"Keeping up with the pace of life as a working family has certainly kept me on my toes for the last three years."

Zoë: We have always loved the beautiful aesthetic that you carry from your work as editor of Homestyle, to what we see on Instagram of your family life at home with your husband Nick and son Ted. How have you found the experience of working and being a mum?

Alice: Keeping up with the pace of life as a working family has certainly kept me on my toes for the last three years.

My partner Nick and I run homestyle magazine together, so there's a lot of criss-crossing schedules as we navigate the week as parents.

I'm lucky to have a partner that lifts me up though, everything we do, we tackle as a team.

Zoë: We find a lot of design inspiration from your travels, and love living vicariously through the wonderful travel images you share.
Could you tell us about a place you've recently visited and loved?

Alice: I was fortunate to do a lot of travel last year (2019) — holidays and work took me to India, Japan and Bali.

Each was an immersive and enriching experience in its own right, but what I'm really obsessed with right now is exploring more of our own backyard.

I'm making a mental list of the places in New Zealand that we want to get to as a family — the Catlins, Karamea, Hokianga.

Zoë: We're a big fan of ceramics at Zoe & Morgan and have had the pleasure of attending a few classes as a team, what has drawn you to learning about and creating your own ceramic pieces?  

Alice: With a lot of my work being computer based, I really started to miss having a physical creative outlet in my life, so a few years ago I started going to the Ceramic College.

Having a weekly session booked in helps me sustain the practice, and over time I've slowly replaced all of our tableware, while also experimenting with various processes in hand-building vessels.

There's something meditative about working with clay, and it's one thing I do in the week that's just for me.

Zoë: You've recently been inspiring us with your delicious-looking food posts! Food can be such a big part of motherhood and a way to connect as a family, are you able to share a recipe your family is loving at the moment?

Alice: In our time at home recently, Ted has really taken to assisting in the kitchen. We've been making things together that are easy for him to get involved with — flatbreads, noodle salads, scrambled eggs, but his favourite tool by far is the stick blender!

When there isn’t time for a cooking session, my go-to hack for quick, nourishing meals is having individual ingredients prepared ahead in the fridge.

Every Sunday I’ll cook a big batch of grains like pearl barley or brown rice, which can be tossed together with roast pumpkin, kumara or cauliflower, a handful of micro greens, a crumble of feta, perhaps some smoked salmon, and a sprinkle of toasted seeds.

All dressed with a good lug of olive oil, two caps of cider vinegar, a teaspoon of Manuka honey, and a crushed clove of garlic, plus salt and pepper. Working mums lunch done.

Zoë: Lastly, do you have any special Mothers Day traditions?

Alice: No, but perhaps it’s time to start one. It’s Ted’s birthday this week too, so I’m looking forward to spending the weekend celebrating with our family.

We’re all hanging out for a bush or beach jaunt, so that's bound to be in the equation somewhere.