Our story — Meet Monika
I grew up in Brisbane, in a house where my mum cooked everything from scratch and the kitchen was genuinely the centre of the place. She had this old cast iron pan she'd brought from Delhi that she used almost every day. When I left for London at 24, I packed light and left the cooking behind for a few years. But London has a way of pulling you into food culture whether you plan for it or not. I ended up working part-time at a ceramics studio in Hackney while doing my day job in graphic design, and somewhere between the two things I started paying attention to how people actually set up their kitchens and why certain tools outlasted trends.
I moved to Berlin in 2014, which is where things got more serious. I started taking weekend courses at a woodworking school in Prenzlauer Berg and spending Saturday mornings at the Mauerpark flea market looking at how makers there approached everyday objects. Nothing precious, nothing decorative for its own sake. A chopping board was a chopping board, but it was made to last twenty years. I stayed in Berlin for four years, picked up enough German to argue with timber suppliers, and started importing a small range of kitchen tools back to friends in Australia. That side business turned over about $18,000 in its first year mostly through word of mouth.
The actual decision to come home came in early 2018 when my dad had a health scare. I flew back to Brisbane in March and just never went back to Berlin. I had a storage unit in Newstead with about forty kilos of tools and boards I'd shipped over the previous year, a laptop, and no real plan. My partner suggested we look at the Fleurieu Peninsula because rent was manageable and the region had a genuine maker community. We drove down from Brisbane in July 2018, walked around Goolwa for two days, and signed a lease on a small workshop space on Porter Street the following week. That's when Ainslie Bridge Home became a real thing rather than a side project.
We're based on Porter Street in Goolwa now. The workshop is small, about 45 square metres, and we run a tight range of kitchen and table pieces. I source timber from a mill near Huonville in Tasmania and work with a small foundry outside Ballarat for cast iron pieces. Orders go out twice a week, packed at the workshop. It is not a big operation and I have no plans to make it one. Three people work here part-time and we know every order that goes out the door.
— Made in Goolwa, packed with care. — Monika, Monika Sharma
Journal
The timber supplier who made me wait six months
Finding the right Tasmanian oak took longer than I expected, and I nearly gave up twice before a cold call to a small mill outside Deloraine changed everything.
When I came back from Berlin in 2021, I had a very clear idea of what I wanted the cheese boards to look like. I'd spent years watching German woodworkers treat their materials like something worth arguing about, and I came home expecting to find someone here who felt the same way. What I found instead was a lot of polished pine and plantation timber dressed up as something it wasn't. I emailed probably fourteen mills in the first three months. Most didn't reply. Two sent me samples that smelled like a hardware store. I almost ordered from a supplier in Guangzhou just to get something on the shelf.
Then someone at the Goolwa farmers market, a woman who makes cutting boards under her own name, mentioned a small family operation outside Deloraine in northern Tasmania. Rob and his daughter Bec run it. They mill Tasmanian oak from fallen and wind-damaged trees on private land, and they are extremely selective about what they cut. The grain on their boards is tight and consistent in a way I hadn't seen from anyone else. I called Rob on a Tuesday in September 2023 and he told me he had nothing ready for at least six months. He didn't apologise for that. I respected it immediately.
I put a deposit down anyway and waited. The first delivery arrived in February this year, 22 boards in two sizes, wrapped in brown paper and packed in a wooden crate that Rob had clearly built himself. I opened it on the kitchen floor and just sat there for a minute. The colour variation across the boards is real, not stained or treated to look uniform. Some run more amber, some closer to pale gold. That happens because Tasmanian oak isn't one species, it's a common name for two eucalyptus species, E. delegatensis and E. regnans, and the colour shifts depending on which you're working with.
Each board gets a food-safe finish, nothing complicated, just a few coats of cold-pressed linseed oil applied by hand and left to cure for 48 hours between coats. I do this part myself in the shed out the back. It takes three days per batch and my hands smell like a health food shop for a week, but the result is a surface that actually improves with use rather than drying out and cracking after six months the way cheaper finishes do. I've had people email me to say their board looks better after a year than it did when it arrived. That's the whole point.
I'm not going to pretend the wait and the shipping costs from Tasmania make this easy on the margins. They don't. But I've been around long enough to know that cutting corners on the base material means you end up with a product you have to explain away rather than stand behind. Rob is already talking about the next batch. I've asked for 30 this time, which apparently means he needs to find me a slightly bigger tree.
Real weeknight use of a cast iron skillet in Goolwa
I use the Outback skillet most nights and it took me about three weeks of cooking to understand what it actually wants from you.
I should be upfront that I'm not a chef. I worked in kitchens briefly in New York, front of house mostly, and what I learned there was less about cooking and more about how much a good pan matters to the people who use one every day. When I came back to Australia and started developing the skillet, I spent a lot of time in those early months cooking everything I could think of just to understand the weight and heat retention. The Outback is 26 centimetres across the base and weighs just under 3 kilograms. That is not a light pan. The first time I picked it up one-handed off the stove I nearly dropped it on the dog.
Here's what I've settled into on a weeknight. I put the skillet on a medium burner for about four minutes before I put anything in it. This sounds like a long time and it is, but cast iron heats unevenly if you rush it and you end up with hot spots that burn the outside of whatever you're cooking while the middle stays raw. Four minutes, lid off, nothing in the pan. Then a small amount of oil, not a lot, the seasoning does most of the work once the pan is properly run in. For a chicken thigh, skin side down, I leave it alone for seven minutes. Completely alone. No moving, no pressing, no checking.
The Fleurieu Peninsula is about 40 minutes from Goolwa and there's a good butcher in Victor Harbor, Vic's, who gets lamb from properties around Hindmarsh Island and Currency Creek. Lamb shoulder chops in this pan are probably the thing I cook most. I season them with salt the night before, let them sit uncovered in the fridge, and then sear them at high heat for about two minutes a side before dropping the temperature and adding a splash of McLaren Vale red, whatever is open, and some rosemary from the garden. The skillet goes into a 160 degree oven for 45 minutes. It comes out with a sauce that has reduced around the chops and the fond from the sear has dissolved into it completely.
Cleaning is the part people worry about most and I think the worry is mostly unnecessary. I rinse the skillet under hot water while it's still warm, use a stiff brush on anything stuck, and dry it on the stove over low heat for two minutes. Then a very thin wipe of oil, the same cold-pressed linseed I use on the cheese boards as it happens, just enough to coat the surface. That's it. I've had people tell me they're scared to use their cast iron because they'll ruin the seasoning. You can't ruin it. You can strip it back if you soak it in water for three days or scrub it with steel wool, but normal cooking and cleaning will only build the surface up over time.
The skillet is not a fast tool. It doesn't behave like stainless or non-stick. It asks you to slow down a little and pay attention, which is either annoying or exactly what you need depending on what kind of day you've had. Most nights I find it's the latter.
Why the mug glaze took four rounds to get right
The Sydney Stoneware Mug Set looks simple, but the glaze colour went through four completely different directions before I landed on the two we use now.
I want to talk about the glazes because I don't think I've ever properly explained how we got here. The mug set is sold in two colourways, a warm grey we call Harbour and a soft blue-green we call Heads. Those names are obvious if you've stood on South Head at dusk, which I did a lot when I lived in Bondi for two years before moving overseas. The names came easily. The actual colours took about eight months and four rounds of sampling with our ceramicist, Jessie, who works out of a studio in Marrickville and has been throwing stoneware for close to twelve years.
The first round of samples came back too cool. The grey read almost lavender under indoor lighting, which is lovely but it wasn't what I was going for. I wanted something that looked like concrete after rain, that specific flat warm tone you see on the footpath along the Bondi to Coogee walk when it's just stopped raining in April. Jessie adjusted the iron oxide ratio in the base and we tried again. Round two was closer but the surface texture was too smooth. Stoneware should feel like stoneware. You should know from your hand what it is before you look at it. We added a small amount of grog to the clay body and the third firing gave us something that felt right.
The Heads blue-green was harder. I had a reference image saved on my phone from a trip to Shinjuku in 2019, a ceramic sake cup in a shop on a side street off Takashimaya that I didn't buy and have regretted since. It was exactly the colour of the water at Gordons Bay on a clear morning. Jessie told me that colour in a reduction firing is achievable but unpredictable, and that we'd get variation between mugs in the same batch. I said that was fine, actually more than fine, and she looked at me like I was making her life easier for the first time all year.
Each mug holds 340 millilitres, which is a real volume decision and not a random one. I measured my own morning coffee ritual embarrassingly carefully. I use a Bialetti stovetop, the six-cup size, and I add a small amount of hot water to stretch it. 340 millilitres is exactly right for that. I also wanted a handle that fits four fingers comfortably, not three, because the mugs are heavy when full and a three-finger handle makes your hand work harder than it should at seven in the morning. Jessie pulled the handles by hand from the same clay body as the cup, which means the join is strong and the thermal expansion across the whole piece stays consistent.
The set comes as four mugs and I resisted the instinct to offer a two-mug version for a long time. I eventually did it because enough people asked, but my honest view is that four is correct. You have people over. You make a pot of tea. You don't want to be washing up between rounds.
Cooking through a Goolwa summer with minimal effort
February on the Fleurieu is genuinely hot and I've spent the last two summers working out how to cook well without turning the kitchen into something unbearable.
We had 11 days above 35 degrees in January this year. I know this because I checked the Bureau of Meteorology records afterward to confirm I wasn't imagining how bad it was. Goolwa sits at the mouth of the Murray and the heat here has a particular quality, dry and still in a way that Sydney heat isn't, and by about two in the afternoon the kitchen is somewhere you visit briefly and then leave. I've adapted how I cook between November and March in ways that have actually made me a better cook in the cooler months too, which I didn't expect.
The cast iron skillet moves outside in summer. We have a small Weber kettle on the back deck and the skillet sits directly on the grill grate over coals. This is how I do most of my protein cooking between December and April. The heat outside is irrelevant because you're already outside. The skillet holds the heat from the coals in a way the grill grate alone doesn't, and you get a proper sear on a piece of fish or a pork chop without the smoke alarm going off inside. The Hindmarsh Island area has good flathead in the estuary through summer, and flathead fillets in the skillet over coals with a bit of salt and a wedge of lemon from the tree in the backyard is a meal I've made probably 30 times in the last two years.
The cheese boards get more use in summer than any other season, which makes sense. When it's too hot to cook properly, you assemble instead. The Victor Harbor IGA stocks a reasonable selection of South Australian cheeses, there's a Woodside Cheese Wrights ash-ripened chevre that I buy whenever they have it, and I'll add whatever stone fruit is around, Coorong peaches if I can get them, some local honey from a beekeeper at the Goolwa market who keeps hives on a property near Hindmarsh Island. The Tasmanian oak board doesn't absorb flavours the way softer timbers do, which matters when you're putting soft cheese directly on the surface.
The mugs shift to cold drinks in February. I know that sounds obvious but I resisted it for a while because I bought them for coffee. A 340 millilitre stoneware mug filled with cold water from the fridge and left on the bench stays cold for a surprisingly long time. The mass of the clay acts as a mild thermal buffer. I've also started making cold brew coffee overnight, leaving the grounds in water in the fridge for 14 hours, and the mugs are the right size for that too. The Harbour grey colourway reads differently in summer light, warmer somehow, which I didn't notice until my partner pointed it out.
I've been in Goolwa for just under three years now and I'm still learning the seasons here. It's different from the Fleurieu I knew as a kid visiting my aunt in Normanville. Living here full time means the summer is yours to deal with rather than something you dip into and escape from. The kitchen tools you reach for in February are not the same ones you reach for in July, and I think that's as it should be.
Customer reviews
Sarah K. — Fitzroy, VIC — 2024-03-14 — 5/5
Solid knife, arrived quickly
Ordered the Koala Chef Knife on a Tuesday and it was on my doorstep by Thursday, which I wasn't expecting at all. The balance feels right in the hand and it held its edge through a full week of cooking before I even thought about sharpening it. Good packaging too — no rattling around in the box.
James T. — New Farm, QLD — 2024-06-02 — 4/5
Cast iron skillet does the job
The Outback Cast Iron Skillet is heavy, which is exactly what I wanted. Seasoned it properly on arrival and it's been great for searing. Only reason it's four stars is the handle gets very hot — you'll need a cloth or mitt every single time. Not a dealbreaker, just worth knowing.
Priya M. — Surry Hills, NSW — 2024-08-19 — 5/5
Cheese board is beautiful and practical
Bought the Tasmanian Oak Cheese Board as a housewarming gift and the recipient messaged me the same day it arrived to say how good it looked. I've since ordered one for myself. The wood is smooth, feels solid, and the size is generous enough for a proper spread.
Nathan B. — Cottesloe, WA — 2024-10-05 — 4/5
Mugs are sturdy and a good size
The Sydney Stoneware Mug Set was a birthday gift for my partner and both mugs arrived well wrapped with no chips. They hold a decent amount — not too dainty, not oversized. The glaze has a nice texture to it. Delivery to WA took six business days on standard, which is about what I expected.
Claire D. — Brunswick, VIC — 2024-11-22 — 5/5
Apron fits well and has held up
I use the Kangaroo Pocket Apron almost every day in my home kitchen and it's washed well over a dozen times without fading or the ties fraying. The front pocket is actually deep enough to be useful, which sounds obvious but isn't always the case. Happy with this one.
Lena W. — Hobart, TAS — 2025-01-09 — 5/5
Great experience start to finish
Ordered the cheese board and mug set together as a Christmas gift. Both arrived before the date I needed them, well packed, and the gift wrap option was a nice touch. My mum was genuinely pleased when she opened them. Will order again.
Tom H. — West End, QLD — 2025-02-17 — 4/5
Knife is sharp but check the returns info
The Koala Chef Knife arrived in good shape and cuts well straight out of the box. I did have a small question about the blade steel and emailed customer service — got a clear response the next morning, which I appreciated. Dropping one star only because the website could be clearer on care instructions upfront.
Anita R. — Norwood, SA — 2025-04-03 — 5/5
Cast iron skillet worth every cent
I've been using the Outback Cast Iron Skillet for about two months now and it's already my most-used pan. Eggs, steak, roasted vegetables — it handles everything. Being local to SA, it arrived the next day which was a bonus. Would recommend it without hesitation.
Shipping
All Ainslie Bridge Home orders are dispatched from our workshop in Goolwa, South Australia. Standard orders ship via Australia Post and typically arrive within 3–8 business days. Metro areas in SA, VIC, and NSW are usually at the lower end of that range; WA, NT, and remote postcodes may take closer to 8 business days or slightly longer. Express orders go out through StarTrack and arrive within 1–3 business days for most capital cities and major regional centres. Orders placed before 2pm AEST Monday to Friday are dispatched the same day. All prices on the site include GST, and no additional charges are added at checkout beyond the shipping rate.
Free standard shipping applies to all orders over $99 AUD. For orders under that amount, a flat shipping rate is calculated at checkout based on parcel weight and your delivery postcode. We pack everything carefully using recycled cardboard boxes and paper fill — no loose polystyrene. Fragile items like the stoneware mug set and cast iron skillet are double-boxed. You'll receive a dispatch confirmation email with a tracking number as soon as your order leaves us, so you can follow it the whole way.
If your parcel arrives damaged, please take photos of both the outer packaging and the item before doing anything else, then email us at hello@ainsliebridge.com.au within 48 hours of delivery. We'll arrange a replacement or refund promptly — we don't make you jump through hoops. We currently ship to all Australian states and territories, including PO boxes via Australia Post on standard shipping. StarTrack express is not available to PO boxes; a street address is required for that service.
Returns
You have 30 days from the date you receive your order to request a return. To be eligible, items must be unused and in their original condition and packaging. To start a return, email hello@ainsliebridge.com.au with your order number and a brief description of why you're returning the item. We'll confirm the return address and next steps within one business day. Once we receive and inspect the item, we'll process your refund within 5–7 business days back to your original payment method. Return postage costs are your responsibility for change-of-mind returns.
Under the Australian Consumer Law, you are entitled to a replacement, repair, or refund if a product has a major fault, is not fit for its described purpose, or does not match how it was presented at the time of sale. In those cases, we cover all return shipping costs and will not ask you to return an item if it would be unreasonable to do so. Minor faults may be resolved through a repair or partial refund at our discretion. If you believe your item has a consumer law fault, please contact us with photos and a description so we can assess it quickly.
A few things we can't accept back: items that have been used, washed, or seasoned (including cast iron); items returned outside the 30-day window without prior approval; and custom or personalised orders, which are made specifically for you. We also can't accept returns on items that have been damaged after delivery through normal use or mishandling. If you're unsure whether your situation qualifies for a return or refund, just get in touch — we'd rather talk it through than have you stuck with something you're not happy with.