When Jimmy and Jane Barnes first invited Australia into their kitchen with Where The River Bends in 2021, they shared not just recipes, but a window into their home life, love and family. Now, four years later, the Barnes family are back with Seasons Where The River Bends, the eagerly anticipated follow-up that once again blends food, family and music in the way only the Barneses can. The new cookbook will be released through HarperCollins Australia on Tuesday, 28 October 2025.
Seasons Where The River Bends celebrates the changing seasons and the abundant produce grown in the couple’s beloved Southern Highlands garden. Across more than 60 recipes, the Barnes family share the dishes that bring warmth and connection to their table – from comforting Scottish classics to Thai favourites and even a Mexican feast. Among the many new creations are Southern Highlands Cullen Skink, Teddy’s Favourite Garden Greens Pasta, Silken Tofu With Soy And Ginger, Vegetable And Chickpea Tagine, Massaman Beef Cheek Curry, Old-Fashioned Lemon Delicious, Jane’s Classic Chocolate-Chip Cookies, Winter Mixed Berry Cobbler, and Fig And Feijoa Jam.
“This cookbook really celebrates the gifts of our garden,” says Jane Barnes. “Love your garden and it will nourish both your body and your soul. With gifts of herbs and honey, fruit, flowers and organic seasonal vegetables, our giving garden makes sure that our hearts and tables are always full.”
Jimmy Barnes adds, “I loved making this cookbook because it captures the beauty of our home over a whole year. It not only shows the love and care that goes into growing a garden like this, but also the love we share as a family. Even though we spend a lot of time travelling and working, it reminds me that home really is where our hearts are.”
Jimmy Barnes has long been known as one of Australia’s greatest rock icons, fronting Cold Chisel through the late 1970s and early 80s before launching a solo career that produced more No.1 albums than any other Australian artist – 22 in total. His unmistakable voice and working-class spirit have defined generations of Australian rock music.
While music remains his first love, the past decade has revealed another side to Barnes – the storyteller and family man. His memoir Working Class Boy (2016) became one of Australia’s most successful autobiographies, charting his tough childhood and the rise that followed. The book’s success was extraordinary, ranking as the seventh highest-selling Australian-authored autobiography since records began in 2002. Its follow-up, Working Class Man, and later works such as Killing Time and Rosie The Rhinoceros cemented Barnes as a versatile and prolific writer.
Jane Barnes, meanwhile, has become a central figure in the family’s creative world. Her love of cooking, gardening and photography are woven through both cookbooks, while her warm presence has made her a fan favourite on social media. During lockdown, the couple’s #CabinFever performance series from their kitchen became a global hit, blending home concerts, humour and heart in a time when the world needed connection.
The couple’s first cookbook, Where The River Bends, was a surprise publishing triumph. Released in 2021, it became the fifth best-selling Australian-authored cookbook of that year, moving more than 35,000 copies across hardback and paperback editions. In its debut week, it was the top-selling cookbook in the country, outselling its nearest competitor two-to-one.
With Seasons Where The River Bends, the Barneses take their readers deeper into the rhythm of their lives – into the kitchen, the garden, and the heart of their home. The book’s lush photography captures both the food and the landscape that inspire them, while the personal stories remind us that behind the rock star image lies a husband, wife and family who have spent four decades building a life together.
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