an Italian chef? Actually,
by let's talk about your house rules. Oh okay, yep,
So I want to talk about your house rules. I've
got some questions that I'll run you through. And the
first thing that comes to mind, so you tell me,
are you a shoes on or shoes off? House?
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Shoes off? Is there a reason my mother I've grown up?
It's a where's my mother?
Speaker 2 (35:23):
No?
Speaker 1 (35:24):
I grew up in a very strict Italian household, So
like going to Nona's house, no shoes, and it was
taking shoes off outside and bring your slippers and you
put them on inside. There was never a crossover like
those outdoor shoes never touched the inside of the house ever. Wow.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
So what's the shoe storage situation then?
Speaker 1 (35:42):
So at our house? Yeah, oh my god, it's so terrible.
That's why I'm like thinking of I need a giant
mudroom so you can have it. So I've got like
my nice shoes upstairs in the walking road, but then
I've got like my everyday shoes in the garage, and
then my slippers are like when you walk in through
the laundry, they're just there, which is great, but then
it's always I mean, I get lazy sometimes and Max
(36:02):
is going to hear this and be like, I gotcha.
Like if I need to get something from the drink's fridge,
which is in the outdoor kitchen, I'll just be like
I just run out, but I'll keep, I'll keep. He's
so naughty, whereas his Max does take them off.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
No double standards here, But.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
It's funny because then we were laughing the other day.
We've got a little dog, a mini dashound, and Max
just so you don't clean his feet when he comes
in and out and I when he can do it.
Ever he once he's a clean boy's I'm like ware good.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
He's very small feet tiny, you don't even know he's there.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Fine.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
Well, along that note, what is something that you always
have fresh in your house?
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Fresh flowers?
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Beautiful? Yeah, and you have a favorite.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
I'm a natives kind of girl. I love natives. Mum.
My parents have got ten acres in the hills, and
she's got like beautiful pretteers and lookidandrums and like just
beautiful like blue gums. So every time I go over,
I just collect and then I love to let them
dry and just see which ones come out. Then I've
got like some dried vases too, But I just love
(37:06):
the smell of like fresh eucalyptus in the house. I
just think it's so beautiful, so beautiful, Like I'd love
to have like poppies and whatnot. But I know that
within three days they're going to go and they're going
to dine. It's like sixty dollars a bunch of Yeah,
they even need to start growing them in the hills.
That's will add to the list. A little flower garden.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
You definitely need to cut the garden.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
I do, absolutely, Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
What does your home sound like?
Speaker 1 (37:34):
The dishwasher slimming, the fridge, store beeping, Alfie growling at
Florence for her trying to ride him like a horse.
Andy's the dog by the way, yep, and lad Italian
people screaming that's our house, brilliant. Yeah. Chaos, Oh yeah, yeah, chaos.
I hope it's organized chaos, but chaos.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Okay, well let's get into that. How are you a
tidy person? Are you everything in its place? Or you
shovel all in a cupboard and shut the door walk away?
Speaker 1 (38:07):
A bit of both. I feel like we're downstairs and upstairs,
upstairs is the master. Sweet. I feel like upstairs I
can hide things, like sometimes I just throw clothes in
the corner of the wardrobe, shut the door and go.
No one's ever coming up here. It's fine, you know,
I've got all the intentions, like fold your undies and
my aundies just go in the draw on My mother
(38:27):
and she irons them too. She puts everyone to shame, like,
I'll call ahead, what do you do just ironing myndies.
I don't own an iron anymore. Mom. I bought a
steamer and nuts about it, like, I like I steam
when I wear something. That's how I now roll. I
am definitely tidy. I think it's like I used to
be really messy, like Laura in our first house. I
was quite messy, chaos like to clean. But now I
(38:50):
think having a toddler and a dog in the house
and her husband obviously like I'm just like they'll move
and I'm like, gotta wipe that up, and I go,
oh my god, I'm I am my mother. It happens
to the best of us, does, and she's she's a
great woman. Yeah, Like yeah, I'm like, you know, if
I've got to be like someone, I'll take that im like,
my dad, Lord help us all. Thanks for renovating her house.
(39:15):
Love it.
Speaker 2 (39:18):
So that's what your house sounds like? Yeah, is organized?
Like what about the way it smells?
Speaker 1 (39:26):
Okay, I am obsessed with an incense It's Guardina, So you.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Incense.
Speaker 1 (39:34):
Yes, I've got like the incense and then the oils
with the sticks coming out, and then I've got it
in the like room spray as well. So I went
to a girlfriend's house. She's in Melbourne and we was
staying over and I walked into the barthroom. I was like,
oh my god, what does this smell like? I need
it lathered on my soul. And everything just smelt like
clean but like welcoming, and it felt homely like it
(39:55):
was just gorgeous. And I went, I need that in
my house. So I now have like every it's got
like a little version of that. Max Is Sometimes like
it's too much, like just stop spraying and everywhere. I'm like,
spray you in a second. But I love that, Like
I think I'm really into the house smelling nice. I mean,
I love when I cook and the house smells like
(40:16):
cooking it. I think that's like the best smell in
the world. Yes, but then after you cook, it's just
nice to have like a few little spritzer is in
the air and everything just smells futive. For yeah, so
I feel like that's definitely what the house smells like.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
I want to ask you about some of your favorite things.
But these are favorite things in terms of like supermarket bikes.
Speaker 1 (40:35):
Oh okay, but I love a stiff market shop hit me. Okay.
Speaker 2 (40:39):
I would like to know what clothes detergent do you use?
Washing detergent?
Speaker 1 (40:45):
Omo sensitive? Yeah, when it's not sensitive, and I know,
I'm like, oh my god, I've got the itch of
it again. Yeah, almost sensitive. And I like the powder
because I've got some really nice like jars that are
on display in the laundry so I can scoot in
like this.
Speaker 2 (41:02):
All right, let's go into the fridge.
Speaker 1 (41:03):
What milk do you buy local? Full creamy milk cream
on top, Flurio Milk Company and Florence and I stand
there with a spirit and we scratch gilty pleasure that is.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
Gorgeous and so yummy.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
Okay, on dairy, how about cheese or there's always like
a block of Italian in me, there's always a block
of Pecorino and channel yea but I am like a
sucker for from Margia Dafen while like who is Oh
my god, like I'm drooling thinking about it. I feel
like we need to have a little cheese board next time.
I agree, let's do that. I get some daffin, as
(41:41):
I like to call it, get the daffin and crack
the daff Oh, it's just it's always it just delivers.
It's always gooey, it's always crany, and it's just it's
so good, so good, and you can buy it everywhere.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
Now, So being Italian, I'd love to know what tin
tomatoes do you buy?
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Okay, again, depends what's on special. You'll never get the
tight ars Italian out of me. But I love Ana Lisa,
so mums always bought Ana Lissa sokay, like you know,
you just carry on with yeah, that's fantastic. I like
to buy the whole tomato though, instead of the crush,
(42:17):
because there's more water in the crushed so they add
a bit more extra water into the crush, whereas the
whole pil tomato is just the tomatoes, which is great.
So yes, it's not diluted, and Moody Moody is like
just you know, even though sometimes it's like double the price,
like the tomato. I have never been like a tomato
paste girl. The last few years. I'm like, give me
(42:39):
the tomato paste, and they like triple concentrate is insane everything? Yeah, carry, yes, yes,
I didn't have I was making a butter chicken other day.
It was like two fresh tomatoes. Who has tomatoes in winter?
Absolutely not moody in your go. I was like, now,
wal go fine, my curry perfect.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
And is there anything in the kitchen that you I
pre made that you're a little bit ashamed of because
you could make it mayonnaise?
Speaker 1 (43:06):
Oh, and I buy the I don't know what the
brand is. I feel like it's like it's the good
Stuff or something like that. But it's olive oil mayonnaise.
Because every mayonnaise. Half the mayonnaise annoys me. It's not
egg or it's just like full like pure seed oil. Like, okay,
it's not that great for me. So I spend way
too much money on it, knowing that I could just
(43:27):
grab one egg, tiny bit of mustard and the olive
oil that's already in my house and it's forever in
my house.
Speaker 2 (43:33):
Oh my gosh, But that would take you two minutes.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
I know, am I right? And I'd rather put some
clothes on, put a face on, get in the car,
wait some petrol, go buy mayonnaise for like twenty dollars
a draw, and then come home. Yeah, perfect sense. Yeah,
And it's like, you know, I feel like mayonnaise. It's
just it's always a staple. But I'm like, I should
make it for what I spend on it. I think
it's really good mayonnaise.
Speaker 2 (43:57):
Justified.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:59):
So we have spoken with some of our other friends
who visited at the end about the concept of a
homemaker because traditionally it's something that I think people almost
frown upon. Yeah, but I feel it's coming back, yeah,
(44:19):
in a big way. What does being a homemaker mean
to you in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
I think it's the welcome and clean yeah, but coinciding
so it's not sterile, yeah, because I think a home
should felt lived in and it needs to be like
a little bit messy.
Speaker 2 (44:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:38):
But I also hate cleaning in front of people. So like,
if you come for dinner, I want everything almost predne.
The dishwasher is empty, the kitchen's clean, so I can
just dump everything straight into the dishwasher afterwards. So maybe
it's that like the balance of feeling welcomes. Like I
have a basket of don't laugh at right front door
(45:01):
hotel slippers, do.
Speaker 2 (45:03):
You, So it's not so crazy because stash them as well.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
You do so Maxims, I'm like a psychopath perfect behave hotels,
and I judge a good hotel on a good slipper.
And if you've got a good slipper, they're coming in
the suitcase. Because I like to wear slippers at home,
and because I mean our house now is half tiles,
half floorboards in winter it's cold, so if you could
take your shoes off, I want to provide you with
(45:29):
a pair of slippers. So I have like my little
freebee basket at the front door, which everyone laughs at.
I'm like, yeah, but are they comfortable? A yes, are
they warm? You're welcome? So I think it's maybe just
those little touches for people, like when they come home,
like to your house, and they feel like they're at home.
Speaker 2 (45:46):
What then makes your home beautiful?
Speaker 1 (45:49):
I'm going to say the story is within the home.
Speaker 2 (45:52):
So we have.
Speaker 1 (45:55):
This beautiful what's the beautiful shelves in our like little
sitting room that we never sit in love that passing
by room, the room always looks so clean. I'm like,
I really have to touch you, because no one comes
in here, but you have to walk past it. So
our house is like the typical long hallway straight down
(46:15):
into the big kitchen, dining, living space, and so you
have to walk past the sitting room and it's got
a little fireplace and beautiful like couches, and we've got
these shelves on the wall that are like handmade by
someone in essay and there it's just a beautiful timber
and then like metal frames. But on those shelves we
have wine bottles that are drunken wine bottles that have
(46:37):
a story on them of why we drunk it, when
we drunk it really yeah, So like we've got Florence's
first birthday.
Speaker 2 (46:43):
We have a really.
Speaker 1 (46:44):
Superly expensive bottle of white burgundy on there, and that
bottle was half smashed and it's because Max was trying
to get a bottle another bottle out of the viintech
and it fell out, and so we had to drink
half a bottle of really expensive booze and I went
had it on the wall, had to for me. So
we've got like that on the wall, and it's like
Flossi's first birthday, Max smashed the bottle, Like little things
(47:07):
like that. Then there's like a bottle from our wedding.
I've got a few bottles from when I won Master Chef. Yeah,
and we weren't allowed to tell anyone, so Max has
got cryptic messages on there. So one says win a
win a chicken dinner, which was really cute, and then
one says appropriate I went to the Grampians halfway home
and had a wine and it was like the bottle
we had and we drove home the day after. Like
(47:27):
so just like little stories like that, and there's I
mean there's too many, like we could have kept way
too many bottles, and it gets so it's like every
few years we're like, we should probably clean out a
few and you go, oh, that story is boring. Get
rid of that one, which is terrible, so terrible. But
it's kind of like if we drink something that's really
nice and it's in the vintech and like you're saving
(47:48):
it for a special occasion, it's kind of just become
like our thing. And then I keep the cork as well,
and I almost feel like every few years, we like
have to go through the wine bottles because we've run
out of space and we have to cull and it's almos, like,
all right, what's the worst story on the walls? Get
rid of it? And you're like that you're a terrible memory.
Why I even keep you? So? I just think it's
those like little like little charms within the house and
(48:09):
you walk past and like, oh my god, I remember
that bottle of wine. Like just some really cool things
or things we've bought overseas and brought back and then
drunk here. It's never the same, no, And it's like
like I almost feel like writing I wish I drank
you back in France. I absolutely love this.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
I've never heard this before, and I think more of
us should do it. I also wish we had a
bottle today, Yeah, that we could.
Speaker 1 (48:35):
Write next time. Next time. I'll be organized next time
and I'll bring the daf.
Speaker 2 (48:40):
I'm here, Laura, thank you so much for coming on today,
and we will be seeing you again soon.
Speaker 1 (48:46):
Yes you will.
Speaker 2 (48:51):
Though we're used to seeing Laura in the kitchen, it
sounds like we'll be seeing her on a different set
of tools. As she tackles possibly the biggest pro of
her life. Thanks for listening to the edit. If you've
enjoyed this episode, then you'll have to check out my
chat with Karema Hasim, a certified foodie whose kitchen is
the center of her home. You can find that episode
(49:13):
in our podcast feed. I'm Al Lovelock and I'll see
you next time.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
This is an our Media podcast
This is an our Media podcast. So the first house
at Max and I bought so the typical the ugliest
house on the street.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
And no I wanted to buy it.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
They actually was a movie about our house, really, The
King is Dead. It's an Australian movie. So the original
owners were a lovely old Greek couple and they had
two kids. One of the men that I've been a
got into some mischievous behavior. It's safe and the house.
What's the parents did? The house got turned into a
half white house and we did not know this.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I'm our Lovelock editor in chief of Home Beautiful. Welcome
to the edit, where we bring you into the beautiful
homes with the people who create them. Today, I'm sitting
down with Laura Shaarrad. You might recognize her from Master Chef,
but what you might not know is she loves a
homemade cover and she and her husband Max and daughter
(01:03):
Florence are about to take on a new adventure that
involves cowpats, Tasmanian oak and pasta parties. In this convo,
we unpack everything from how she deals with high pressure
situations both in and out of the kitchen, to the
one thing she always takes from hotels, and she tells
me about how she ended up doing a full blown
(01:26):
reno on a halfway house. This chat will absolutely take
you on an adventure. Laura, Welcome to the edit.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
We've been spending a bit of time together today. Yeah,
because we've both been enjoying a bit of an ar
media event that we've had in the test kitchens. Here
was it the art of joy maxing joymxing joymaxingsms in July?
I mean, how lucky are we? I know, like feased
on what I think?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Sometimes Christmas food is like wintry food in like an
actual win month is so nice, Like I had won
an afternoon nap on this couch right now.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
I couldn't agree more. Something that absolutely blew my mind
is when you and fran from The Woman's Weekly were
doing your Pavlov demonstration.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I can't believe that Franz said to build up the
path on the plate, yeap, that you want to serve it,
you want to serve it on and put that in
the oven.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Yep. So she told me this yesterday in our little
trial run, and I was genuinely mind blown. Like I
think if you would have caught me in that moment
my jow would have been on the ground. Yes, And
it's like, how has no one shared this before? I know,
how is Fran just telling us? And it's twenty twenty
six and I haven't seen it on TikTok and it's
not trending. Make Fran your gatekeeping like one of the
(02:48):
best hacks I've ever heard in cooking history, like ever,
And I'm like, I can't share it because this is yours,
Like you need to post this now, I know. Yeah,
it's amazing, game changing, Like I think it literally is
going to change the way people bake their perhaps on
Christmas Day.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I definitely will be doing that. So you were sharing
a little bit about how you Christmas and though this
is not a Christmas episode, yeah, that'll come later in here.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Perfect.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
But you are of Italian heritage, yep. So you said
the tiramisiou was a Christmas thing.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, yep. So, I feel like I've grown up with
the very traditional Italian Christmas. So it's a lot of
like grilled seafood to start with, lots of like big
aunty pasto plates. We always have multiple courses, so there's
always a pasta course whether it was like a big
lasagne or like a handmade field pasta, and then you
would move on to probably two or three, maybe sometimes
(03:42):
four meats with the potatoes and the salads and the
bread and you know, all the trimmings, and then still
find room for the turramasoo and the biscuits, and then
you know, the grappa comes out the red wines. So
it's always it's like the full day affair, and it's
I kind of thought that's how everyone did Christmas, course
after course, and then when I started dating my now
(04:04):
husband Max, like his Christmas is so different. They've got
a bit of English background and so they've got that
real traditional like Sunday roast, like the mushy peas and
some ways that like like overly cheesy potato bake. There's
the creamed cauliflower and like the ham's going and stuff
like that. So but it's nice to have all of that,
I think. You know, when you're so used to something,
(04:25):
you just go, this is what Christmas is, and then
you get introduced to another Christmas, you're like, this is exciting.
It's great, and it's also great when sometimes we have
to do the back to back like lunch and dinner.
You get two completely different meals and you're like, because
I know Mum won't do a ham, so I go,
I'm actually looking forward to the ham and the culver
that I'm going to have tonight. Nor food. I don't
need it, I really don't need it, but you get,
you know, the cultural crossover. It's so special. Yes, yeah, have.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
You always been a foodie?
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Oh? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Since what age?
Speaker 1 (04:52):
I'm going to say My first food memory is when
I was five, so I would say probably around that time.
My family actually moved to Italy. My parents had what
I call their early midlife crisis, because they were way
too young to have a midlife crisis then. So I
was six and they packed I've got two siblings, packed
up our house in Melbourne, moved to Tuscany in the
(05:13):
house that my nonna was born in in like a
town of like fifteen houses on the top of it,
like like an ancient town. Really yeah, like mad. My
parents were mad and my nonna was. They were all
in Australia, like grandparents all immigrated over, but they actually
came to visit and she taught us how to make yoki.
And that's my first food memory. Which is like insane
(05:35):
to you know, the house that she grew up in
all those years ago I was born in. Then we
went back there I was five or six, five or six, yeah,
and madegnochi with her, like so special. Yeah, yeah, such
a special memory. So I feel like around that time,
but I feel like all my memories are somehow around food.
Like my memories of going to my Nona's house would
(05:56):
be helping her in the kitchen, like sitting at the
bench and like snack at things I wasn't allowed to
snack up because you know, like those bits need to
go into the source. I was always no one pushing
the boundaries and playing off family members against each I're like, no, Mum,
so they can have more chocolate and I definitely some
more cheese. I didn't. I really didn't for the food exactly.
So yeah, I feel like from a very early age,
(06:18):
I was always about food, but didn't know that food
was a career.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
And that happened.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
That actually happened when I was nineteen, after I came
of Master Chef the first time because I was I
was at Uni. I was studying to be a teacher
and then went on Master Chef and when I came off.
The production team were like, so, what are you going
to do now? And it's like, don't just go back
to UNI, Like is that what I meant to do?
Like I don't know, And they went, oh, you should
go work in a restaurant and I was like, oh,
(06:46):
like probably for the first time in my life, going oh,
so food's like a career. Wow, yeah, like it And
it was very new, Like I grew up in a
very traditional family, Like my parents wanted all of us
to get degrees and it was like very important for them.
So I was kind of like baking maybe their hearts
and like they're rulays a little bit because I was like,
I think I'm just going to keep differing UNI and
try it. And they weren't super for it, but they
(07:08):
were very much like, well, that's what you want to do.
You have to do it, like you're committing completely to it, yeah,
which is great, like great advice. And then it's it's
been like one twelve years, so it's just kind of
developed along the way in lots of different additions of
really like it's yeah, just kind of change and evolved,
and it's like and I feel like everyone's space has
(07:31):
changed that way with like whatever industry they're in, you know,
like your job can evolve, and I think especially like
with social media now you can go anywhere, yeah, which
is great and I love that.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
And that's such good advice to just do what you
love and keep evolving.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Yeah. Yeah, like you don't have to do the same thing,
yeah forever. And I feel like when I was in
school and you sit down with the career as counselor
and it's like, so, what are you doing for the
rest of your life? Girl, I don't know what I'm
doing tomorrow, Like I know, I don't know, Like I generally,
it's a lot of pressure put on, too much pressure
take your career. Yeah, And it was like, so I
was doing a teaching degree, but I was doing like
some science and health in the back, like in the background,
(08:08):
just in case I want to change. And then my
dad's like, why did you do law? I'm like, law,
I didn't study law. Like I was like, I don't
know any what I'm doing because it's like it's overwhelming,
it's too much. So yeah, I feel like sometimes things
just happen and you move in different directions and you
end up what you meant to be.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Are you a good teacher? Do you teach people how
to cook?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Yeah? I think I am a good teacher. So I
feel like I almost have had that a bit of
a full circle moment of I've forever thought I was
going to be a teacher, and I guess a lot
of my work really is teaching people how to cook.
I mean, I film from home. My content is me
at home cooking in my kitchen, and I'm sharing pretty
much is what I make for my family. So that's like,
(08:48):
you know, me teaching them what I do, and it's
it's very simple, it's very approachable. It's home cooking. But
I guess if you look at it from that sense,
it is a way of teaching someone a new technique
or a new dish or giving them inspiration and so
true in the.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Work you did with The Woman's Weekly as well. Yeah, yeah, exactly,
he's teaching people, Yes.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Yeah, And that's more exciting again because you get that
in different formats. So there's like the long video formats
you can see every single little step and you get
to see me physically making it. You can just buy
the magazine, pick it up, and there's a recipe all
written out for you as well, Like, so it kind
of it's a few different ways of teaching and learning,
which is fun.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
How do your parents feel about your career now?
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Oh, they love it. Now. My mom doesn't appreciate the
chaos that it brings to our life. I reckon, like
she's like, oh, what city in today? And where are
you going? And who's got Florence and who's made dinner?
And you know, it's like it's always chaos, but they
love it, like I think they, I reckon. At some point,
they probably thought I would give up working as a
(09:48):
chef because that's how I started. They probably thought, like
I was getting to work at eight o'clock in the
morning and I'd be getting home at two am, Oh
my god. Yeah, and six days a week, like it's
like it was a lot you have to commit to. Yeah,
And I was. My parents were in the hills at
that point. I was in the city and it was
like a fifty minute drive as well, so I might
driving late at night and they probably she's gonna crack.
She's gonna crack, Like we know she's going to crack,
(10:11):
and don't I'm sure I did internally, let's be real,
but I think I think it was just the doors
that kept opening. And I loved being a chef, and
I think when you're in that world, it is amazing
and it's exciting. But once other doors open and you
can see that you know you don't have to be
a chef and working kitchens to the rest of your life,
of your life, but still being food. I think that
(10:32):
was exciting because you know, a door would open to
write a cookbook courl so you do that, then another
door opens, and then all of a sudden, you're a
contributor for Women's Weekly. Yeah, that's exciting. So it's like
all these little things just keep happening, absolutely, and so
I just I love the thrill and the excitement of
that because you just don't know, like what work's going
to come up tomorrow, when like what opportunities happened?
Speaker 2 (10:52):
So yeah, yeah, how do you juggle all about being
a mum? And like you said, some days your family won.
Which city are you in today?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Yeah? Exactly? It is chaotic. Our shared calendar is insane.
So I've got to shared calendar with my husband and
my manager and we're all putting things in there and
like down to Max's running six am to seven am.
Laura's going to poll out is eight and a m
to nine am. Max is taking Floster KINDI like, I
just put I almost overfill it. And I think if
(11:25):
someone was to look at my calendar they'd be like,
that's a lot. But otherwise I'm like, I can't, I
can't do it. I just need to have it there
written down. But I also think it's about the people
around me. Like my parents are amazing, Max's parents are amazing.
So if I've got to get on a plane last
minute and Max is working, then someone's got to drop
(11:45):
something and it's great that they can do that, or
that Max can be flexible and you know, I'll come
to Sydney with you for the week. You know, like
let's just do that. We'll turn into like a little
working holidays. So it's never perfect, No, it's never perfect
and like, but it doesn't have to be. No, And
I think everyone thinks it's like so glamorous, you know,
the travels, and it's not literally blubbering in bed the
(12:06):
other night watching The Notebook by myself. Not glamorous at
eating chocolate and drinking red wine. I'm silly, No, but
you know it's like it's fun, and it's I think
I'm young enough to say to try and say yes
to everything and to just steal it. And like, Florence
is such a great kid, and she's just like her
(12:26):
own little human. She's two in a little bit.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Yeah, so you name her after the city.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
So my dad'side from Tuscany in Italy and like just
outside of Florence. So I've always loved the name, and
they wanted something old school, so I wanted to actually
call her Rosa, which is mine nanna's name. But then
I was like, you know, sometimes like with really thick
Italian names, like Charad's not really very Italian last name.
It's just kind of like Raza, and then not AND's like, okay,
(12:54):
let's kind of balance it. So we just kind of
flipped it. And I was actually listening to Florence in
the machine day and Max Now were both in the car,
and I thought I was having a boy. My whole
bring really convinced I was having a boy, Like, yeah,
I'm going to be a boy mom for the rest
of my life. I don't want these I'm so scared.
And then when that song came on, I was like
maybe thirty seven weeks pregnant and I was like, if
(13:16):
we have a girl, she's Florence. Like, it's definitely just new.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
And then I started having all these dreams about it
and I was like she was born and I was like,
You're a Florence.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
That is incredible.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
She's a stubborn Tuscan. That's what she is. He loves
her food.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
It is brilliant. I love the name Florence as well.
That was the girl name that I had on stand by. Yeah,
but I'm a boy mom.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
You're a boy mom.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
But my husband and I got married in Florence, no way.
We just love it.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
It's such a beautiful city. We took her there last
year and it was like Florence in Florence. I was like,
it was just so cool, so beautiful, I know, I know.
I was like, I'll happily go back to Florence. It's
a beautiful part of the world. Like it's so special.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Oh, let's come back to Australia. What is home for you?
So where is home?
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Got some breaking news for you? Yes, So home is
Adelaide and has been for the last twelve years twelve
thirteen years, and we current live in Henley beach, love
the seaside, like a beautiful coastal home, like everything I wanted,
the white picket sense walking distance to the beach, like
that was what I thought. My fever dream was. We
(14:23):
bought a house yesterday, we're doing a tree change and wow,
yeah we bought an acre and a tiny cottage.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
This is great, this is great.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
I love as I'm overwhelmed because like the home we
have in Henley is like, you know, we first bought
a house together. That was the house on the street
that no one wanted in West Croydon. It was like
a little bit grungy, but that like Adelaide character charm
of like a beautiful bungalow. Did that up sold it?
Bought this like beautiful hats and Henley, you know, put
(14:57):
our little touches on it, and I was like, this
is where I want to live for yeah, and then
we just throw the spanner into the works of like
we're too busy to do anything, but let's commit to
like a two year renovation and either bulldozer house or
flip it completely, and like what the hell are we doing?
And we are not renovators, Like we've done a few projects.
We have a lot of builders in the family. That's handy,
and I've been like on the phone, my dad and
(15:19):
my brother are morning, like just see her in twenty
twenty seven. Need you for this? You're gonna have to
do this win in to get plans in Like, so I'm.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Hitting, so I'm not surprised.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah, it's like and it's I think it's like the
right time to do something. Yeah, and it's gonna be fun.
And like, I want that lower lifestyle sometimes and I
don't think I get that living even though you know,
I see water and I'm very calm, so I love
that about Henley. But I just want to be able
to open my door and there's like no one around
and it's like serenity. Like there's literally a cow paddic
(15:52):
next door. I'm like, oh, it may smell like cowshit
most days, but it's gonna be so beautiful, nothing like
nature nothing. I'm also, let's just make it very clear,
terrified of snakes, spiders, any kind of insect. And I'm
going to move to Adelaide. Here it was where brown
snakes are.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Like everywhere, So it's a perfect move for you.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
It's gonna be great content. Did a girl take the
farm life.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
But what was it that made you go, despite everything, Yep,
we're going.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
To do this. Look, Max and I are very ambitious
people and we always like a little project. And I
think for us it was, you know, we could stay
in this house forever and just like do the grind
and be suburban people forever and like have amazing neighbors
and whatnot, like have that community. But we've got so
many friends and family who have made the bold move
(16:40):
and I've gone out and bought land and it's just
a really peaceful lifestyle. And I think it's kind of
bigger picture thing. So in ten years time, I'll be
in my forties and I'd be like, Okay, you know what,
if life is still this chaotic and I'm jetting around,
it's nice to come to the big smoke get work done,
but then go home and just like shut the front gate.
(17:03):
And I'm definitely on a property in the middle of nowhere.
I can't see any cars, hear any trucks, and there's cows,
and there's like chickens and geese. And I think for
Florence too, like to have a very nature driven childhood,
like you know, we're all I'm on my phone all
the time and like same and then when you get
(17:23):
off the phone started and but I'm just working really quickly.
I've just got to do one more thing. She's like,
mom no, and then I'm like okay, And you know,
you look at your screen time and you're like, I
just I don't want her to think that's normal, like
you come home from kidder your school and then you're
on like you're sitting from the TV all night, or
you're on your phone all the time, or like he's
an iPad or whatever. Like I just want a balance
(17:46):
for her, Like my childhood was like stay on the
street until eight pm until it gets dark and your
parents yelling, get in you of go to bed, Like
I miss that, you know, Like it's it's very different,
and I'm like that wasn't that long ago, which is
all her terrifying. Yeah, so I don't know what, you know,
her childhood is going to be in that sense, but
(18:06):
I think if we can provide her with something and
maybe future children, who knows what, you know, one day
just that peaceful, like really grounded upbringing. Definitely, Yeah, And
like she's very hands on, like I want a huge
veggie guarden, like she loves cooking with me. I want
her to know, like, you know, you don't just go
to the shops to get a lettuce, like it actually
comes from somewhere and someone has to grow that and
(18:26):
spend time and money investing in something.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Yeah, so yeah, bringing it back going like real country,
like real country, bumpkin vibe.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Well, do you have visions in your mind of what
it looks like?
Speaker 1 (18:40):
I do.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
What do you want if you were to describe your
vision board of this new life in the country?
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Okay, what does it look like? How much time do
you got? No, I think it's about half an hour.
I think for me, I really want the contrast of
older and new. Yeah. The one thing that I love
about the Adelaide Hills is that like cottage and stone
charm that it has, and it's very quintessential Adelaide Hills.
So I think it's about like the restoration side and
(19:08):
then like the modern side too. So so what is
it now? So it's actually it's currently a cottage, a
tiny like a three bedroom, one bathroom cottage. But you
know those very old school cottages. Everything's tiny, like the
bedrooms are like stone or is it brick? Brick Okay,
so it's brick, but beautiful big veranda around the outside
with a really beautiful sunroom at the back. So my
(19:32):
idea right now currently day one after purchasing is I
would love to do like a white weather board cottage
and then like restore the roof, do the veranda up
properly to kind of bring like a little bit of
that charm back, like I would have loved to have
done if the cottage was stone and to have that,
but I just think the white weather board is really
so charm It's so charming, Like I just want that
(19:53):
pretty cottage feel at the front and then kind of
take that inspiration of the sun roof and have that
almost like as a transition into the new part of
the house. And I don't know the technical term for
the material, but it's that beautiful almost like black steel
cladding that a lot of peoples like that rap that
people are using at the moment. That kind of gives
(20:15):
It's not like, you know, it's not having like a
color bond kind of house, but it's that beautiful like
steel black, and the contrast and the black and the
white then just kind.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Of so beautiful.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Doesn't have the gum tree line, the big yeah, the
big no, the big lines through it. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Term is it is a color bond product, it is, yeah. Yeah,
And it's like she and.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Do like the whole roof and everything in that with
like lots of light and it looks.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
So contemporary but it works so well. Yeah with period.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Hoss exactly, and especially because the hills it's either really
cold or it's really hot, so you're getting all that contrast.
And just to have something that still feels really cozy
but in summer it's going to feel light and bright, yes,
and stay really cool as well, I think is really important.
So yeah, something that's keeps like the heritage of the property,
Like it's a it's a nineteen thirties built home. You know,
(21:04):
we're currently like a nineteen fifteen villa. So I'm like,
I love that old school even though I'm like old
houses so many problems. I'm just like going that so
much money is going to be dumped and I'm not
going to see the results that I want.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
It's worth it, but.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
It is worth it, Like I just I want to,
I think have that restoration and then something really cool
and modern that you know, just you get the cozy
at the front of the house and the back of
the house is like light filled and big kitchen, a
big kitch.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Let's talk about kitchen. What does your dream kitchen look like?
And can you create that here?
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Yes? Yeah, okay, yeah, which I'm like really excited about. Yeah,
And I think that's why we were like we want
to buy something small to have the space to do
something really amazing and extend on. I just didn't want
to buy just another house. So my idea is like
a huge, huge bench, like long island bench, so I
can have pasta parties and get my friends over and
(21:56):
make pasta on the marble together.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
I want to come to a party to bring up
ottle of wine and I can provide the rest, you know,
like a huge nine hundred free standing oven, maybe even
like a one twenty, like something beautiful, old school, potentially
something a little bit French, you kind of get in
that cottage country feel in yes, and like a big
butler's panch, Like I just want it to be open,
big and the like the centerpiece of that new extension.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Like then I want everything that kind of goes around it. Yeah,
Because I think the kitchen is the heart of the home.
I agree, you know, And it's like I'm like, I've
got this opportunity to do exactly what I want to do.
And I'm like I'm not sparing expenses anywhere else, like
that's fine, but not in the kitchen. Yeah, And I'm
like that's my happy place. That's where we host Like
all of you come to our house, you're sitting at
(22:42):
the kitchen bar, Like that's just where you are. That
so we gather, that's where we're going to eat. That's
where I feel most of my content. Like it's just
it's not me.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
It's a tax deduction.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Yeah. Well the other thing I just get, I'm like
I've got a maker. Now I could just start putting
things over it. I also really want to put on
so when this giant garden, and I really want to
build like a almost like a little kind of shed
cross with like a glasshouse so I can like wash
all my produce in there and film in there too,
(23:11):
so I have like a little studio and like such
a great idea like pickles and stuff hanging and yeah
kind of have almost that say like mud kitchen or
mud room vib but outside exactly. Yeah. Ye, so I've
got like real country already. I need some kne high
boots though. That's what I need, some gun boots and
I'll be good.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
How much fun is Laura? More with her in a bit,
I want to know more about the pretty things. So
in the kitchen, what color do you want? What surface tops?
Would you have? Splashbacks? What do you love? As someone
whose job is food, I.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Think one of the best things is like being in
a few homes. You know what works and what doesn't work.
Like I know my splash back. I don't want tiles.
I don't want graut. They're impossible to clean. So something
very clean I am loving, like the dark walnut timbers.
Loving that with some brighter marble would be really lovely,
or some beautiful natural stone throughout it would be really cool.
(24:15):
I love those the French basins, the ceramic basins. I
just think they're like so country and like they pop.
Everyone's like, oh, you're gonna get them dirty. I'm like,
I know, but they're so beautiful, but I think yeah,
for me, like the walnuts, a bit of green, a
bit of burgundy throughout, like some warming colors, but then
those light stone colors just to kind of brighten it
(24:36):
and freshen it up as well. But yeah, I love timber.
I think there's like nothing more beautiful than really nice timber. Yeah,
and like we in Australia, We've got incredible, incredible timber,
and like, why not use some really cool local stuff
to create a little centerpiece. You know it Definitely it's
dangerous because Max and I we've been playing this for
about a year, like properly talking about it, Okay, and
(24:59):
this actually the third house to put an offering on.
And my my like last years of my life has
been every time something happens for the third time it works.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
So did you know that this was this the third
offer it's going to happen?
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Yeah, I can't. I had this feeling. And also my
husband has a thing for buying houses when I'm into
state Wait two for two okay, Yeah, So I was like,
oh god, it's like all the stars were aligning. I
got the moon over satin. Whatever's happening in the universe
right now. So I've got this like Pinterest, mood board
and Instagram like folded that we've saved of all these
(25:32):
beautiful things. And I actually was going through it last
night and I went, oh my god, our style has
changed within the year so much. But I think when
everyone started micro cementing, I went, I want micro cement
and I'm just going to micro sement my whole house. Yeah,
and I went, I'm going to get so bored of
this because it's just going to be a bit two
tonal and not have a bit of personality and like,
I am definitely a very like our house now is
(25:53):
very white. Yeah, white wolves, white sheer curtains.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Are you the the color?
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Yes, so I think I am because currently my color
only comes through artwork and when people come over. So
she's the artist, is a local girl. She's one of
my best friends. And I always say that we dronk
that my house is like her art studio. It's like
you're on my piece of art. Come to my house.
I can show you all the different phases and like
exhibitions that she's gone through. But currently, yeah, all the
(26:21):
color is just from what's on the walls. Okay, And
that's why I think I'm craving now the color in
the materials. Yep. But I just I'm eccentric a little bit.
But I don't want to be too eccentric, Like I
just want it to age nicely, yes, And I don't
want to be trendy. And I think the whole micro
s ement I just went, it's going to be trendy
in ten years time, I'm going to hate it. So
I just want something really classic country, a little bit modern,
(26:44):
something that will like last and look beautiful.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
So when you're looking back through your mood boards, yeah,
can you see any common threads from the beginning that
have carried through to the end, Because how do you
come to the conclusion that though the style and the
types of image is I'm choosing now, I love this
now and it looks this way now, but a year
ago I love that. How do you know that this
(27:09):
you will keep? This is me?
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Yeah, this is it. I think it was walking through
the house with the inspection we did, and you just
start to picture, like where the light hits and like
what's around you, and it's you know, currently, it's winter time,
so the hills are really green and they're vibrant, and
you know, there's like leaves everywhere on the trees, like
it's just beautiful, and you kind of go, you know,
you want to bring some green into the house because
(27:32):
you want that in summertime, everything's dry as a bone,
and you're getting those like mustardy kind of terra cotta colors.
Everything's really dry. So that's where I was kind of like,
I think the timber works because we're surrounded by gum
trees and pine trees. Ye you know, and I love
I love pine. I love that, like timber works throughout
and like you know, like tazzy oak. Get that everywhere
(27:54):
in my house. Slap it in if the budget allows,
if the budget allows, you know. But I think when
like once you find the spot and you see the
house and you start to look at the exteriors, then
everything just kind of starts to click. I think if
made we moved more to if we moved again to
somewhere beach, or we stayed where we are in Henley
(28:14):
and renovated there, I think then that micro cement and
all those beautiful more like light tonal cream colors would
have worked like much nicer down there.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
So I think this is like it's excited to do
something different, and I just keep seeing all these things
pop up, and he's just like, yeah, you know what
that is. That's it.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
It's so exciting.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
I know. I'm like, I just I can't wait to
go to like the tile shop and start picking out
tiles and paints, and I know I'm like a long
way off that I'm a long way off it, and
I'm like holding my excitement in so much. But We've
not really done a huge project like this, so I'm
really excited to like to watch the whole thing unfold.
I think it's me amazing.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
How do you feel about the pressure that you will
be under managing a big renovation as well as work
as well as family. Is this something that excites you?
Because I feel in my life I quite enjoy pushing
myself to see where the limits are and then you go, Okay,
(29:16):
we've reached it. Trying it back away.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
I feel like I bottle up my emotion and I
hold it, A hold it, I hold it, and then
I crack and everyone knows about it. So I feel
like I'm it's going to be an interesting journey because
I know, like my work commitments, Max's work commitments, Florence,
let's be really and probably gonna want to have another
(29:39):
kid within this next two year period, so that's going
to also happen. On top I have that Email'm kind
of going, what else can we do? You know, like
we've got restaurants and you don't know what's going to
happen there if you extend, if you don't kind everything.
So I think it's just just keep adding things to
the list and we'll just take on everything as we
(30:00):
do it, and we'll find a way. When she hits
the fan, We're just going to figure it out, like
it's you know it happens.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
Is that the advice that you would give to a
friend or a family member, No, if someone was doing
what you're doing, what would you say to them?
Speaker 1 (30:14):
I would say, you are so mad, and that play
it safe. No, I feel like we've always made like
very safe calls, but we like to kind of push
the boundaries a little bit. And I feel like this
is probably like the biggest thing we'll do together.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
I think it's definitely going to test my patient's marriage
the way I parent, because I feel like I will
be I will be stressed. I know I'm going to
be stressed, and like you know, with building, deadlines never happen,
costs of things are going to go up, and then
you have to start making those annoying decisions of like
oh yeah, like I don't want to sacrifice my timber
(30:48):
because it's going to be too expensive. So it's like
thinking about all those things, it's almost like I've got
that compromise and I've got that ticking in my head already,
which is like it's it is daunting, and you know,
you can't just go Like I was talking to my
dad about budgets and he's like, I can't tell you
it's gonna cost you x amount of money on the dot.
It could be one hundred grand under or three hundred
(31:10):
grand over. Like no one's gonna come through because it's
going to keep changing and evolving, and especially these days exactly,
you know, like all the cost of materials, deliveries like trades,
and then the other thing is, you know, with an
old house, unexpected things and there's gonna be something. Really
he's silly that pops up and you go, I don't
want to drop ten ground on that dumb problem, Like
(31:32):
that's just really annoying, but you have to. So I
am almost like using maybe using this whole like next
two year period and God, I hope it's two years,
not a day over where the God thinks cross fingers crusted,
all the things so much manifesting to maybe like grow
(31:52):
as a human and as a person in the sense
of like testing my like with like holding my emotions better,
maybe speaking those emotions out loud before I get to
cracking point. But I think it's just like part of
growing up. Like I kind of go, yeah, my thirties,
I'm a mum. I still got no idea what I'm doing.
Half the time, I am surviving, like scraping through most days.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
The smaller humans are growing and they don't know what
they're doing, and I don't know that.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
We don't know what we're exactly. They think we know it.
I'm like, yeah, I got Florence, what did you ask me?
I don't know how to do that? Can you fix this?
Still no idea how to fix that. So I'm like,
I think I'm looking forward to the growth as a
as a person and like in a different phase as well.
It's not going to be food related. It's going to
be stress related and money related and decision related. I
(32:41):
am terrible at making decisions, are you? Oh my god,
so bad? And I hate upsetting people. So I feel
like if my brother, like as the builder, goes, oh
you need you need to do this, and he like
flips the whole house and be like, Okay, go for it.
You do it, And I'm like, oh, no, what have
I done? Like, I just I'm terrible at saying no.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
And how do you deal with that? Oh?
Speaker 1 (32:58):
I get Max to be the bad guy like you,
he'd be the horrible kum and I with a really
nice one. And then behind everyone's like I like that's
a good arrangements. I'm like, it's bad and I'll get
better at it, but it's yeah, it's I find it
really hard to make like that final decision. Like it's
how to.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
Stress work for you being on Master Chef, because you're
under pressure, you have time limits, you have to make decisions.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
Yeah. Do you know an environment like that was amazing
for me because I didn't have the time to ask
someone else what I should do, and you're so on
your own that clock is ticking and it's like the
only way out is you making the decision. Yeah, And
you're the only person that's going to get you out
of the hellhole is you. So it's almost like maybe
(33:45):
if like the renovation was crammed into like a Master
Chef timeline, it would be better for me because I
can handle like that pressure and those like small little
bouts of it. Yeah, but in those it's very weird
because Max would be like, Max makes jokes to me
all the time, going, you know, if someone was dying
on the side of the street, you think you'd make
it all about you. You've been the worst person to
(34:07):
deal with it. And I was like, yeah, but I
did Master Chef and I was fine. I could do
everything and I survived and I fixed all the problems.
And He's like, that's because you were forced to and
there was no one there to help you and you
had to do it. I was like, oh, yeah, okay,
you're right. Like he's like, if there was an emergency,
you'd be like, I wouldn't even look at you, Like,
I'm just not good in those I am. I'm great
(34:29):
in those high pressure situations, but I'm also not the
same time. So I think it's just it depends on
what day of the week it is and competition or not. Chaos.
I'm just chaos.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Your self awareness is next level, Yeah, I know.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
I'm yeah, I've got a lot of self learning over
the few years. You know, like you just do it,
you just learn to just dere with it.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
Coming up what brand of tim tomatoes does an Italian chef? Actually,
by let's talk about your house rules. Oh okay, yep,
So I want to talk about your house rules. I've
got some questions that I'll run you through. And the
first thing that comes to mind, so you tell me,
are you a shoes on or shoes off? House?
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Shoes off? Is there a reason my mother I've grown up?
It's a where's my mother?
Speaker 2 (35:23):
No?
Speaker 1 (35:24):
I grew up in a very strict Italian household, So
like going to Nona's house, no shoes, and it was
taking shoes off outside and bring your slippers and you
put them on inside. There was never a crossover like
those outdoor shoes never touched the inside of the house ever. Wow.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
So what's the shoe storage situation then?
Speaker 1 (35:42):
So at our house? Yeah, oh my god, it's so terrible.
That's why I'm like thinking of I need a giant
mudroom so you can have it. So I've got like
my nice shoes upstairs in the walking road, but then
I've got like my everyday shoes in the garage, and
then my slippers are like when you walk in through
the laundry, they're just there, which is great, but then
it's always I mean, I get lazy sometimes and Max
(36:02):
is going to hear this and be like, I gotcha.
Like if I need to get something from the drink's fridge,
which is in the outdoor kitchen, I'll just be like
I just run out, but I'll keep, I'll keep. He's
so naughty, whereas his Max does take them off.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
No double standards here, But.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
It's funny because then we were laughing the other day.
We've got a little dog, a mini dashound, and Max
just so you don't clean his feet when he comes
in and out and I when he can do it.
Ever he once he's a clean boy's I'm like ware good.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
He's very small feet tiny, you don't even know he's there.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Fine.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
Well, along that note, what is something that you always
have fresh in your house?
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Fresh flowers?
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Beautiful? Yeah, and you have a favorite.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
I'm a natives kind of girl. I love natives. Mum.
My parents have got ten acres in the hills, and
she's got like beautiful pretteers and lookidandrums and like just
beautiful like blue gums. So every time I go over,
I just collect and then I love to let them
dry and just see which ones come out. Then I've
got like some dried vases too, But I just love
(37:06):
the smell of like fresh eucalyptus in the house. I
just think it's so beautiful, so beautiful, Like I'd love
to have like poppies and whatnot. But I know that
within three days they're going to go and they're going
to dine. It's like sixty dollars a bunch of Yeah,
they even need to start growing them in the hills.
That's will add to the list. A little flower garden.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
You definitely need to cut the garden.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
I do, absolutely, Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
What does your home sound like?
Speaker 1 (37:34):
The dishwasher slimming, the fridge, store beeping, Alfie growling at
Florence for her trying to ride him like a horse.
Andy's the dog by the way, yep, and lad Italian
people screaming that's our house, brilliant. Yeah. Chaos, Oh yeah, yeah, chaos.
I hope it's organized chaos, but chaos.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Okay, well let's get into that. How are you a
tidy person? Are you everything in its place? Or you
shovel all in a cupboard and shut the door walk away?
Speaker 1 (38:07):
A bit of both. I feel like we're downstairs and upstairs,
upstairs is the master. Sweet. I feel like upstairs I
can hide things, like sometimes I just throw clothes in
the corner of the wardrobe, shut the door and go.
No one's ever coming up here. It's fine, you know,
I've got all the intentions, like fold your undies and
my aundies just go in the draw on My mother
(38:27):
and she irons them too. She puts everyone to shame, like,
I'll call ahead, what do you do just ironing myndies.
I don't own an iron anymore. Mom. I bought a
steamer and nuts about it, like, I like I steam
when I wear something. That's how I now roll. I
am definitely tidy. I think it's like I used to
be really messy, like Laura in our first house. I
was quite messy, chaos like to clean. But now I
(38:50):
think having a toddler and a dog in the house
and her husband obviously like I'm just like they'll move
and I'm like, gotta wipe that up, and I go,
oh my god, I'm I am my mother. It happens
to the best of us, does, and she's she's a
great woman. Yeah, Like yeah, I'm like, you know, if
I've got to be like someone, I'll take that im like,
my dad, Lord help us all. Thanks for renovating her house.
(39:15):
Love it.
Speaker 2 (39:18):
So that's what your house sounds like? Yeah, is organized?
Like what about the way it smells?
Speaker 1 (39:26):
Okay, I am obsessed with an incense It's Guardina, So you.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Incense.
Speaker 1 (39:34):
Yes, I've got like the incense and then the oils
with the sticks coming out, and then I've got it
in the like room spray as well. So I went
to a girlfriend's house. She's in Melbourne and we was
staying over and I walked into the barthroom. I was like,
oh my god, what does this smell like? I need
it lathered on my soul. And everything just smelt like
clean but like welcoming, and it felt homely like it
(39:55):
was just gorgeous. And I went, I need that in
my house. So I now have like every it's got
like a little version of that. Max Is Sometimes like
it's too much, like just stop spraying and everywhere. I'm like,
spray you in a second. But I love that, Like
I think I'm really into the house smelling nice. I mean,
I love when I cook and the house smells like
(40:16):
cooking it. I think that's like the best smell in
the world. Yes, but then after you cook, it's just
nice to have like a few little spritzer is in
the air and everything just smells futive. For yeah, so
I feel like that's definitely what the house smells like.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
I want to ask you about some of your favorite things.
But these are favorite things in terms of like supermarket bikes.
Speaker 1 (40:35):
Oh okay, but I love a stiff market shop hit me. Okay.
Speaker 2 (40:39):
I would like to know what clothes detergent do you use?
Washing detergent?
Speaker 1 (40:45):
Omo sensitive? Yeah, when it's not sensitive, and I know,
I'm like, oh my god, I've got the itch of
it again. Yeah, almost sensitive. And I like the powder
because I've got some really nice like jars that are
on display in the laundry so I can scoot in
like this.
Speaker 2 (41:02):
All right, let's go into the fridge.
Speaker 1 (41:03):
What milk do you buy local? Full creamy milk cream
on top, Flurio Milk Company and Florence and I stand
there with a spirit and we scratch gilty pleasure that is.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
Gorgeous and so yummy.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
Okay, on dairy, how about cheese or there's always like
a block of Italian in me, there's always a block
of Pecorino and channel yea but I am like a
sucker for from Margia Dafen while like who is Oh
my god, like I'm drooling thinking about it. I feel
like we need to have a little cheese board next time.
I agree, let's do that. I get some daffin, as
(41:41):
I like to call it, get the daffin and crack
the daff Oh, it's just it's always it just delivers.
It's always gooey, it's always crany, and it's just it's
so good, so good, and you can buy it everywhere.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
Now, So being Italian, I'd love to know what tin
tomatoes do you buy?
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Okay, again, depends what's on special. You'll never get the
tight ars Italian out of me. But I love Ana Lisa,
so mums always bought Ana Lissa sokay, like you know,
you just carry on with yeah, that's fantastic. I like
to buy the whole tomato though, instead of the crush,
(42:17):
because there's more water in the crushed so they add
a bit more extra water into the crush, whereas the
whole pil tomato is just the tomatoes, which is great.
So yes, it's not diluted, and Moody Moody is like
just you know, even though sometimes it's like double the price,
like the tomato. I have never been like a tomato
paste girl. The last few years. I'm like, give me
(42:39):
the tomato paste, and they like triple concentrate is insane everything? Yeah, carry, yes, yes,
I didn't have I was making a butter chicken other day.
It was like two fresh tomatoes. Who has tomatoes in winter?
Absolutely not moody in your go. I was like, now,
wal go fine, my curry perfect.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
And is there anything in the kitchen that you I
pre made that you're a little bit ashamed of because
you could make it mayonnaise?
Speaker 1 (43:06):
Oh, and I buy the I don't know what the
brand is. I feel like it's like it's the good
Stuff or something like that. But it's olive oil mayonnaise.
Because every mayonnaise. Half the mayonnaise annoys me. It's not
egg or it's just like full like pure seed oil. Like, okay,
it's not that great for me. So I spend way
too much money on it, knowing that I could just
(43:27):
grab one egg, tiny bit of mustard and the olive
oil that's already in my house and it's forever in
my house.
Speaker 2 (43:33):
Oh my gosh, But that would take you two minutes.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
I know, am I right? And I'd rather put some
clothes on, put a face on, get in the car,
wait some petrol, go buy mayonnaise for like twenty dollars
a draw, and then come home. Yeah, perfect sense. Yeah,
And it's like, you know, I feel like mayonnaise. It's
just it's always a staple. But I'm like, I should
make it for what I spend on it. I think
it's really good mayonnaise.
Speaker 2 (43:57):
Justified.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:59):
So we have spoken with some of our other friends
who visited at the end about the concept of a
homemaker because traditionally it's something that I think people almost
frown upon. Yeah, but I feel it's coming back, yeah,
(44:19):
in a big way. What does being a homemaker mean
to you in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
I think it's the welcome and clean yeah, but coinciding
so it's not sterile, yeah, because I think a home
should felt lived in and it needs to be like
a little bit messy.
Speaker 2 (44:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:38):
But I also hate cleaning in front of people. So like,
if you come for dinner, I want everything almost predne.
The dishwasher is empty, the kitchen's clean, so I can
just dump everything straight into the dishwasher afterwards. So maybe
it's that like the balance of feeling welcomes. Like I
have a basket of don't laugh at right front door
(45:01):
hotel slippers, do.
Speaker 2 (45:03):
You, So it's not so crazy because stash them as well.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
You do so Maxims, I'm like a psychopath perfect behave hotels,
and I judge a good hotel on a good slipper.
And if you've got a good slipper, they're coming in
the suitcase. Because I like to wear slippers at home,
and because I mean our house now is half tiles,
half floorboards in winter it's cold, so if you could
take your shoes off, I want to provide you with
(45:29):
a pair of slippers. So I have like my little
freebee basket at the front door, which everyone laughs at.
I'm like, yeah, but are they comfortable? A yes, are
they warm? You're welcome? So I think it's maybe just
those little touches for people, like when they come home,
like to your house, and they feel like they're at home.
Speaker 2 (45:46):
What then makes your home beautiful?
Speaker 1 (45:49):
I'm going to say the story is within the home.
Speaker 2 (45:52):
So we have.
Speaker 1 (45:55):
This beautiful what's the beautiful shelves in our like little
sitting room that we never sit in love that passing
by room, the room always looks so clean. I'm like,
I really have to touch you, because no one comes
in here, but you have to walk past it. So
our house is like the typical long hallway straight down
(46:15):
into the big kitchen, dining, living space, and so you
have to walk past the sitting room and it's got
a little fireplace and beautiful like couches, and we've got
these shelves on the wall that are like handmade by
someone in essay and there it's just a beautiful timber
and then like metal frames. But on those shelves we
have wine bottles that are drunken wine bottles that have
(46:37):
a story on them of why we drunk it, when
we drunk it really yeah, So like we've got Florence's
first birthday.
Speaker 2 (46:43):
We have a really.
Speaker 1 (46:44):
Superly expensive bottle of white burgundy on there, and that
bottle was half smashed and it's because Max was trying
to get a bottle another bottle out of the viintech
and it fell out, and so we had to drink
half a bottle of really expensive booze and I went
had it on the wall, had to for me. So
we've got like that on the wall, and it's like
Flossi's first birthday, Max smashed the bottle, Like little things
(47:07):
like that. Then there's like a bottle from our wedding.
I've got a few bottles from when I won Master Chef. Yeah,
and we weren't allowed to tell anyone, so Max has
got cryptic messages on there. So one says win a
win a chicken dinner, which was really cute, and then
one says appropriate I went to the Grampians halfway home
and had a wine and it was like the bottle
we had and we drove home the day after. Like
(47:27):
so just like little stories like that, and there's I
mean there's too many, like we could have kept way
too many bottles, and it gets so it's like every
few years we're like, we should probably clean out a
few and you go, oh, that story is boring. Get
rid of that one, which is terrible, so terrible. But
it's kind of like if we drink something that's really
nice and it's in the vintech and like you're saving
(47:48):
it for a special occasion, it's kind of just become
like our thing. And then I keep the cork as well,
and I almost feel like every few years, we like
have to go through the wine bottles because we've run
out of space and we have to cull and it's almos, like,
all right, what's the worst story on the walls? Get
rid of it? And you're like that you're a terrible memory.
Why I even keep you? So? I just think it's
those like little like little charms within the house and
(48:09):
you walk past and like, oh my god, I remember
that bottle of wine. Like just some really cool things
or things we've bought overseas and brought back and then
drunk here. It's never the same, no, And it's like
like I almost feel like writing I wish I drank
you back in France. I absolutely love this.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
I've never heard this before, and I think more of
us should do it. I also wish we had a
bottle today, Yeah, that we could.
Speaker 1 (48:35):
Write next time. Next time. I'll be organized next time
and I'll bring the daf.
Speaker 2 (48:40):
I'm here, Laura, thank you so much for coming on today,
and we will be seeing you again soon.
Speaker 1 (48:46):
Yes you will.
Speaker 2 (48:51):
Though we're used to seeing Laura in the kitchen, it
sounds like we'll be seeing her on a different set
of tools. As she tackles possibly the biggest pro of
her life. Thanks for listening to the edit. If you've
enjoyed this episode, then you'll have to check out my
chat with Karema Hasim, a certified foodie whose kitchen is
the center of her home. You can find that episode
(49:13):
in our podcast feed. I'm Al Lovelock and I'll see
you next time.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
This is an our Media podcast
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