Special guest of honour at the Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival Long Lunch is none other than Wendyl Nissen.

Joining Wendyl for the entertaining afternoon of laughter, music, great company and delicious cuisine will be popular friend of the festival ‘The Bug Man' Ruud Kleinpaste.

Wendyl has been living the good life in Hokianga and has told her story of gardening, foraging, fishing and the freedom she has found in ageing, in her book ‘A Natural Year'.

Beautifully illustrated with 100 new and delicious recipes, the guide to a less complicated life is about living the simple life in the country through the changing seasons.

A former women's magazine editor, Wendyl is also a well-regarded journalist and broadcaster. She is known for her period as a green goddess when she created her own Wendyl's Green Goddess brand of natural cleaning products. Totally natural, vegan and cruelty-free, the products reflect her commitment to living a healthy life.

An author of nine books, mostly about living a chemical-free, old-fashioned life, her previous book was ‘A Natural Home' and this new book ‘A Natural Year - living simply through the seasons' is a natural follow on tracing her life in the peaceful New Zealand countryside over one year. It's the story of what happens in her garden, her kitchen and her life over 12 months, and the thoughts inspired by each passing season.

The Long Lunch, proudly supported by Ingham Mora, will be held in the Doncaster Lounge at Tauranga Racecourse from 12pm to 3pm on Sunday, November 22. The racecourse is also hosting Bloom in the Bay, the hub of the Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival.

In her book, Wendyl writes about the freedom that she has found in ageing and the joy that comes along with it and will appeal to both men and women. She addresses her depression, anxiety and the mental well-being she's gained from her back-to-basics lifestyle and the practical things she does to live in a sustainable, natural way.

'It's about ageing and being a woman in your mid-50s,” says Wendyl.

'I know so many women who have botox and tummy tucks and have this need to reclaim some sort of youth. My thing is – I'm not hormonal anymore. I can finally live like a man because I can just do what I want, I have some money, I don't have to raise children anymore – they're all done.

'There is this remarkable freedom in this age for women, so I've really embarked on that. I don't wear a lot of makeup, I'm a size 16, staying that way, and I'm never going to go on a diet again. Why am I trying to look younger? I encourage women in their mid-50s to just go for it and live naturally.”

In a world which can be full of stress and confusion, a long, enjoyable lunch with Ruud and Wendyl and a quiet read of ‘A Natural Year', which will be available to purchase at Bloom in the Bay, is a wonderful way to start on a slower, simpler and less complicated life.