My granny was such an incredible cook and I have such fond memories of sitting next to her on the aga, her passing me wooden spoons laden in all these different flavours for me to taste. Then, it’s fingers crossed as he fires up the oven and makes an epic duo of ‘nduja, honey and mozzarella pizza, and potato and taleggio pizza for his friends and brothers. We at Penguin Random House Australia acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the Traditional Custodians and the first storytellers of the lands on which we live and work.

Julius Roberts | Penguin Random House Julius Roberts | Penguin Random House

It’s about eating quality meat, rarely and respectfully, perhaps for two or three meals a week,” says Julius – and I can’t help but agree. Next, he’s heading to the garden to pick herbs that will take an incredible herby egg mayo sandwich to the next level, and sharing the secret to whipping up easy homemade classic mayo. We take joy in reading about new goats and sheep being born, learn to grow some vegetables, and forage for simple herbs and flowers, all while discovering Julius’s outstanding recipes. When I arrive at the farm, a beautifully ramshackle old building which sits at the foot of a steep fold in a wide and verdant valley, no one is at home.

Recipes can be scaled up or down, such as his lamb stew with pearl barley and wild garlic, or fish cooked in spiced tomato sauce (see opposite), and he also encourages substitutions depending on what is seasonally available. He aims to educate the reader (although not in a sermonising fashion) on the millennia-old relationship between the seasons and produce. Sign up to receive our latest stories on style and culture, plus be the first to know about new collections and special events. He also shows us how to make simple summer meals from the garden, including asparagus and poached egg on toast and a pea and broad bean risotto, and joins his two brothers by the fire pit for a barbecue of lemon chicken kebabs and grilled vegetables.

A Taste Of The Country: air date, trailer, episode guide

Well I’m trying to live as sustainably and thoughtfully as I can, very much in tune with nature, trying to live in harmony with the seasons, and making the farm biodiverse and an amazing habitat for all sorts of plants and creatures.The nail trimming doesn’t go to plan as Julius only manages to catch one goat — and it’s a bit of a cheat because Heather is one of his tame hand-reared goats. If you make a mashed potato with good potatoes it will taste great, but if you add a decent butter it’ll be unreal. Hatching a new flock of chickens (and building a fox-proof coop), desperately awaiting the birth of my next generation of lambs and kids, looking forward to growing some new varieties of fruit and veg and sampling the first of my Mangalitza prosciutto.