Island food is both delicious and distinctive, and those who prepare it have become locally famous for their recipes. Being isolated on a small Island leads to great ingenuity in the use of available produce, and many of the recipes reflect it: Passionfruit Pie (Ivy Thompson); Pumpkin Pie (Thelma Wison); Banana Cream Pie (Betty Thompson); Lemon Cake (Hazel Payten); Carrot Cake (Lois Whistler); Mulberry or Guava Sponge (Judy Shick); Zucchini Bread (Lilian Fenton); Fish Pie (Minnie Dignam); and Tomato Relish and Guava jelly (Una Payten), are just a few of the 58 recipes contained in the book. Many of these reflect the seasonally availability of produce from Island fruit and vegetable gardens and each recipe is headed by a photo of its contributor.
Darcelle has done us a great favour in collecting this wide range of savoury and dessert dishes from Island kitchens and combining them into one easy-to-use cookbook. The book is introduced with a short “History of Food” and then has sections on “Pies and Tarts”, “Cakes”, “Slices and Biscuits”, “Puddings”, “Desserts”, “Savoury Dishes”, “Fish Dishes” and “Relishes and Jellies”.
Darcelle writes, “I’ve always loved cooking—especially with my Nanny (Thelma), and I love the way that traditional recipes bring back memories of people, places, and shared moments.
I started collecting these recipes to keep them close—not just for myself, but for everyone. I wanted to make sure the dishes we grew up with don’t fade away, that we keep cooking them, sharing them, and remembering the people who made them special.
This book is a way to honour those traditions, to keep them alive for the next generation, and to celebrate the beautiful culture of Lord Howe Island—where food is one of the ways we show love, gather as a community, and stay connected.”
There will be a local book launch hosted by Jess Owens and Kay Kirkpatrick, on the veranda of their historic house, “Kentia”, starting at 4.00pm on Sunday, 1st June. All Island residents are welcome, but please bring your own drinks and a plate maybe even one from the cookbook! The cookbook is already on sale at the Museum for $25.
