As an absolute extension of the Tessuti family, we were thrilled to be invited for an afternoon at jewellery designer Charlotte Penman's home studio. Nestled amongst tropical plants, Nikau palms and fruit trees, their house was built by Charlotte's own Grandfather during the '50s. It's a beautiful open-plan layout; the front porch was extended to reflect the structure of a marae,sunshine pours in, they have an amazing collection of artwork, and views stretch out into the garden, across to Charlotte's studio.

We ate fresh bread from up the road with lashing of plum jam, homemade from her garden's plum tree, blue cheese, smoked salmon and sauerkraut. Charlotte's youngest Florence entertained us with her outfit changes, while their rescue pup Mango soaked up the sun. We never wanted to leave! When we eventually did, we were gifted some of Charlotte's homemade plum jam! Delicious. Thank you for having us Charlotte!