At home with Kirsten Jenkins

You may not know Kirsten by name but I have no doubt you have admired her work. If you've made a recipe from Donna Hay or more recently Delicious magazine, there's a good chance you've been inspired by Kirsten. She's the one behind the scenes bringing recipes to life as the style editor. I had a chat to her recently about appreciating the little things.   

Have there been any silver linings for you during the last year?

Yes, my life went through some really big personal changes last year, I think Covid made me question what I really wanted for the future and what I really valued in my life. It’s a bit of a cliché but very much true for me, I appreciate being present in the moment more now, trying not to run on autopilot and miss the small things. I have a lot more gratitude for the people in my life and how I get to live.

What do you do for yourself when you need to slow down or take a break?

I’ve been notoriously bad at this over the years and tend to be an over worker, but this year I’ve really been mindful of slowing down, so I’m back surfing a lot more which is my ultimate form of slowing down and meditation through movement (this was a big part of my childhood growing up in Cronulla).

What does your perfect Sunday look like?

No alarm to wake up to, slow morning pottering around the house, making myself something special for breakfast, getting to the water if it’s a nice day and then a late Sunday lunch with some drinks and friends.

What’s your favourite season and why?

Love winter because the clothes are better, haha. More choice and more layers to wear. 

Name three things you can’t live without.

Good food, my family and the people I love and beautifully made arthouse films. Really think covid made me care less about things and objects in my life.

What is the meal you love making the most right now?

I love making chicken congee right now. Therapeutically slow to cook and super nourishing for your body to eat. I’m mad for a condiment too, so give me all the condiments to serve with!

What does home mean to you?

Safety.

What does slow living mean to you?

Appreciating the moment you’re in rather than looking for what’s coming next. Appreciate that meal you're sitting down to share with someone. Try to find the enjoyment and peace in the ‘in between’ moments. Don’t place too much emphasis on ‘busy’.

Are there any projects you’d like to tell us about, and where can we follow along with what you’re doing?

I love food styling and what I get to do as a job but I’m also really looking forward to sharing those skills with others who would like to learn. On Instagram @kirstenljenkins I’m showing more little behind the scenes styling videos of my work for delicious. magazine, and I’d like to expand on that further in the future, so we’ll see where that goes.

What are you looking forward to?

As I’m writing this we’re experiencing the Delta strain covid lockdown, so I'm most looking forward to getting to see my family again who live a couple of hours away and the other people I love in my life.

Kirsten uses our family bowl, dinner plates, hibi bowl and latté tumblers