The Holiday Kitchen

Packed with the hard-won wisdom of decades spent cooking for family and friends, two of Australia’s best-organised women share their most delicious recipes with tips on how to cut corners, minimise work and maximise taste and fun while on holidays. The sensible, practical and unfussy philosophy of Leigh Sales and Gwen Blake will look after your wellbeing and protect your downtime at home or on holidays, with dozens of answers to the perennial question, ‘What’s for dinner?’

From ‘double down’ recipes that create two separate meals, to ‘half-baked’ dishes that get as much prep as possible done before leaving home, to ‘fridge clear-outs’ that make the best of what you have on hand, Gwen and Leigh do all the thinking and organising for you. Coming up with ideas for economical meals and how to stretch them further is one thing you can tick off your never-ending To Do list.

Inside you’ll find an incredible array of recipes that ensure cooking for friends and family feels like a joy, not a job.

About the Author

Leigh Sales AM is one of Australia’s most respected journalists. As the new presenter of Australian Story and the recent host of the ABC’s flagship current affairs program, 7.30, she has interviewed dozens of world leaders and celebrities, including Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, the Dalai Lama, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood and Bill Gates. She has interviewed every living Australian Prime Minister, as well as the late Bob Hawke, and has anchored the last three federal elections for the ABC.

Leigh is the winner of three Walkley Awards, Australia’s highest journalism honour; the author of the books Detainee 002, On Doubt, Well Hello and the bestselling Any Ordinary Day; and the co-host of the popular podcast Chat 10 Looks 3 with Annabel Crabb. In 2023, her service to journalism and the community was recognised with an honorary doctorate from Edith Cowan University.

Gwen Blake is the Founder and Director of Boxer & Co, an award-winning branding and packaging design agency based in Sydney. For seventeen years, she has worked with some of the retail industry’s biggest names, including Woolworths, Nestlé and Kraft Heinz. Gwen also produces merchandise for Chat 10 Looks 3, the wildly popular podcast hosted by Leigh Sales and Annabel Crabb.