When EatNZ chief executive Angela Clifford and her husband Nick Gill first bought their property in Waipara, it was little more than bare paddocks and an old man pine.

Fast forward twenty years, and the once bare paddocks have been transformed into a thriving Food Farm, abundant with seasonal produce and guided by permaculture principles.

The farm also serves as a hub for workshops, where the couple share their deep-rooted knowledge and passion for growing food.

To celebrate the twenty-year milestone, the pair are releasing The Food Farm Cookbook- a collection of recipes, reflections, and memories that document their journey of creating a life on the land.

“We really wanted to reflect on our learnings and our lessons and all of these foundational recipes that we collected along the way, as you do when you're growing and cooking your own food,” Clifford says.

“It’s a way to celebrate how far we have come and to reflect on the milestone and to have a line in the sand that said, ‘this was our first 20 years’.”

But this is no ordinary cookbook.

Designed for those who grow their own food, its structure reflects the natural rhythm of the land.

“When you grow your own food, you kind of start with what you've got in the garden and on the farm, and then you develop meals back from there.”

Clifford describes the book as a “gentle invitation” to return to a way of living more in tune with nature like our grandparents once did.

“You could take it as a sort of a homesteading handbook or a self-sufficiency story, but actually we wrote it because we want to invite people to live a more seasonal life.”

For Clifford, it was important that the book be more than a simple recipe collection.

“What I find is that recipe books are great, but you just sort of dip in and dip out of them. “I really wanted this to be a good read as well.”

In addition to recipes, the book includes sections on local grains, the best plum varieties to grow, and seasonal celebrations from the farm.

Recipes are grouped by season, not by cuisine or course.

“Each recipe sort of sits within the framework of its season.

“But then of course it does: because that's what happens when you grow food.”

The cookbook offers an eclectic mix.

Some recipes are quick and easy, others are more instructional, covering traditional techniques such as sausage-making.

“It's cooking from scratch, but there's also some really simple, easy recipes, that don't take much time or effort.”

Many of the meals featured are those shared around the family table as the couple raised their three children, along with favourites from their own childhoods.

While Clifford hopes The Food Farm Cookbook will become a well-worn, everyday reference - “a sign of a good recipe book” - it’s also a personal legacy, something for her children to cherish.

“Your children remember those meals and they become a thread woven through the framework of their life.

“And now my children are starting to leave home, and they ask for these recipes because those recipes bring them comfort.

“They bring them connection back to us.

“To keep and collate and photograph and to record your recipes is an absolute gift for your children.”

The Food Farm Cookbook is published by Bateman Books and will be released in October. Preorders are available now at www.thefoodfarm.nz.

By Claire Inkson