Long before the era of refrigeration and supermarkets, countless generations of women (mostly) grew and prepared food for large families in the Scenic Rim. They were thrifty and creative, using produce they had grown in their own gardens or sourced from nearby farms.
The inaugural 2024 Celebration of Lost Culinary Arts event and recipe collection pays tribute to these pioneers in the ‘eat local’ movement. The event paid tribute to their resourcefulness and culinary creativity, featuring traditional recipes passed down through generations and techniques from a bygone era.
Scenic Rim Food Ambassador Alison Alexander introduced visitors to the ‘shrub’ dating back to medieval times, Kay & Harry Tommerup shared the secrets to small batch butter making and Sally Peach reminded us of the meat paste that a generation members in their school lunch box.
For those who couldn’t make it to the event at Winter Harvest Festival 2024, we invite you to delve into our Celebration of Lost Culinary Arts Recipe Collection.
Thanks to Val Brown, Jules Sparrow, Colleen Benstead, Alison Alexander, Morgan Fuery, Dot Cooper, Kerry Owen, the Country Women’s Association – Boonah Branch, Katrina Goldsworthy and Jennifer Pickup from the Templin Historical Museum for contributing recipes.
Special thanks to Boonah local and passionate pickler Sally Peach for this wonderful idea that has been embraced by so many. It was inspired by Val Brown’s tomato relish recipe, handwritten on the back of an envelope so many years ago.
