Any parcel in a rural mailbox delivers a little slice of joy, something new to discover while the kettle boils. But one arrival is unboxing a table full of happiness for rural families every night of the week.
Founded by Sally McManus from Glenmorgan in Queensland’s Western Downs Region, The Homestead Pantry Box features monthly boxes delivered to customers across the country.
Each box includes six or seven Australian-made products, beautifully hand wrapped by Sally, along with a recipe card and a shopping list to help plan meals.
Sally has a lifelong passion for food and cooking. She previously owned her own catering business, and a three month stint as a camp cook on a cattle station turned into four years after meeting her now husband. But living remotely and a mother of three young children, Sally still knows the universal feeling of staring blankly into the pantry.
“I enjoy cooking but life is so busy so you tend to have your staples that you stick to, so this way people are getting a little bit of help and discovering new things to cook with at the same time,” Sally says.
“I also include a little treat each month that’s best enjoyed with a cuppa, but from feedback I think most people are inhaling it before anybody else can.”
While there’s no ‘ducking to the shops’ for most rural families, Sally is on a mission to reignite joy in the kitchen through simple but delicious meals. For one recent customer, it was a crispy Italian coating used to spice up crumbed steak that did the trick.
“This lady wrote to me and said ‘thank you again for what you do, you’ve changed my attitude towards the kitchen’,” Sally says.
“That brought a tear to my eye.”
Sally plans to open an online pantry store, so customers can stock up on the products they enjoyed, or try something new they’ve been on the hunt for. She’s also planning a Christmas box, complete with eight products and recipes to share with your family over the festive season.
Find The Homestead Pantry Box at thehomesteadpantrybox.com.au and @thehomesteadpantrybox on Instagram.
Photo Credit: Jemma Hawker, @jhawkerphotography