Christmas on the farm with Nadia Lim

Nadia Lim. Photo: royalburn.co.nz
Nadia Lim. Photo: royalburn.co.nz
Foodie-farmer Nadia Lim is aiming for a more "relaxed and casual" atmosphere at Christmas this year, with just a 20-odd guestlist.

Between raising three boys, running Arrowtown's 1200-acre Royalburn Station farm, writing cookbooks and appearing on TV for the Nadia Lim's Farm series, she still has time for the special occasions.

But she says she "can't be bothered" for centrepieces on the dining table at Christmas this year - instead, all guests will chip in with a dish.

"This year, I want to do it picnic style, because there's so many amazing spots on the farm I figured - and hopefully it will mean less dishes and less mess and tidy up with all the kids," Lim tells Sunday Morning.

"We've got the menu sorted, no one has to do any food shopping. Everyone just takes a couple of recipes and the ingredients, cooks it, and that's it. Easy peasy."

And to get into the spirit, there is one song she has always loved to play: Jingle Bell Rock.

"It's fun to dance to, and I'll get the kids up and I'll dance with them around the kitchen, around the dining table."

Photo: Nadia Lim / Facebook
Photo: Nadia Lim / Facebook
An experience money can't buy

Lim unwittingly foretold her farming future on her second date with now-husband Carlos Bagrie.

"He alluded to the notion that one day - if we ended up being together - that one day he described it as going back to the land.

"He kind of said that in a way to see what my reaction was, to see if I was the right girl, if I was going to be happy living on a farm, I remember turning to him and saying 'I reckon, yep, we'll end up on a farm with three boys'.

"He thinks it was because we had been watching Legends of the Fall, and I love that movie."

But making farming work as a viable option for an income has not been easy for the couple, as they have tried different ways to diversify from primary production, including two retail farm shops.

"I don't know a single sheep and beef farmer that has made any money in the last few years, and you hear it so many times over and over again, you don't go into farming for the money, you do it for the lifestyle and for the love of it and you know what? It's bloody true, it couldn't be more true.

"It annoys the hell out of us that ... if we sold the farm and put the money into something else like property or funds or something and did absolutely nothing ... we would be so much better off. But that annoys us so much and I don't think it's the right thing to do."

Farming is a constant learning journey and she believes it has made her a better person.

"You learn to let go and not feel the need to control everything, because it becomes impossible to control everything, because like I said every season is so different and nature kind of does its thing and does what it wants to do, and I think that's a really good lesson to not feel like as humans you need to be able to control everything. You just have to go with the flow.

"I feel like our children are really lucky that they really see life and death for how it is, like none of it is taboo. They really see the circle of life and death.

"We have very harsh, harsh winters where our ground is covered in six to eight inches of snow for up to two to three weeks at a time sometimes ... and you just, in that point of time, can't ever imagine how anything could be alive again.

"And then just one day, one day, like clockwork in the beginning of spring you start to notice, you hear things, you hear the birds starting to chirp you see these tiny little buds coming out of the trees, and it's literally a miracle, every single year, it's just a miracle."

Although 'doing the right thing' and doing something meaningful is not always financially rewarding, they will not be giving up, she says.

"I just have to look outside, and we're surrounded by the most incredible mountains and you go 'wow, this is amazing', it's experiences that your money absolutely can't buy."