In Good Company

Sophie invites us into a special place where food nourishes, comforts and brings joy. Beautifully photographed and full of practical and seasonal recipes, this is a cookbook to treasure.

Julia Busuttil Nishimura, author of Ostro and A Year of Simple Family Food

Ask anyone to tell you about the most memorable meal of their life and they wont give you a chronological playback of what they ate; theyll tell you about how that meal made them feel .

Whether its a last-minute Sunday dinner with neighbours, a family feast or a casual summer picnic, Sophie Hansen has done the thinking for you and designed menus featuring 120 recipes that are simple, tasty and perfect for sharing. She also includes ideas for creating a memorable atmosphere for any gathering, large or small, plus advice on how to embrace shortcuts to take the pressure off, so you can focus on enjoying the good times rather than stressing in the kitchen.

In Good Company is filled with all the recipes and inspiration you need to encourage you to throw open your doors and invite people in, because theres never been a better time to bring people together.

Sophie lives with her family on a farm just outside Orange in country New South Wales. She trained in print journalism at the University of Canberra and has over 20 years experience as a features writer. She has been blogging at local-lovely.com since 2013 and now also teaches social media and content marketing to producers and small businesses via My Open Kitchen (podcast, e-course and workshops). With this and her previous book, A Basket by the Door , also published by Murdoch Books, Sophie continues to build her wonderful community of home cooks, brimming with friendship and kindness.

THE BEST OF TIMES

This book is my love letter to shared tables of good food. It came together over a year of travelling around the country visiting family and friends and taking over their kitchens to cook with and for them. We dragged tables into gardens and paddocks and set them up, we shared picnics on windswept headlands, we had cosy kitchen suppers and we barbecued lamb on the back of a boat (while I tried not to fall in with my camera while going in for the hero shot).

Ask anyone to tell you about the most memorable, meaningful meal of their life and I promise they wont give you a chronological playback of what they ate; theyll tell you about how that meal made them feel . Theyll remember the candlelight and the smell of roses in the centre of the table. Theyll talk about the moment everyone tasted that hot lemon pudding and how it was light and fresh, but warm and comforting at the same time. Theyll remember the spontaneous game of celebrity head and how they hadnt laughed like that in ages, or how, on that stinking hot February evening, that big bowl of pasta served outside under fairy lights with a pitcher of tangy, delicious cocktails was like a balm.

There is so much that we cant control, but how we feed the people we love and show them that love through a table set with pretty flowers, candles, your best napkins and their favourite food? This is in our control and its powerful stuff.

I write this, and the following pages, in celebration of conviviality. I hope this book will give you some ideas for gatherings to have at your own place soon, whether a lovely morning tea, or drinks and a chatter platter next Friday night or a quiet supper in the back garden with the neighbours.

Ultimately, all of this is just about being together. Its about belonging, being looked after, looking after others in return and feeling like you are a part of something, even for just a night.

And I promise that if the food is tasty, the table has been set with a little care, the drinks are flowing and the music is playing, it will be the best of times. And dont we all need more of those?