Marmalade glazed ham

Christmas with Coles growers Koos and Deborah 

                               Koos and Deborah’s children, Holly, Koos junior and Edith enjoy Christmas Day with a swim in their dam along with catching yabbies before enjoying a family BBQ.

Growing up on the land can serve as a great lesson in patience, and for Koos and Deborah’s children, Holly, Koos junior and Edith, that’s never more evident than on Christmas Day. “The pigs have to be fed every day, so I usually get out at 5am and get the work done as quickly as possible,” says Koos, who starts early to beat the summertime heat on his piggery, 90 kilometres north of Albany in Western Australia. “Every year, when I get home, the kids are waiting by the Christmas tree, desperate to open their presents. It’s made them pretty patient.”

Christmas these days for Koos and his family is a little different to the winter ones he used to celebrate growing up in a small town in Hampshire, in the south of England. “We usually all go for a swim in the dam and this year it’s going to be absolutely chockers because there’s been a lot of rain,” says Koos, who is joined on the farm over Christmas by his brother, sister-in-law, nieces and nephews, as well as Deborah’s parents. There’ll also be yabbying. “They’re in the dam so we usually try to catch some the day before,” he says. “We put them in nice fresh water to clean them overnight, then cook them on the barbecue with a little bit of butter and garlic – the results are so delicious.”

Alongside garlic yabbies, there will also be more traditional fare at the Christmas table, including a marmalade glazed ham, inspired by his mum’s recipe. “Mum used to make her own marmalade, but over here we buy it – either way it’s always a highlight,” says Koos. “There’s always plenty of leftovers for Boxing Day, too.”