Blooming gorgeous
Edible flowers add a special touch to Hannah Jack’s sweet shortbread.
Out amongst the bed of marshmallow root and echinacea flowers is where you will likely find Hannah Jack. Tending to her field year round, these are the herbs and flowers that lend their medicinal powers to Jack’s popular organic skincare products – all of which are handcrafted on her small rural farm in Kaukapakapa.
Having grown up in the area, Jack chose to also raise her young family here whilst running her own business, Country Kitchen. Look around and you’ll spot a breathtaking view of rolling hills, a thriving vegetable patch out back that keeps the family well fed, and the walls in her home studio are lined with jars upon jars of botanical infusions. It’s a tranquil setting perfect for Jack to work from and host workshops, all while being able to watch over her two young sons who are never too far away exploring the great outdoors.
From body oils to lip tints, face creams to perfumes, all her products are thoughtfully produced in small batches with some herbal oils slowly infused for months. The plants themselves are nurtured with organic and sustainable methods, which takes plenty of care and patience, and the same can be said of Jack’s approach to food. A few years prior, before Country Kitchen launched as a skincare range, Jack’s passion for sustainability and whole foods had inspired her to create raw cakes and treats to share with the locals at the weekend markets. As we sip on chamomile tea freshly brewed with the flowers from last season’s harvest, Jack goes about delicately pressing petals into each of a batch of shortbread cookies before we pop them into the oven and wait for the perfect accompaniment to our herbal tea. It is clear that there is nowhere else Jack would rather be than with a basket full of flowers by her side.