Amalia Osbourne
On Nadia Lim’s farm Royalburn Station, just outside of Queenstown, spring is in full bloom. Lambs are arriving, seeds are being sown and the snow on the surrounding mountains is beginning to melt. Seasons have never felt more meaningful to the Kiwi foodie, both on the land and in her own life.
And after what she describes as a long, wintry spell, where her energy dipped and her spirits waned, Nadia is delighted to say the sun is shining for her again. These days, she feels lighter, brighter and happier than she has in a long time.
Finding light in life’s seasons
“I really believe that we go through seasons spiritually and emotionally,” she says, catching up with the Weekly on a whirlwind trip to Auckland, just ahead of the launch of her new TV show Nadia’s Farm Kitchen.
“It helps to remember that seasons come and go. When you’re in a bit of a winter phase and life doesn’t feel very bright, you have to trust that spring will arrive and that you’ll start to see little glimpses of light, and that before long, you will bloom again and you’re back in summer.”
At the sprawling farm Nadia shares with husband Carlos Bagrie and their three boys Bodhi, nine, River, six, and two-year-old Arlo, the family, alongside their hardworking team, is in the thick of spring planting.
Bringing Nadia’s Farm Kitchen to life
But while the farm hums with activity, Nadia has plenty on her own plate too, with the launch of her new TV show and companion cookbook Nadia’s Farm Kitchen. Seasonality is celebrated in both the series and the book, with Nadia embracing a “hyper-local” way of eating. The show follows the My Food Bag co-founder as she visits local producers and creates delicious dishes from food all grown or raised on Royalburn, or within an hour of her South Island home.
“It was so cool to visit other food producers and see first-hand the amazing things that are happening in New Zealand,” she says.
“I found it really inspiring.”
Her favourite moment on the show was hunting a wild goat with Carlos, then slow-cooking it over a campfire.
The dishes that bring family together
“The goat was delicious,” Nadia recalls with a smile.
“I cooked it into this smoky paprika goulash with mushrooms and capsicum. Then I made some giant potato dumplings, which soaked in all the amazing flavours, and served it all up with a big dollop of
sour cream with chives and chilli flakes.”
My Food Bag, one of the sponsors of the show, will also have some of the recipes in their delivery service.
Says Nadia, “These are heart-warming dishes that I cook for my family on the farm.”
It’s clear Nadia’s passion for food and cooking is as strong as it was when she first captured the nation’s attention winning MasterChef NZ in 2011. Life has changed dramatically since then, with a dozen cookbooks to her name, successful meal-kit company My Food Bag still going strong, a slew of hit TV shows, not to mention three children and the huge move into farming.
A backyard like no other
Nadia admits she still has to pinch herself that they’ve ended up here on their 485-hectare property between Arrowtown and Cardrona, which she and Carlos took over six years ago. It’s been a massive learning curve as the couple strives towards a fully diversified farm-to-plate operation, much of it captured in their TV series Nadia’s Farm. But watching her boys thrive on the land makes it all worthwhile.
“The boys are so lucky getting to grow up here,” Nadia smiles.
“It’s an incredible backyard. The big boys get the bus home from school and I’ll see them out the window, racing up the driveway from the gate. They hurl their bags fairly violently over the fence, climb over, run through the paddock and rush in for a snack before going straight back outside again. It gets me every time how lucky they are.”
Little Arlo’s love for the farm life
While her three sons all love being out in the paddocks, it’s little Arlo who relishes the rural life the most. He is obsessed with sheep, says his mum, who tells us Arlo sleeps with his toy Baabaa, insists on reading his favourite book, an old Aussie tale called Click Go the Shears, every night, and makes his parents sing Baa Baa Black Sheep at least 10 times a day. And while some children are bribed with lollies or chocolate, Arlo’s biggest reward is a visit to the woolshed.
Finding balance on the farm
“He would get in the pen with the sheep if he could!” Nadia laughs.
“He was born at home on the farm, so I guess it makes sense.”
It’s been a happy year for Nadia, who is thrilled to have come out the other side of a low patch she reached in 2024. Prioritising exercise has been a game-changer, as has making a conscious effort to be kinder to herself, not to mention scheduling some much-needed time away.
“I’ve learned how important it is to nurture yourself, as well as the closest relationships around you,” she explains.
“I was just depleted. I think it’s a very common story… At some point, you become worn out, whether it’s from having children, breastfeeding, working or all of the above. “I didn’t really have a break for years. Then there’s the mum guilt that you’re not spending enough time with the kids. It becomes a bit of a negative cycle.”
Learning to ask for help
But with some big changes, Nadia is back to her best. One of the most transformative shifts for the family came with the arrival of their German au pair Marie. Having an extra pair of hands to share the load of running a busy household has been, Nadia says, life-changing. Without Marie’s support with the kids, Nadia doubts she would have been able to bring her latest book to life. Never has the old adage “it takes a village” felt truer.
“I have definitely figured out that no one can do all this on their own,” she reflects.
“Carlos and I spent far too long trying to juggle everything ourselves and it nearly broke us. You have to ask for help when you need it.”
Bodhi and River are old enough now to know their parents are pretty famous in New Zealand, and Nadia says they’re used to being stopped in the street while people talk to Nadia or ask for photos. She laughs as she recalls an incident recently with her eldest, Bodhi.
Making memories with her son Bodhi
“He came home from school a little upset the other day,” she says.
“Apparently on the bus he’d said that Jamie Oliver is the best chef in the world and that I’m the second best. But another child disagreed and told him, ‘No, Nadia Lim isn’t second best – it’s Gordon Ramsay!’ I tried to explain that it’s all subjective. I did think his loyalty was pretty cute, though.”
Balancing her busy workload with parenting is an ongoing challenge for Nadia, who admits she’s still figuring out how to weave one-on-one time with her boys into daily life. Earlier this year, however, she took Bodhi on a very special mother-and-son trip to Japan and it was everything she’d hoped it would be.
“From what I had heard and read, it’s around the age of nine that boys start looking more towards Dad and less towards Mum, so I just wanted him to have time with me and for us to make some cool memories together,” she says, adding she’ll do the same with River and Arlo when they’re nine.
“It was so sweet – we were walking the streets of Tokyo, and there were thousands and thousands of people around. He clutched my hand and looked up at me with these eyes of, ‘Oh, thank you, Mum. This is so cool.’ And I remember being really teary because I was thinking, ‘This might be one of the last times he holds my hand like this.’”
Turning 40 in style
With her 40th birthday in December, Nadia is feeling optimistic and excited about the next decade. She and Carlos, who turned 40 in July, celebrated in style with a child-free trip to Italy. The couple joined four other friends also turning 40 this year and spent two glorious weeks on the Amalfi Coast, soaking up the sunshine, sharing beautiful food and reconnecting away from the demands of daily life.
“It was really incredible – a once-in-a-lifetime trip,” she shares.
“I had never been away from the kids so long, but they had Marie and were absolutely fine. It was a good lesson to me that it’s okay to be selfish sometimes.”
While the celebrations are over, Nadia will be sure to take a moment on December 21 to reflect on all she’s achieved in her thirties and look forward to what lies ahead.
“I know just how lucky I am to have Carlos, the boys, my family and this busy, interesting life,” she enthuses.
“There are always challenges along the way, but as long as I have my boys, then I’m happy.”
Nadia’s Farm Kitchen screens Wednesdays at 7.30pm on Three and streams on ThreeNow.
To preorder Nadia’s cookbook Nadia’s Farm Kitchen, visit nadialim.com
