The Costco Connection

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2015 • VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 2

YOUR MUST READ GUIDE TO A STRESS FREE SEASON

GIVE YOUR GIFTS PIZZAZZ

A lifestyle magazine for Costco members

HOLIDAY COUNTDOWN

MAKE IT MAGICAL

TRADITIONAL TO MODERN WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS

Feasting in style

WHEN YOU BUY 2 CARTONS OF MAP ITALIAN COFFEE CAPSULES*

8 grams of coffee and double fi ltered – superior coffee extraction delivers the closest thing to a barista-made café coffee at home

Premium Italian roasted ground coffee in every capsule

Capsule casing locked airtight for maximum freshness

INTRODUCING THE CAFFITALY COFFEE CAPSULE SYSTEM NOW AVAILABLE IN COSTCO:

PROMOTION EXCLUSIVE TO COSTCO. AVAILABLE FROM NOVEMBER 6 - NOVEMBER 22, 2015.COFFEE & MACHINE AVAILABLE SEPARATELY BEYOND THIS PROMOTION DATE.

GREAT

CHRISTMAS

GIFT IDEA

* Each carton Includes 8 boxes of 10 capsules. Two cartons can be any combination of coffee on offer.

VALUED AT $79.99 RRP

C A P S U L E

MAP0025_Costco 2015-10-12T10:13:38+11:00

Costco Wholesale Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 57 104 012 893). Head office: 17–21 Parramatta Road, Lidcombe NSW 2141. Postal address: PO Box 7196, Silverwater NSW 2128. Phone (02) 9469 7999. Website: costco.com.au REGIONAL MARKETING MANAGER Kyla White MARKETING ASSISTANT Jenna Barnes ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES [email protected] Costco Connection is produced for Costco Wholesale Australia Pty Ltd by Pacific+ Publishing (ABN 80 101 323 791), GPO Box 7825, Sydney NSW 2001. PACIFIC+ PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Helen Morassut PUBLISHER Nicole Macdonald EDITOR Georgina Haigh SUB-EDITOR Gillian Samuel ART DIRECTOR Tom Lau PROOFREADER Carrie Kablean PRODUCTION MANAGER Rosie Dimopoulos

C O N T E N T S

24

4 MEMBER CONNECTIONWhat’s going on at Costco

8 SUPPLIER PROFILEIt’s a wrap

12 BUSINESS CONNECTIONMake your business function fun

16 TECH CONNECTIONThe game is up

20 FOR YOUR HEALTHStony heart, tender taste

45

24 FOR YOUR TABLETraditional table or modern Australian?

34 WINE CONNECTIONIndependent label

38 FOR YOUR ENJOYMENTChristmas countdown

45 INSIDE COSTCOFill it up

50 BUYER’S PICKSWhat’s new

38

WELCOME TO OUR BUMPER CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. We launched The Costco Connection a year ago and, judging by the speed with which members clear out the copies in our warehouses, it has hit the spot with readers. And that is why we are delighted to bring you a special holiday edition!

We’ve included plenty of seasonal info including a guide to pulling off the perfect Christmas,

from buying gifts to troubleshooting family squabbles, and some background on the history and green values of our gift wrap, as used by the royal household of the British monarchy.

We’ve also test-kitchened two styles of feasting inspiration, one for traditionalists who love hosting a big sit-down dinner with all the trimmings and the other for modernists who prefer to play to our climate and relaxed cultural attitudes by focusing on fresh seafood accompanied by crisp salads and grazing plates.

Throwing a business shindig for your staff or clients? Read what the catering experts have to say about ensuring it fosters real goodwill and enjoyment. On a healthy note, find out what you might not have known about the benefits of eating stone fruit – as if you needed any encouragement.

Looking to the future, we hope to grow the magazine to bring you informative updates on Costco items, interesting features, delicious recipes and business and lifestyle tips. We’re also growing Costco in Australia, with the opening of our eighth warehouse on 18 November, the third in Victoria and the first location with fuel in the state.

See you in 2016!

Managing DirectorPatrick Noone

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16

20

COVER: Kirkland Signature wrapping paper and Christmas decorations STYLIST Lisa Hilton INSERT: STYLIST Andrew de Sousa FOOD PREPARATION Samantha Joel PHOTOGRAPHY Tom Lau

M E M B E R C O N N E C T I O N

4 The Costco Connection CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2015

Melburnian Gerald Gourlie knows good customer service. His career as a sales manager means that he understands exactly how important it is to a business.

“I’m a customer service person and I can see that Costco is building its business by doing exactly that,” he says.

Gourlie has been a Costco member for four years and has been using the Ringwood Tyre Centre for vehicle maintenance since the warehouse opened. “I go there to get my tyres checked every 10,000 kilometres, or five or six months,” he explains.

He is particularly impressed by the service he receives from the Tyre Centre staff, especially Con Alateras.

“He is a nice man and dedicated to his trade, and he treats all customers exactly the same way. I pop in to see him from time to time and he knows my name. That’s important in customer relations.”

Gourlie is especially grateful to Alateras for the service he received after there was a misunderstanding over swapping out his tyres. “Nothing is too difficult to do for me and when you are customer facing that’s important. If I still had my former job he wouldn’t be working for Costco!”

His manager Charlie De Pasquale agrees that Alateras sets a high standard in member service. “Apart from being an expert in tyres he prides himself on ensuring all our members are given best

quality service. He tries to maximise the time he spends with customers to ensure their vehicle is safe and roadworthy.”

Alateras isn’t the only Costco staffer who has made a positive impression.

“If you ask anybody in the store for information, it happens,” Gourlie says. “They’re always prepared to go the extra distance for you. Going the extra mile is important. You can do the job but you can’t do the extra mile without some effort.”

“In our Tyre Centre and the warehouses in general we understand that people are our members,” De Pasquale says. “To us they are more than just customers and we try to make their visit a positive experience every time they come in.”

Like what we do?

Then ‘Like’ us on Facebook for info on warehouse openings, special offers, book signings and special events. facebook.com/CostcoAustralia

Top tyre service We chat to one Costco member whose experience of his local Tyre Centre is that they are always prepared to go the extra mile.

Seafood Roadshow dates

4–5, 11–12, 17–24 December

Con Alateras

CONDURAADC152791214 2015-10-06T12:19:51+11:00

Every year Australians throw away over $8 billion worth of food. When you add supermarkets and restaurants into the mix the real value would far exceed this – yet there are still people in the community who go hungry.

Luckily OzHarvest, the perishable food rescue organisation, embodies the waste not, want not adage by collecting excess produce from commercial outlets and delivering it, free of charge, to more than 500 charities across Australia. One of the outlets they collect from is Costco.

“We donate a lot of baked goods: muffins, croissants, bagels and Danishes, and then sometimes a few canned goods as well,” says VJ McMurray, Assistant Warehouse Manager of Fresh and Ancillary at Costco, North Lakes, Queensland. Having worked at Costco for 27 years McMurray knows a thing or two about the short shelf life of fresh food and how much often goes to waste if it’s not sold. When OzHarvest approached him and the team

while he was working at Costco in New South Wales it seemed like the perfect way to cut down on food wastage while giving something back to the community.

The OzHarvest van comes by most mornings to collect the leftover produce that is still fresh and edible.

“We have a five day shelf life on the muffins, for example, and the night before the shelf life is up I will pull the packet off the shelves, deface it and then put it into the OzHarvest collection cart,” explains McMurray. But he is careful not to include anything that could be deemed even slightly unsafe to eat.

“We have cakes that have fresh cream in them. Once they’re pulled we can’t refrigerate them again so those items, the ones that could turn out to be a health hazard, we wouldn’t donate.”

Similarly OzHarvest has very strict rules on food safety, only using refrigerated vans and ensuring that the food collected is delivered on the same day.

Once the Costco collection cart has been loaded onto one of the iconic yellow OzHarvest vans the food is taken to charitable organisations in the local area. These might include homeless shelters, women’s and men’s refuges, youth groups, indigenous centres and organisations that service people with alcohol or drug addictions, mental health issues, people with disabilities and the elderly.

In a country where people are still going hungry every day OzHarvest contributes greatly to the goal of food sustainability. Having started out with one van in Sydney in 2004, the company has grown substantially and now has enough yellow vans to deliver half a million meals to urban and regional areas across Australia every month.

As McMurray succinctly puts it, “No matter what happens there’s still someone somewhere who’s going to bed hungry so it’s great knowing that maybe they’ll be enjoying our food the very next day.”

M E M B E R C O N N E C T I O N

How one charitable organisation is harnessing our wasteful consumption for a good cause.

Food for thought


Get in touch!

We’d love to know what you think of The Costco Connection. Got an idea for a story or want to know more about one of our products? Had a quintessentially Costco experience or wondering what’s coming up? Write to us at [email protected] and tell us all about it!

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SO MANY FEATURES, JUST ONE ITEM

MENSWOMENS BRASHORT BOXER WOMENS KIDS

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When it comes to producing high quality, ethical wrapping paper, this company ticks all the boxes.

T his wrapping paper is fit for a queen. The Queen, in fact, as Costco wrapping paper

supplier International Greetings was granted a royal warrant to supply Buckingham Palace back in 1906.

International Greetings also creates bespoke Christmas crackers for the royal household, but as you would imagine, the design and contents are a closely guarded secret!

Every year millions of metres of gift wrap roll off the International Greetings machines. In 2013 the company printed 90 million metres – enough to go around the world two and a half times – for Costco alone. The company also designs, manufactures and distributes ribbons and bows, bags, tags, cards, albums, books, frames and creative

follow sustainability policies, using wood only from responsibly managed sources.

The inks used in printing the wrapping paper designs have low environmental impact and the company is committed to waste management and recycling. In the last four years it has reduced its landfill use by 50 per cent through manufacturing consolidation, cutting energy consumption by 15 per cent.

What's more, this is all achieved without sacrificing any quality of the product. “International Greetings products fit the Costco mission statement perfectly: top quality branded merchandise at the lowest possible price,” says Costco UK Toys and Seasonal Buyer Helen Hazell. “They make beautiful high gloss, high quality paper. The colours they produce are second to none.”

WORDS Gillian Samuel

play products – everything you need for a perfectly decorated Christmas.

From small beginnings in an abandoned mine ablutions block in Wales, in the United Kingdom, International Greetings now owns subsidiaries in China, the United States, Poland, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and Australia, and sells its product all over the world.

Green valuesFor Costco, in addition to the quality of the product, the company’s environmental values are an important factor. International Greetings is Forestry Stewardship Council and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest certified, which mean all the materials transparently meet certain ethical requirements. All International Greetings raw material suppliers

WRAP!It's a

S U P P L I E R P R O F I L E

showing the business flair that would bring him future success.

He applied for a government incentive for starting new businesses in Wales but the timing of building a new factory presented problems. “There was a delay. To catch that first Christmas season I had to find somewhere else fast.”

A broken office door became his desk, with a chair found behind the factory and a second-hand typewriter for business communications. “I did everything,” he says. “Sales, purchasing, packing, fixing the machines, loading the lorries, motivating the staff.”

When things went wrong he would call his father in Sweden, who told him to just walk around the factory and deal with one thing at a time. “That period was definitely the best time of my life,” Hedlund recalls. “It’s actually those tough periods that make you stronger.”

With annual revenue of more than $500 million today, International Greetings appears to have become very strong indeed.

From the factory floor upThis standard is deliberate. The company’s founder Anders Hedlund attributes his success to the quality of the product and constant innovation. “We never lower the specs on our products,” he says. “We want Costco members to know they get the same quality they got last time.”

He gained his background experience working in his family’s gift wrap business in Sweden during the school holidays. “After a few months of sweeping the factory floor I said, ‘Teach me how to use the ribbon and bow-making machines or I quit’. I learned everything about the family business and I think once you know something well enough you can’t help becoming interested in it.”

In 1974 at just 18 he arrived in Cardiff with a couple of his father’s old ribbon and bow-making machines and an ambitious plan. He set up production in the Welsh former mining town of Crosskeys, manufacturing wrapping paper on a roll – an industry innovation at that time. Within a year the talented teen was employing eight employees and

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2015 The Costco Connection 9

Gift wrapping tips• Buy a few rolls of wrapping paper and matching

ribbons and bows in complementary colour-ways so you can mix and match to make everyone’s gift look different.

• For awkwardly shaped items go for a cardboard box and use colourful or printed tissue for packing, or buy a gift bag. Don’t forget ribbons and a nice bow to dress it up.

• Set aside time for wrapping presents and assemble your scissors, ruler, sticky or double-sided tape, paper, ribbon, tags and accessories such as bows, miniature baubles, pine cones and fir sprigs close at hand.

• Put the gift item down on the paper and loosely wrap around to estimate where to cut it off. Using the ruler, trim excess paper from the sides and sharply fold down the overlapping edge using the scissor handle or your nails to crease in place.

• Positioning the item in the centre of the paper, wrap around and secure with sticky tape along the fold edge.

• To make corners fold the paper inwards, ensuring the crease is at right angles to the base of the item. Pinch the creases to keep the edges sharp and make a triangular flap at each end. Fold away any raw edges.

• For a polished finish, secure edges with double-sided tape.

• Tie and secure the ribbon around the parcel, remembering to place and secure the tag. If you are using reversible paper, consider making a contrasting band with folded in edges. Tie the ribbon around the middle of the band.

• Add finishing touches such as bows or decorations.

ANDERS HEDLUND

Hedlund founded International Greetings in 1979 and has been its Non Executive Deputy Chairman since 13 December, 2007.

Item 945052

Item 945052

Item 945054

Item 945052

Item 945052

Item 945053Double sided!

TIBCostcoX152871254 2015-10-14T13:17:43+11:00

your Christmas table

Exclusive to Costco

Coburg Smokehouse Ham on the Bone is the perfect centrepiece for your festive table. Simply carve and serve cold.If you are little more adventurous and would like to add another dimension to this delicious ham why not try our specially �� Manuka Honey and Cloves already present in this succulent ham.

You’ll need200 ml Manuka Honey

3 oranges, julienne rind and juice only

2 tsp powdered mustard

1 tsp cloves, plus extra for studding

Coburg Smoke House Ham on the Bone half

Method1. Heat honey in a saucepan over medium

heat for 5 minutes or until dark golden,

then add orange juice and rind, mustard

and cloves and simmer for 10 minutes

or until reduced by half. Cool to room

temperature.

2. Preheat oven to 180C. Remove skin from

ham and discard. Score fat in a crisscross

pattern, stud with remaining cloves in the

centre of each diamond.

3. Place ham on a rack in a large roasting

��

brush ham liberally with glaze. Roast,

basting frequently with remaining glaze,

for 1 hour, or until golden.

If you are lucky enough to have any ham left

after the big day, place into vinegar soaked

linen cloth, ham bag or pillow case and store

in the refrigerator.

Burnt Manuka Honey,

Orange and Clove Glaze

..

Item Number 36793

TIBCostcoX152871304 2015-10-14T13:18:21+11:00

business function fun


WORDS Gillian Samuel

If you are throwing a party for your staff, suppliers or business partners, then don’t try and cut

corners, warns Forte Catering & Events Director of Operations Ross Mitchell. “Invest in the success of the event,” he urges.

Mitchell’s credentials include catering Costco parties where “we cook and serve large banquet buffets of all the food items available at Costco. Even the celebratory cakes are Costco sized”, he laughs.

His formula for hospitality success includes taking the number of guests and the hours of the

Make your

Holding an event for your business is a great opportunity to generate goodwill. Be sure to make the most of it.

B U S I N E S S C O N N E C T I O N

function and then calculating food and beverage consumption over that time. For example, if the party is after work you need three different offerings of light canapés to act as entrées, three courses of something more substantial such as pastries as a dinner substitute, then something sweet for dessert.

Conveniently for those on a budget, he says the latest trend in food service is a buffet grazing table. “It should be a feast for the eyes,” he stresses. Think antipasto and cheese plates, breads, dips and marinades, with fresh produce and finger food desserts.

business function fun

As for alcohol, he allows two drinks per person for the first hour and then one for every hour after, along with one soft option an hour.

He suggests choosing a catering feature, such as craft beer tasting or cocktail making, that acts as a talking point.

In choosing a venue he advises keeping it local. “Keep it familiar for your staff and make it easy for transportation. As an added thankyou for your team, offer to cover their taxi fare home.”

Timing is a factor as well. “The middle of the week is a great option,”


he says. “Start the event early to create a buzz throughout the work day. Having a day or two of work days after the party allows the staff to continue the positive feeling.”

For setting the mood he says lighting is important. “You can use soft lighting to create an atmosphere: up-lights on the walls or candles, for example.” Otherwise let the space where you are entertaining dictate the décor or theming. “With colours, stick to a muted neutral palette unless you want to make a colour a feature, with red tablecloths perhaps,” he advises.

Mitchell also recommends setting up a photo booth with props so people can create their own memento of the party.

Outsource the cateringThe reason why people love Costco party platters is that having someone else do the heavy lifting when it comes to the food frees you up to spend time with your guests. And it gives you more flexibility.

“You could set up in a car park or a garage or a garden,” says Simmone Logue, whose Simmone Logue Fine Food Company much loved by Sydney foodies is gold licensed by the Restaurant & Catering Industry Association.

“Do as much preparation as possible in the kitchen proper and then add the final touches before serving. There’s less mess, less fuss and less staff on the job.”

She has a couple of tips for creating a menu that appeals to all comers: “Men like cocktail pies and sausage rolls, women prefer canapés, such as croutes with salmon. Gluten free is a huge trend now and we always include these items. I also think the superfood push is really big. People are a lot more aware of what they’re putting in their systems.”

Logue has used a number of her signature dishes to create the Costco Party in a Box, which includes Simmone Logue quiches and chicken and meat pies.

“These recipes were developed many years ago and we are famous for them. We put a lot of love into what we do,” she says.

The Party in a Box selection also features gluten-free corn fritters, hokkien noodle and chicken meatballs with chilli jam dipping sauce, and dim sums.

“There are 60 pieces in the box and we’ve done the hard work. If you’ve got 30 people for a party and you buy a couple of boxes and put them in the oven, then make the pieces look pretty on a platter, you’re done,” Logue says.

“You can get formulas for presentation and arranging the pieces from the Simmone Logue website. People eat with their eyes.”

*Kiosk and product may vary

A D V E R T O R I A L

W hen you visit your local Costco warehouse in November you will notice something different: a new Mobile Centre kiosk.

These kiosks, operated by AMT Group, are supplying best in market solutions to your telco needs. AMT Group is perfectly positioned to provide Costco members with a great deal.

AMT Group have been in the telco category in Australia since 1989, operating here and in the Philippines under the Allphones brand and managing telco retail stores on behalf of premium global brands Samsung and Vodafone.

At the global level, AMT Group is wholly owned by GLENTEL Inc. in Canada, which for more than 10 years has run the Wireless Etc kiosks delivering great deals to Costco members.

Costco Mobile Centre gives you access to competitive multicarrier offerings including a full suite of products from our major partner Vodafone and smart phone brands like Samsung.

Costco members will have exclusive access to pre-paid and post-paid special offers and outright handsets including the latest smart phone devices. Mobile Centre is also poised to deliver on ‘the internet of things’: remote capability to control numerous items of electronic equipment in your home via your device.

Mobile Centre’s expert staff can show you how to get the maximum value out of your device in your day to day life, at work, at home, in the office or while you’re out and about. AMT Group prides itself on offering great customer service, after-sales service, product knowledge and the ability to provide our members with great deals so be sure to pop into a Mobile Centre kiosk for a chat.

Visit Mobile Centre, your new one-stop shop for best value deals on plans and devices.

Mobile

connection

Whether it’s your Facebook account, music videos or that television series you’ve been meaning to watch, with today’s gaming consoles what you engage with is up to you.

WORDS Alex Kidman

“Purchasing a gaming console is no longer just to play games. It’s more an addition

to the home like a connectivity hub for the family,” says Costco’s Consumer Electronics and Gaming Assistant Buyer Silvana Arena.

“It has evolved. Where people might have the perception that you just play a game, it’s much more now. You can hook it up to your home theatre for Blu-Ray playback, social media is integrated and streaming entertainment via services such as Netflix is easy and fun.”

isgameThe

up


T E C H C O N N E C T I O N

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We’ve come a long way from gathering around the cathode-ray tube to play Pong. Today’s games consoles offer a degree of immersion never before seen, bolstered by fluid and astonishingly lifelike graphics, and game concepts that put Space Invaders to shame.

One of the key aspects of today’s gaming consoles is their ability to go online. This covers online multiplayer gaming, so even if you’re at home alone you’re never wanting for some competition, as well as digital delivery of updates and new content to the games you love to play.

The nature of the gaming community has changed as well, shifting permanently away from the image of gamers as solely young adult males.

“The gaming industry as a whole is attracting a broader spectrum of age groups and gender. It’s not just the 18 to 33-year-old males that it used to be,” Arena says.

As the gaming market has changed, so have the games people play, with traditional gaming genres joined by a variety of offerings to appeal to the whole family, including titles with interactive elements that can teach younger players, such as Lego Dimensions or Disney Infinity 3.0, or engage older ones, like Journey or Heavy Rain, where decision making is more important than hand-eye coordination.

The Playstation 4 and Xbox One are also fully capable Blu-Ray players for those nights at home with the latest hot movie. The Wii U, PS4 and Xbox One can all handle streaming media too, so if you’ve caught the Netflix bug they’re an easy-to-use way to binge-watch the latest series or classic movie hits. “Netflix is such a hot topic for the end consumer,” Arena says, “but so are services like Foxtel and Spotify. You can have all those entertainment experiences through your gaming console.”

Wii U Premium 32GB with Mario MakerNintendo is “typically the choice of younger families,” says Arena. Nintendo is the classic games maker of choice, with the innovative Wii U and its full screen gamepad offering an entirely different way to play games. Nintendo’s titles tend towards the family friendly, with a focus on lots of competitive and cooperative lounge room play.

Costco’s Wii U Bundle comes with the latest in the long-running Super Mario Bros series, Mario Maker. This time, though, the impetus is down to the player, with a unique creation mode that uses the Wii U gamepad to quite literally draw new Super Mario Bros levels as your taste and creativity demand, or download the thousands of levels being created by gamers across the globe. Item 36429

Microsoft Xbox One 500GB with FIFA 16

Microsoft’s approach to gaming sits “in the middle ground, with a little something for everybody. It offers the higher end gamers the experience they crave, as well as family titles”, Arena says. Its Xbox Live online service offers both online matchmaking and free monthly games, and the Xbox One also allows you to play a variety of Xbox 360 titles if you’ve got an older gaming library with an upcoming software update. If you have a Microsoft Windows 10 PC you can even stream Xbox One games directly to it for when the family TV is busy, so gaming fans can still get their fix.

In the sports gaming world there’s no bigger title than FIFA 16, the authentic and engaging soccer sim beloved by millions worldwide and now bundled with the Xbox One sold by Costco. Item 31808

Playstation 4 1TB with Call of Duty: Black Ops 3Sony’s Playstation consoles “have always appealed to the hardcore traditional gamers”, according to Arena. The 1TB of storage available in Costco’s Playstation 4 bundle gives you ample space to store game files, as well as other types of media content. Costco bundles the Playstation 4 with the latest instalment in the world’s biggest first-person shooter franchise, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. It’s the ideal choice for the mature action gamer, whether playing the gripping single-player campaign or jumping online for some frantic multiplayer action. Item 37291

*Available in warehouses from 6 November


T E C H C O N N E C T I O N

THE COSTCO CONNECTION

Buyer’s picks: Games consolesYou might not be a gamer yourself but the chances are very good you know somebody who is, which means that you’re in an ideal position to buy someone you know the ideal gift.

But which console should you buy? Costco makes it easy with a selection of great console bundles that get you playing great games from the moment they are installed.

SunkistCostcoAust.pdf 1 2015-08-14 10:56 AM

Stony heart,tender tasteDarkly gleaming cherries, blushing peaches and nectarines, golden greengage plums – the seductive appeal of fresh stone fruit is combined with a powerhouse of nutritional benefits.

WORDS Georgina Haigh

Summer is here and with the warmer weather comes a special seasonal treasure in the form of pallets upon pallets of fresh, succulent stone fruit in gloriously jewel-like hues.

Peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots and cherries are all in season right now and that is fantastic news for both your health and your fruit bowl. Whether you love eating yours messily over the sink or in the garden, baking them to incorporate in a tasty dessert or popping them in the blender to make a morning smoothie, the health benefits of these tender-fleshed beauties are surprising and plentiful.

“Stone fruit are great to eat at this time of year because they are readily available, better value and at their peak when it comes to taste,” says accredited practising dietitian and the Dietitians Association of Australia spokesperson Maria Packard. “They offer a very wide variety of antioxidants and nutrients too.”

It’s important for us to meet our recommended intake of fruit and vegies all year round but it’s safe to say that during summer, with stores practically bursting at the seams with fresh fruit, there’s really no excuse not to hit your five-a-day quota and enjoy the ultimate taste of summer while you’re at it.

F O R Y O U R H E A L T H


When you buy the Montague tree

you have selected our premium range

of summer stone fruit.

Selection & Handling 1. Nectarines & Plums - look for fruit with small white spots (speckle) this fruit

is the sweetest2. ��

Fruit skin becomes dull as fruit ripens3. Look for apricots that have a orange/red blush.

Storage1. Store Stonefruit in the fruit bowl2. Do not put fruit in the refrigerator as the fruit can turn brown internally and loose its

��.

Your guide to seasonal stonefruit:

You can be sure that only fruit with ��

appearance and quality will be packed under the Montague

tree brand.

��for everyone

��& delicious juicy

plums.

We hand pick the fruit from

the outer edges of the tree where it is ��

and therefore has naturally ��

intense colour and ��

www.montague.com.au

MONTAGUEth152821537 2015-10-09T15:38:39+11:00

Packing a nutritional punch“We tend to eat a stone fruit with the skin on, which is beneficial because the skin is a great source of fibre,” says Packard, “It can help keep our digestive system healthy and prevent constipation.”

The skin can also reveal a lot about the nutrients packed into stone fruit, Packard explains. When fruit looks in good condition and the skin is firm and the colour vibrant, this gives you an indication of readiness and nutritional value. Particularly when shopping for peaches, nectarines and apricots, look for the ones that have a deep warm-orange colour because this indicates the presence of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant.

“Beta-carotene can help strengthen your eyesight, improve your immune function and, as it can be converted into vitamin A, even promotes growth in children,” explains Packard, who adds that stone fruit are also a rich but relatively unknown source of potassium.

“Most people think that bananas are the go-to for potassium but stone fruit have high levels of this nutrient too. Two small apricots have about the same amount of potassium as a banana and will serve as one of your five-a-day fruit intake.”

Rich in vitamins A, C and E, stone fruit can, among other things, aid the production of white blood cells that help you fight infections and collagen which promotes firm, youthful skin.

They have an incredibly low glycemic index, which helps stabilise blood glucose levels so when the 3pm slump comes around indulge

yourself in the naturally sweet flavour of stone fruit instead of reaching for the cookie jar – you’ll thank yourself for it later.

Finally, if you’re susceptible to restless, broken sleep or travel a lot and regularly suffer jet-lag you might want to try eating a bowl of cherries. High levels of melatonin which help regulate your body’s sleep and waking cycle means that stone fruit can work its magic even when you’re at rest.

A tasty and tantalising ingredientIn addition to their numerous health benefits let’s not forget that, first and foremost, stone fruit are utterly delicious to eat. Their distinctive flavours lend themselves perfectly to desserts, smoothies and sliced up as a topping but they also work wonderfully in a variety of savoury recipes too. With tastes ranging from gratifyingly sweet to mouth-puckeringly tart – stone fruit add a nice twist to proteins, salads and garnishes.

“Stone fruits are such a unique ingredient,” says Packard, “You can roast, poach, sauté and bake them and their healthy pigments are still available to the body.

“Peaches work nicely with chicken, pork and fish, plums with meats, nectarines are a great addition to salads and the acidity in apricots perfectly complements chicken and salsa-type dips.”

With stone fruit season running from October through to May make sure you reap the remarkable health and culinary benefits of these seasonal gems while you can.

F O R Y O U R H E A L T H


INGREDIENTS2 leeks2 tbs olive oil1 x 25cm pre-baked pastry shell6 medium eggs1 cup creamSalt Freshly ground black pepper100g goat’s cheese4 nectarines½ small bunch rosemary, leaves picked

METHOD1. Preheat oven to 180°C.2. Prepare leeks by removing the tops and outer

leaves, then cut in half lengthwise and rinse. Thinly slice.

3. Heat oil in a heavy-based pan over medium heat, then add leeks and cook for 7–8 minutes or until soft. Set aside.

4. Place pastry shell into a greased and lined 25cm quiche tin.

5. Beat eggs with cream, salt and pepper. Spoon cooled leeks into the pastry shell and pour egg mix over. Crumble goat’s cheese on top.

6. Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until just set. Meanwhile, halve nectarines, remove seeds and slice into 1cm slices.

7. Remove tart from oven and top with nectarines. Place under a medium grill for 5–7 minutes or until nectarines are just golden.

8. Scatter tart with rosemary leaves to serve.

Caramelised nectarine and goat’s cheese tart

Serrano wrapped peachesIngredients 300g Manolete Serrano Jamon 6 large peaches 1 bunch basil, leaves picked 1 tbs olive oil

Balsamic glaze 2 cups Kirkland Signature balsamic vinegar ½ cup brown sugar

Method1. Combine balsamic vinegar with brown sugar in a saucepan

over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes until glaze is reduced by half. The glaze should coat the back of a spoon. Let cool and pour into a jar with a lid then store in the refrigerator.

2. Cut each peach into halves and remove the seed, then slice each half into 3 pieces. Take 1 peach segment and place a basil leaf on one side. Wrap the peach and basil with a slice of jamon. Place loose end down on board while you work. Repeat until all peach segments are wrapped.

3. Brush lightly with olive oil and cook in a pan or on the barbecue until the jamon is cooked. Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Brandy glazed hamIngredients Coburg Smokehouse

½ leg ham 20 to 30 whole cloves 2 tsp Dijon mustard

250g fine-cut marmalade

60ml brandy 1 tsp arrowroot

Method1. Preheat oven to 180°C.2. Remove the skin only from the ham, trying not

to remove any fat. Using a sharp knife, score the fat into a criss-cross pattern. Place a whole clove into the centre of each diamond, pushing in well.

3. Place the mustard, marmalade and brandy into a saucepan over low heat, whisking gently until the marmalade dissolves. Continue to cook for a further 5–6 minutes or until mixture is slightly reduced.

4. Mix the arrowroot with a little cold water, add to the glaze and cook for another 1–2 minutes, stirring until thick. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool.

5. Using a large pastry brush, brush glaze all over the ham, making sure the fat is covered.

6. Line a baking dish with baking paper, place the ham in the dish and bake for 20–25 minutes or until the edges are tinged golden. Remove and slice to serve warm or cold.

Crunchy golden roast potatoesIngredients 500g small roasting potatoes Salt 1 tbs Luv-a-Duck duck fat Freshly ground black pepper

Method1. Preheat oven to 200°C.2. Peel the potatoes and place in a

saucepan with plenty of cold salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender. Do not overcook.

3. Drain the potatoes, removing as much water as possible.

4. Return potatoes to the pan with the duck fat and salt and pepper.

5. Cover with a lid and give potatoes a vigorous shake to rough up the edges and coat them with the duck fat.

6. Place potatoes on a lined roasting tray in a single layer. Roast for approximately 40 minutes or until golden and crunchy.

Green beans with Prosciutto di Parma & toasted almonds

Ingredients 500g green beans, ends

trimmed 300g Prosciutto di Parma

3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbs lemon juice 2 tbs flaked almonds, toasted

Method1. Preheat oven to 180°C.2. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Blanch green beans

for 1–2 minutes until tender. Drain immediately and pat dry.3. Divide beans into 12 bundles and wrap with prosciutto. 4. Arrange bean bundles on a lined baking dish and drizzle with

1 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs lemon juice. Bake for 5 minutes each side until prosciutto is crispy.

5. Remove from oven, drizzle with remaining oil and lemon juice, then sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds.

It’s your annual opportunity to break out your best linen, flatware, the good cutlery and crystal glassware, and gather the clan round the table to enjoy a proper spread that includes roast vegies, pudding with brandy butter and all the trimmings.

What’s good about it? This kind of Christmas meal has a single central focus, either a ham or a turkey is ideal. Get an early start to get the roast on, then prep all the vegies. While your meat is in the oven, sending delicious foodie aromas throughout your home, sit down to open pressies with the kids and relax with a glass of bubbly until it’s time to put the vegies on.

Cook your root vegetables towards the end of the roast cooking time, and don’t forget those crunchy golden potatoes! Simply serve in preheated dishes when the meat is ready. Once the

roast comes out of the oven all you have to do is deputise someone to carve.

Tip: Lay the table, including glassware, napery, china and serving implements, the night before. Prepare and dish the condiments well ahead of time.

Ask the guests to bring: fruit and nuts, mince pies, shortbread, cream for the pudding, wine and spirits, and Christmas cake.

All the trimmings: crackers – party hats and reading jokes are mandatory – an

evergreen centrepiece and hanging a bunch of mistletoe in a doorway are guaranteed to bring the spirit of Christmas to your home. A classical recording of beautifully sung carols playing quietly in the background helps to set the mood.

Do it if: you enjoy tradition, have beautiful things that you love having the opportunity to use and have guests who will appreciate the formality of an old-fashioned Christmas.

This style of celebratory meal suits a casual approach and buffet or garden setting. Plenty of cold plates and salads take the pressure off the host and suit summery weather, freeing you up to choose what, if anything, you want to serve hot.

What’s good about it? You can share out responsibility and cost if you ask your guests to each bring a dish. You don’t need matching china or to buy large bowls especially for the group gathering. Presentation can be informal and you won’t be confined to the kitchen.

Best of all, there’s no mad scramble to serve everything hot – but there might be a mad scramble to beat the crowds to the freshest seafood! Tip: Do as much as you can the night before, chopping up vegies and assembling salads without dressing or elements that spoil, such as avocadoes or tomatoes. If you are barbecuing, ensure the gas bottle is full.

In the morning assemble your salads and arrange seafood and cold food on platters, cover and put in the fridge. Set out your condiments and make sure the drinks are chilled.

Ask the guests to bring: cheeses, fruit paste and crackers or lavosh bread and dips, olives, fresh sourdough, grapes, cherries, bubbles and white wine, a fruit and Prosecco jelly, gourmet ice-cream, rocky road broken into chunks.

All the trimmings: one word: fairy lights! Scatter some tinsel around if you fancy. If you’re having a late afternoon or evening celebration consider tea light candles or Japanese lanterns for mood lighting. Select a playlist of low-key dance or chill-out music for a relaxed vibe.

Do it if: you’re on a budget, getting together with friends or simply want to enjoy the day and the company without sweating it.

Mussels with lemon, capers & parsley Ingredients 1.2kg mussels, rinsed and scrubbed 2 lemons 125g butter

1 tbs capers, lightly crushed 4 tbs chopped fresh parsley Coarse sea salt Freshly ground black pepper

Method1. Heat a barbecue or grill to medium and lightly oil. Halve lemons and lightly oil the

cut side.2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove pan from heat and

stir capers and parsley through then set aside. 3. Place mussels on barbecue in a single layer; add lemons, cut side down. 4. Grill for 4–5 minutes or until mussels open and lemons are lightly browned. 5. Transfer mussels as they open to a serving platter or bowl. Pour butter over

mussels and add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve lemons on the side.

FattoushIngredients 3 pieces Lebanese bread 2 tbs olive oil for baking ½ tsp ground sumac 1kg medley tomatoes, diced 3 large Lebanese cucumbers,

diced 1 red onion, peeled and finely

diced 1½ cups roughly chopped

parsley 1½ cups roughly chopped

mint 1 cup crumbled Brancourts

Farm Cheese

Dressing 4 tbs olive oil 2 tbs lemon juice 1 garlic clove, peeled and

crushed Coarse sea salt Freshly ground black pepper

Method1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush both sides of Lebanese

bread with oil and sprinkle with sumac, then place on an oven tray. Bake in oven, turning once during cooking, for 5–7 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Tear up into medium size pieces.

2. Toss together tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, parsley and mint.

3. Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well to mix thoroughly. Pour over salad ingredients and toss through.

4. Right before serving, carefully mix through torn Lebanese bread and sprinkle with crumbled cheese.

Oysters with a kickIngredients 12 freshly shucked oysters 1 large lemon, juiced 1 tbs Tabasco sauce 1 tbs finely chopped fresh dill

Method1. Arrange oysters on a serving

platter on a bed of rock salt or crushed ice.

2. Sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice on each oyster, then dot with a couple of drops of Tabasco sauce.

3. Sprinkle with dill and serve immediately.

Grilled chilli lime prawnsIngredients 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 3 Birds eye chillies, diced 2 tbs olive oil 3 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1kg raw prawns, peeled and deveined, tails intact

Method1. Combine the garlic, chilli, oil, lime juice, salt and pepper

in a large bowl and stir well. Add the prawns and coat with the marinade. Cover with clingwrap and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes.

2. Heat a barbecue or grill to high. Grill prawns for 2 minutes each side or until they are golden.

3. Serving suggestion: whip up a tasty lemon mayonnaise in a flash by combining ½ cup good quality egg mayonnaise with 1 tsp each of freshly squeezed lemon juice and white wine vinegar.

A festive feast starts with a delicious salad. Try serving barbequed Honey & Lemon Zest Chicken with our Pumpkin & Cous Cous Salad for an easy and tasty brunch!

Ingredients (Serves 4)4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil5 large garlic cloves, crushed & chopped 1 & 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme1 teaspoon dried oregano3 teaspoons honey1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper4 teaspoons lemon zest

Instructions1 Place chicken breasts between 2 pieces of wax

paper and, using a meat mallet, flatten to an even 1/2 inch thickness.

2 Mix all ingredients except chicken together in a large bowl. Add chicken breasts and massage marinade into meat. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator. Allow to marinate for 5 hours.

3 Preheat BBQ grill to high. Lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and, using tongs, carefully rub over grates several times until glossy and coated. Place the chicken breasts on the grill, covered, for 2−3 minutes per side. Brush more marinade over the chicken breasts before turning.

4 Allow chicken to rest, then slice and serve over a bed of Salad Servers Pumpkin & Cous Cous Salad.

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F O R Y O U R T A B L E

Easy as pie

From Australia’s dairy capital Tasmania’s premium cheese maker South Cape, the Delicious Share Platter takes all the effort out of collating a cheeseboard.

Popular choices of gouda and cheddar are complemented by fruit and herb cheeses, along with fine wafer crackers and quince paste. All you have to do is arrange them on a platter, garnish with a bunch of grapes or some salty olives and stand back as people sample and graze to their hearts’ – and stomachs’ – content. The South Cape Delicious Share Platter is unique to Costco and available now in the deli.Price $28.99, Item 35549

SHORTCUTSENTERTAINING

Party pies are an Australian entertaining tradition and these little beauties from I Love Pies are made using special sour cream pastry and really good ingredients. The 48-piece pack offers four yummy flavour options: Angus Beef Mince and Onion, Angus Beef Steak and Rosemary, Moroccan Lamb and Spinach, and Creamy Vegetable Korma. Just heat and serve to get the party started – and don’t forget to serve with some good old Aussie tomato sauce!These authentic New Zealand-made pies contain no MSG, no palm oil, no preservatives and no artificial flavours or colours.Unique to Costco and available now in the freezer.Price $34.99, Item 36216

Nuggets of goldWho doesn’t love a tender bite or three of crumbed chicken? These Eastern Kitchen Kara-Age Chicken chunks have been tenderised in a traditional Japanese flavoured marinade to give them extra zing. Just heat in the oven until they turn golden and serve. The generous 1 kilo bag allows for seconds for all but the greediest guests!Unique to Costco, available now in the freezer.Price $15.99, Item 36975

Treat your guests to this selection of delicious finger food from gourmet caterer Simmone Logue. The Party in a Box pack includes Chicken and Leek Cocktail Pies, Bacon and Cheddar Cocktail Quiches, Pork and Water Chestnut Dim Sims, Chicken and Hokkien Noodle Bites, gluten free Corn Fritters and Capsicum Jam.

These tasty and satisfying hors d’oeuvres are made from Simmone Logue’s tried and true ‘greatest hits’ recipes, with everything you need for your next party. Party in a Box caters for 12 people, is unique to Costco and available now in the freezer. Price $49.98, Item 36533

Party in a Box

Say cheese and smile

It’s the time of year when we socialise the most but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on any of the fun by being stuck in the kitchen.

These gourmet-quality finger foods and snacks streamline catering for groups of guests, freeing you up to enjoy the occasion while everybody has something tasty to nibble on.



Lisa McGuigan Silver Moscato Item 36701Lisa McGuigan Grüner Blanc Item 36702Lisa McGuigan Pinot Grigio Item 36704

W I N E C O N N E C T I O N

Australian boutique winemaker Lisa McGuigan has made what everybody else isn’t doing her mantra for creating modern wines with popular appeal.


WORDS GILLIAN SAMUEL

Lisa McGuigan is doing it her way. Her wine blends are outside of the mainstream,

the packaging postmodern. Her operation, although international in its scope and distribution, is intentionally lean and run using contractors. When McGuigan thinks of her consumer, she uses herself and her friends as the model.

Named one of the 21 Most Influential Liquor Identities of the Past 21 Years in 2011, she started her own label, Lisa McGuigan Wines, in 2010 after enjoying enormous success with Tempus Two, her first independent venture. Now she sells a small range of specialised wines, two of which attracted the attention of Costco’s wine buyers.

“I exhibited my Grüner Blanc and Silver Moscato at a trade show in August,” McGuigan explains. “The Costco ladies tried them and came to talk to me because they really liked the wines and the packaging.”

The result: Costco is going to carry Lisa McGuigan Wines. “I’ve been hoping for someone like Costco,” she says. “It’s a great break for me because I sell to small bottle shops and restaurants” – a core Costco demographic, in fact.

She says her experience of distributing Tempus Two through Tesco supermarkets in the United Kingdom “taught me that people pick out something that stands out to them”.

Here’s where McGuigan’s maverick streak and efforts to break loose from three previous generations of winemakers’ DNA comes into play. Although she learned to make wine in the family business she originally trained as a chef, then in hotel management and spent 10 years in five-star hotels, “where things had to be shiny and polished, and that rubbed off on me in terms of innovative packaging”.

Noticing that her friends were starting to choose vodka drinks “because they looked cool”, she wanted to create something “that looks cool on the table and when you open it, it’s even better”.

Her elegantly streamlined bottles with their minimalist metallic labels, cross motifs and reversed lettering in the brand name echo McGuigan’s own sharply gothic personal style but are also the result of careful analysis.

“My philosophy is that if females buy the wine, if the product looks good to women, if it has clean lines and the masculinity of a metallic, it speaks to both men and women when it’s brought to the table. And it should suit both palettes.”

She says that while research shows that 70 per cent of wine was bought by women in 2014 – “women do most of the shopping, whether it’s for home or their jobs” – male and female tastes are often quite different.

“Generally guys buy wine based on what their father used to drink. It’s a quietly confident approach – but women will buy the opposite to what their parents would drink: something new.

"Having been around wines for so long, mainstream varieties are boring to me so I looked for some new and unusual varietals. I was looking for products that I would want to drink and that my friends want to drink. I’m a Gen X trying to get Gen Y off the ready to drinks and alcopops!”

She is always eager to trial new flavours and takes a fresh approach to established varieties, which is where the small scale of Lisa McGuigan Wines is an advantage. “I have to be able to be flexible and reactive,” she says.

McGuigan sources different pressings from all over Australia:

Pinot Gris from Orange, Pinot Grigio from the warmer King Valley in Victoria, Shiraz from the Barossa and Muscat from South Australia. “It allows me not to be stuck with certain varieties. I look for things that are a bit special.”

McGuigan’s global business approach means that she also looks beyond the local offerings. “I’m using varietals such as Grüner Veltliner, which is grown in small lots in Hungary. I’ve done something completely different with winemakers overseas, such as Henckel in Germany which has agreed to sell me some of their very dry, very fresh minerally Grüner Veltliner in bulk. It gives you something great to work with. It’s imported in large bladders and we finish it off here. It’s such a unique variety that’s ideal for our climate in terms of consumption.”

Right now she’s excited about partnering with an Italian Prosecco producer. “I’ll bring in a couple of pallets as part

of the international collection. It’s so exciting and fun, and I get to learn new things,” she says enthusiastically. “Great things happen when you work with other producers.”

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A D V E R T O R I A L

Beef jerky has a cosmopolitan history and, it turns out, universal appeal in the modern world too.

There’s a yarn in Australian folklore that beef jerky began in Australia, when the country was wild, and men in the outback single-handedly built their huts and rounded up

horses and cattle. They were the original Australian bushmen.Tastes were simple and times were hard and often a piece

of dried meat and a warm fire was all they had for survival. One such man was James McGregor, who would boast to others that if it weren’t for his wife Mary-Anne’s dried beef he’d never have lasted the long outback rides.

McGregor and Mary-Anne gained notoriety in northern New South Wales as great horse and cattle handlers, and jerky became the convenience food of Aussie frontiersmen and women, especially when they needed to travel great distances. Small wonder beef jerky is such a popular snack in Australia, passed around outback campfires and the stands in sporting stadiums, as well as along the lounge at home in front of the TV.

It should come as no surprise, either, that the best Australian jerky comes from the northern New South Wales capital for beef cattle, Casino. That’s where New World Foods set up business in 1977 and began producing tasty soft-textured jerky, quietly conquering the Australian market.

“We only use Australian export grade quality beef,” explains managing director Don Nisbet, “and the

processing is unique to our manufacturing facility, developed and fine-tuned over

30 years.” Then in 2003 the company expanded its

horizons. “We had a vision to grow the business from its humble beginnings,” Nisbet says.

“We started our relationship with Costco in Japan so when Costco came to Australia we were

well versed in how Costco operates and we knew how to think like a Costco member.”

That means, he says, New World Foods understood and was open to “rolling out products that would

have value for members” in terms of flavours, packing and sizes.

“We have a range of flavours tailor-made to suit the markets we operate in, including Japanese teriyaki and

Korean bulgogi,” Nisbet adds. The partnership has resulted in New World Foods selling

beef jerky snacks in Australia, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom and Europe, encouraging the company to develop new products and distribution relationships in the push to take its quality local product to the rest of the world.

“Costco has been pivotal to our growth and an ideal business partner for us to align ourselves with,” Nisbet says.

It just goes to show, if you are setting out on an adventure it pays to have some jerky in your pack.

World culture in a packet

*New flavours and packaging, shown, available in warehouses from the end of November.


F O R Y O U R E N J O Y M E N T

Follow our experts’ useful tips to help you plan for success – not stress – and make sure this year’s Christmas celebrations are the stuff great memories are made of.

We’ve gathered together advice on everything from getting organised to the

onslaught of houseguests, shopping for gifts and food, and creating decorations and menus your guests will be talking about long after the last piece of pudding has gone.

The first step is to start planning now. Staying on top everything in November and December can be a full-time job. Hang a large white board in the kitchen and write down all social and school engagements, so everyone has a clear picture of who needs to be where, and when.

Also schedule in shopping trips and appointments, such as haircuts or beauty treatments, before the last-minute rush when everywhere is booked out and you’ll have to use the pudding basin for the kids’ trims – which we really don’t advise.

Top tip: Keep a notebook with lists for gifts, decorations, food and household jobs.

Make a gift list Make a list of everyone you need to buy for and set a budget based on how close you are to that person. Your spouse and children usually command the biggest spend, followed by grandparents, siblings, nieces and nephews, and friends.

WORDS Yvette Chegwidden

Start shopping this weekend. Buying a few gifts here and there up until Christmas saves that last-minute panic when everything ends up on the already groaning credit card.

That said, leaving some things until the last minute can save you a small fortune. In the day or two before Christmas, stores go into panic mode to get rid of overstock and usually offer big discounts and flash sales. A combination of both approaches could save you a lot of stress and money. The earlier you can get more expensive gifts, such as cameras, phones and computers, out of the way, the better.

According to life coach Lynne Trevail from Unstuff professional organisers, “When it comes to gifts, consider giving an experience, rather than more stuff. Movie tickets, gift vouchers, a facial, manicure… All of these will be appreciated and mean you also don’t have to store large items.”

For children’s teachers, coaches and caregivers, foodstuffs are always a great idea, along with a handmade card from the kids.

You can also suggest each parent from the class or team contributes a set amount (anywhere from $5 to $20 each) and buy a voucher so the recipient can purchase something

they really want. Hampers are also a great idea.

Getting the kids to make presents doesn’t have to be macaroni glued to cardboard. A lovely tea or coffee cup lined with pretty tissue paper and filled with chocolates or homemade biscuits will always be gratefully received. Or purchase plain calico tote bags and get the kids to decorate them with coloured pens appropriate for the fabric, or iron-on patterns. Calendars for the following year filled with photos, are also easy to make and useful too.

If things are a little tight, suggest a Kris Kringle arrangement where

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each person buys one significant gift for a nominated family member. Set a budget of anywhere between $20 to $100 and buy something you know the recipient will truly love. This is much better than spending money on lots of cheaper gifts for loads of people, that – let’s be honest – will either be regifted or end up in landfill.

Fresh take on decorationsNathan Evans from design Aficionado says this year’s colour trends revolve around Australia’s love affair with the beach. “For everything from wreaths to trees and table decorations, the colours are turquoise, yellow and white in place of traditional reds and greens.”

When choosing a wreath, pair driftwood with turquoise and yellow ribbon and possibly seashells as a creative alternative to holly and mistletoe.

For table centrepieces Evans recommends “filling three clear glass cylindrical vases of varying heights with driftwood and lemons and limes. Then people can actually make use of the fresh citrus fruit on their seafood”.

If you have little ones, buying one special decoration each with them every year adds a special touch and helps create a lovely sense of tradition.

For something different, get the kids to tie short lengths of gift ribbon around foil-wrapped chocolates and hang them on the tree. Friends and family can spoil themselves by picking them off the tree throughout the day.

A festive family feastStart planning your menu now and decide if you’re going with traditional roasts, a grand Aussie seafood banquet, cold meats and salads or a special international theme such as Asian or Mediterranean. Celebrity chef and author of Eat In Anna Gare says the latter is a great way to share the load. “Last year we had a Middle Eastern theme,” she recalls. “Each family brought a dish and we had an amazing variety of smoked meats, chargrilled seafood and delicious salads. Everyone got engaged and had a great time swapping recipes.”

Regardless of the menu style, pre-ordering seafood and/or meat is a great way to skip the queues. Arrange pick-up on Christmas Eve or early on Christmas morning. Bread, dairy, ice, dips and deli products should ideally be bought a day or two before.

“I always buy my fruit and vegetables the weekend before Christmas,” Gare says, “and I always do all my prep the day before.

“My husband and I have a tradition of starting the day with a champagne in the bath so if all my work is done I can enjoy a relaxing day and roll with the festive flow.”

If you love a baked ham, she says, “prepare the ham and glaze a day or two before, then whack it under the grill on the day so it’s slightly warm and juicy to the bone, with a lovely glossy, sticky glaze.”

In our hot climate, seafood is great because it doesn’t take long to cook and is suited to a barbecue. “I’m a huge fan of barramundi, prawns,

fresh oysters, crayfish and diver-caught scallops,” Gare says, “but poached whole ocean trout always looks beautiful on the table and can be done the day before, and I always make my upside-down potato salad.”

Gare’s favourite quick and easy recipes include:• scallops on the barbecue, which

take less than two minutes• snapper ceviche: Sprinkle 1cm

cubed pieces with salt and sugar, marinate in citrus for half an hour and toss through a chilli, tomato, onion and coriander salsa

• king prawn salad: peel and cook prawns the day before and jazz them up with some pre-blanched asparagus and snow peas. Toss with leafy greens, shaved red radishes and fennel. Dress it up on the day with herb and dill dressing.

Christmas etiquette This can be the hardest part of Christmas. Whose family do you spend the day with? How do you avoid the annual family tension convention or a ding-dong on the nature strip?

Unless you want to skip the whole thing by going on holiday, the logical way is to alternate years between

Remember, your home doesn’t have to look like a magazine spread. “Stylists take hours to create the perfect bedroom for a photo shoot,” she says.



families. You can also split the day in half and do lunch with one family and dinner with the other. However, this can make Christmas more of an exercise in exhaustion rather than enjoyment.

On the other hand, if you have family descending on your place, Trevail says a huge cull is essential beforehand. “Before any storage devices are bought, get rid of things you don’t need to create space for your guests. Declutter in short bursts of 15 minutes and start in a non-emotional area such as the bathroom or kitchen. It’s easier to get rid of old medications and half empty shampoo bottles than removing family belongings.”

Remember, your home doesn’t have to look like a magazine spread. “Stylists take hours to create the perfect bedroom for a photo shoot,” she says. “In reality, kids jump on beds and leave stuff on the floor, that’s life. Don’t aim for perfection. Friends and family are coming to see you. Don’t sweat the small stuff, this is meant to be a relaxing time of year.”

As for dealing with the chaos and mess houseguests inevitably bring, manage everyone’s expectations from the start. “Consider telling them your habits upfront,” Trevail advises. “For example, please leave your shoes at the front door, or when you finish breakfast could you please wash your plate? Everyone has different household rules and you cannot expect people to second-guess yours. A good guest is one

who pulls their weight and doesn't freeload,” she adds.

If family politics are rife, she suggests, “Always talk about others in the positive. Look for what is great about that person, not what isn’t. Speaking negatively about others creates a bad atmosphere and infects other family members. Don't buy into nasty gossip,” she adds. “Leave the room or go for a walk. If you don't add fuel to their fire, the comments won't continue. If your family likes drama, rent a movie rather than create action in the home. Drama is exhausting and wastes time.”

Her final tip is to get out and be active. “When people are bored they get up to mischief. Go for a swim or a walk. Keeping active promotes good endorphins to keep everyone in a good mood. Most importantly, just enjoy the time you get to spend with the people you love!”

Social mediaYou’re probably swimming against the tide if you try and ban devices altogether on Christmas day but a no-phones policy during the actual meal is a good idea and will definitely assist the flow of conversation.

You can also limit posing for photos to one or two sessions, however, the flipside is that posting those snapshots on social media is a great way to share this special day with loved ones in other cities, states or countries, and also allows you to see their day, even if you can’t be together.

BUY BEFORE 15 DECEMBER

1. Wrapping paper and cards2. Advent calendars, crackers3. Decorations including lights4. Snacks such as nuts, chips, crackers and

frozen appetisers5. Baking supplies if you’re planning on making

homemade cakes and biscuits6. Sweet treats including lollies, fudge, chocolates,

French truffles, shortbread and Christmas cookies, pudding and Christmas cake

7. Soft drinks and alcohol8. Napkins, paper towel, paper plates if needed9. Extra cleaning and bathroom products if you’re

having houseguests. 10. A nd for heaven’s sake – don’t forget to fill the gas

bottle for the barbie!

Vienna - 2 piece hardside luggage set

Strong & Tough

EXCLUSIVE TO COSTCO

Available in black or red

Set contains:Large 4 Wheel RollercaseWeight: 4.9kg Size: 78 x 53 x 33cm

Cabin 4 Wheel RollercaseWeight: 2.9kg Size: 57 x 37 x 25cm

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For more information visit dyson.com.au

Proudly supporting

The most powerful cordless stick vacuums.The most powerful cordless stick vacuums.

Dyson V6 Absolute Carpet and hard floor specialist.

Two Dyson-engineered cleaner heads.

HEPA filtration to capture allergens.

Powered by the Dyson digital motor V6.

Latest cleaner heads

The only vacuum withNo filters to wash or replaceNo bags to buy andNo loss of suction.

54 Dyson Cinetic™ cyclones have rubber tips that vibrate at a high frequency. This dislodges dust, preventing the aperture from clogging. They are so efficient at dust separation that no filter washing or replacement is required – meaning no loss of suction.

Tools in the box

Latest carbon fibre turbine head.

Mini tangle-free turbine tool.

Swivel hard floor tool.

Stair tool. Combination accessory tool.

Stubborn dirt brush. Valued at $29RRP.

Soft dusting brush. Valued at $49RRP.

Costco Exclusive tools worth $78RRP.

SUPPORTINGASTHMA CARE

SENSITIVECHOICE

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L ASTHMA COUNCIL AU

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I N S I D E C O S T C O

You may pull in to one of our Fuel Stations for the price but you’ll come back for the way it makes your vehicle run.

Our Costco Fuel Stations offer the same quality and value as our warehouses. What comes out of the pump meets

industry standards in every respect – but with a little magic added.

The fuel begins its journey at Mobil terminals where Costco tankers collect supplies to deliver across the country. All fuel sold in Australia must meet stringent quality standards that are set by the federal Department of the Environment and once it reaches Costco’s Fuel Stations its quality and efficiency get a boost in the form of an additive exclusive to Costco in Australia and the United States that improves engine performance, reduces emissions and helps people to get more out of their tank.

While it is not a requirement in Australia, in the States an Environmental Protection Agency mandate states that there must be a minimum amount of additive in fuel. Because of this regulation Costco in the US has spent a number of years working to develop and refine a bespoke fuel additive process which has been extensively tested by independent laboratories.

“We are not reinventing the wheel in Australia, as the testing of our additive has been done in great depth in the US,” says Costco Australia’s Tim Hill, Director of Real Estate & Construction.

“We use the same additive, mixing rate and unique process that Costco USA implemented to achieve their Top Tier Gas certification. This is a completely voluntary standard developed by a collaboration of the major US auto manufacturers.

WORDS Sarah Marinos


Fillit up!


WHERE TO FIND A COSTCO FUEL STATION

• Adelaide, SA 404–406 Churchill Road, Kilburn, SA 5084

• North Lakes, Qld 17–39 Cook Court, North Lakes Qld 4509

• Crossroads, NSW 20 Parkers Farm Place, Casula, NSW 2170

• Canberra, ACT 39–41 Mustang Ave, Majura Park, Canberra Airport, ACT 2609

• Moorabbin, Vic 8 Chifley Drive, Moorabbin Airport, Vic 3194


I N S I D E C O S T C O

It set the additive rate higher than the mandatory EPA standard in order to ensure optimal engine performance is achieved in today’s more advanced engines.”

The additive can be found in Costco’s three grades of fuel: unleaded Regular 91, unleaded Premium 98 and diesel.

But what exactly is a fuel additive? Michael Farrugia, Fuel and Tyre Regional Supervisor, describes it as a specialised detergent. “It’s nothing like a washing detergent,” he explains.

“It’s a complex blend of organic molecules and in combination with the fuel the additive cleans the internal workings of the engine. It cleans intake valves and injectors that help keep a new car running like new. If you have an older car the additive can also clean up older intake valves and injectors, and improve your vehicle’s performance.”

Fuel without an additive can leave dirty deposits as it passes through an engine, which means the vehicle runs less efficiently. “You end up with deposits on the injectors as the fuel mixture comes through into the engine and those deposits can block the injectors,” Farrugia says. “You can get deposits from the exhaust on your car’s intake valves as well and that disturbs the flow of air into your engine. The fuel and air mixture doesn’t combine as well and anything that interrupts that flow affects the engine’s performance.”

The additive in Costco fuel helps remove these deposits. The end result is that your engine performs better.

“This means less stress on internal components of the engine,

Getting the most from your tankRACV Manager Vehicle Engineering Michael Case says additives vary between fuel brands but fuels marketed as containing additives are the higher octane products available at fuel stations.

“Motorists should consider what the minimum octane requirement is for their vehicle and purchase at least that grade of fuel,” he advises.

“This information is contained in the vehicle owner’s handbook or is available from the manufacturer. If motorists wish to purchase a higher grade fuel they must establish whether the benefits they receive from that fuel outweigh the additional cost.”

fewer trips to the mechanic, better mileage, fewer emissions and less costs,” Farrugia says.

Costco takes a different approach to many fuel retailers in terms of when the additive is mixed with the fuel. In most cases, as fuel is loaded into a tanker at a terminal the fuel supplier mixes in the additive.

“Costco takes ownership of that process ourselves,” Farrugia says. “We are currently buying our fuel from Mobil and our tankers collect that fuel from their terminal. When our tanker arrives at a Fuel Station, the on-site attendant operates the unique on-site additive system. The pride our attendents take in Costco’s reputation and its fuel business convinced us that we could reliably execute such a cutting-edge plan to deliver even greater value to our loyal members. The additives are blended at the station at the time of delivery.

“The reason we do it this way is that it allows us to get the best value for members. We can buy good quality fuel from a supplier offering us the best deal and we’re not stuck with their additive process – we prefer to control that process to make it the highest quality possible.”

Costco Fuel is available only to members, and pumps or dispensers are activated by a membership card. Fuel must also be paid for at the pump, using a credit or debit card. Fuel Stations are specifically designed with traffic flows in mind to incorporate a passing lane between lanes to avoid unnecessary delays and all dispensers are fitted with extra-long hoses so that fuelling is easy, regardless of which side your tank is located.

Advanced vapour recovery systems help prevent fugitive vapours from escaping into the surrounding atmosphere.

“We take our environmental and legal obligations seriously and so we have state-of-the art fuel monitoring systems and sensors at our stations,” says Farrugia.

“Our attendants conduct fuel sampling once a week to check fuel quality and we also have high-quality filters on our pumps to ensure fuel flow rates are maintained. We time fuel pumping once a week and if that drops below a certain level we change the filter on a pump straightaway so members can pump their fuel and be on their way.”

bridgestone.com.au

Ecopia is the ideal tyre for city and highway driving. It offers superior ride comfort, handling and wear life, with the benefi ts of fuel saving technology.

Potenza performance tyres deliver ultimate handling and response, allowing you to take sharp turns with maximum precision.

Developed with luxury touring in mind Turanza tyres are engineered to provide a smooth, comfortable and reliable ride in any condition.

Whether you’re tackling the harshest 4WD terrain or hitting the highway in a luxury SUV, there’s a hard working Dueler tyre for you.

Still Australia’smost trusted handsJust one handprint of tread connects each of your tyres to the road.

Which is why more Australians put their safety in Bridgestone’s hands.

View the full Bridgestone range in store now.

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Vitamix® created the high-performance blender with unmatched power to break down whole foods, delivering nutrients and vitality, quickly and easily.

A Vitamix blender has the versatility to quickly transform the way you prepare fresh ingredients for a variety of healthy meals like hot soups, sauces, dips, frozen desserts, smoothies, nut butters and more.

ENGINEERED TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE.Available in black and white.Exclusive to Costco.

Ultimate Versatility

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TBP

7000

THE PERFECT GIFT!

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50 The Costco Connection SUMMER 2015

We’ve made a commitment to our members to turn your shopping experience into a treasure hunt. You never know what gems you might find at your local warehouse…

Home theatre comfortRecline in style with one of these sleek armchairs, perfect for your man cave or home entertainment area. With a swivel side table for your device and a handy cup holder, once you’re ensconced in your Churchill Leather Home Theatre Recliner you won’t want to leave the lounge room again. Item 783321

Combining a hearth and mantelpiece with a solid wood home entertainment credenza, the Twin Star Media Mantel Fireplace with Infrared Quartz Heater has been designed for your every need. There’s an open space for your entertainment hardware, a drawer to store your remotes and cupboards for extra storage. The infrared flame insert can be activated to warm a room of up to 92 square metres, or you can keep the flame feature without heat as a focal feature. Item 186735

Mantel of greatness

With a constant array of beautiful butterfly blooms,

these gorgeous, extraordinarily realistic artificial phalaenopsis

orchids add instant beauty and elegance to your home,

with the minimum of upkeep, and come in a choice of

three colours, in a decorative ceramic pot. Item 905710

Exotic beauty

What’s NEW

Traditional design meets modern-day functionality in this magnificent Broadmoore queen-size bed in multi-step chestnut finish timber. The tall headboard is complemented by two deep blanket drawers at the foot and a high-sided base. With these generous dimensions there’s plenty of space to stretch out or even accommodate a morning visit from a kid or two. Item 997670

Bedtime delight

Go for toteWhether you’re on a grocery run or headed for the beach, our Condura beach totes are perfect for just about any purpose. They even get positive mentions in blogs! Made of sturdy canvas with soft rope handles, these versatile, large size canvas totes are available in a range of cool colour-ways to suit your individual taste. Item 36005

With 100 years of expertise in making luggage, Antler is

one of the best respected names in travel cases. Our

Antler two-piece luggage set, available in either black or red, will certainly stand out on the

carousel. Item 35694

What could be more handy than a generously sized storage ottoman to go with your superbly comfortable MStar lounge? When you’re not using it to rest your feet it can conceal clutter, plus the comfy three seater includes a stretch-out extension and flat-topped arms, perfect for positioning your cup of coffee or current magazine. Item 905674

Have

will travel

Rest easy

Smart conversionThis amply sized and luxuriously padded lounger leads a double life. It’s a handsome modular sofa with head and feet rests that can be inclined to allow you to recline in comfort. With the Madison Double Size Pullout Lounger’s advanced design technology you can lay back and relax at your ease for the ultimate in lounging. Item 1005696

wheels,


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The Costco Connection