Out here in the sticks (er, that would be 25 minutes from the CBD) we don’t have a roadside mailbox, but have to go into our local town to retrieve the daily snail-mail from our post office box. It’s only a little box with no room for parcels and nothing gives me a little thrill quite like seeing the red and white card which Margaret, our post-mistress, places there when something has come which is too large for the box. Quite frequently (actually, far more frequently than the husband likes) that something comes wrapped in heavy brown cardboard and is book-shaped. However, these parcels don’t always come with a corresponding dent in the credit card and such was the case recently when Adelaide’s Wakefield Press generously sent me two of their most recent publications.
Featuring lavish illustrations and using an astonishing range of sources, Barbara has drawn a detailed picture of Australian gastronomic history, our culinary development and customs. She tells us the stories behind the foods, recipes and rituals which we identify as Australian, describing how Australian cooks have adopted and adapted along the way, “Australianising” foods and recipes from the countries of origin of our immigrants as well as domesticating indigenous ingredients. “Bold Palates” examines our journey as we try to identify our national cuisine and explores our relationship with iconic foods such as Vegemite, pumpkin scones, Tim Tam biscuits and pavlova. Barbara explains the origins of our fondness for sweet foods and baked goods, including how coconut came to play such a large part in them, addresses the special place lamb holds in our hearts and devotes an entire chapter to barbecues.
While I have no doubt this book will find it’s way onto tertiary text lists around the country it is no dry academic text, but a book which will be on the shelves of anyone who has an interest in gastronomy. It is dotted with anecdotes, quotes, old recipes and I suspect the bibliography will have many heading off to the library with a long list of requests. If you have even the twinkling of an academic interest in food, culinary traditions or Australian history you are going to want this book – it is an absolute treasure and one I’ll be dipping in and out of repeatedly.
The other treasure in this last parcel was “Outside the Magic Square” the most recent book by Lolo Houbein, author of the award-winning “One Magic Square“. In the latter, Lolo laid out the case for the need for us to grow our own food and gave even the most horticulturally challenged of us the tools to begin to do this. The title came from her assertion that everyone, even those with extremely limited space could produce some food and the book was part of her quest to impress upon us the need to do so. In this sequel Lolo takes the next step as she urges us all to educate ourselves about the complex issues surrounding food security and offers her solutions to tackle these problems at personal, street, neighbourhood and global levels.
“Outside the Magic Square” is part gardening advice, part food activist manifesto, part political activist hand book. In an accessible manner she begins by looking at the food situation both in Australia and globally, addressing food labelling, GM food and sustainability. She sets out what to grow – where and how – and what you can do with your produce once you have grown it. She looks at the difficulties faced by farmers and what their future might look like and the value of community gardens and what some of them have achieved. The book also covers the issues of global warming, dwindling oil supplies and the food movements which are developing overseas and offers hints and suggestions to help mobilise for food security. Once the reader is inspired and ready to act, they will find a comprehensive list of future reading ideas and a large collection of addresses and email addresses for food and food security related organisations. According to Adelaide chef, Simon Bryant, this book is “an insightful, informed and practical survival guide for our eating future” – he’ll get no argument from me on that!
Wakefield Press have given me one copy of each of Lolo’s inspirational books to give away. I will send BOTH books to ONE lucky reader who wins the competition – enter by clicking on the links below. Like the last giveaway it is simple to follow by doing any or all of the following – just add a commment, “Like” Lambs Ears and Honey and Wakefield Press on Facebook, Follow us both on Twitter, Tweet about the giveaway with a link back to this page – and the more of these tasks you fulfill, the more opportunity you have to win.
These books are heavy so, I’m sorry folks, this competition is only open to Australian entrants.
I’m away off to Italy very soon, so this competition will close on May 7, to give me a chance to get the prize into the post before I leave.
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Fave cookies – chocolate chip, but the chips need to be gooey!
Both those books sound like ‘must-haves’. I’d love to know what I can grow on one square metre – that does sound like a great challenge. xx
I love One Magic Square – borrowed it from the library once and returned it a little late. Very practical and great style of writing that leads you to action, useful for a someone like me who generally reads about things instead of doing things.
It is amazing (and humbling) how much such a small space can produce. Yesterday I harvested kilos of carrots from just a couple of rows. I think the bigger question for most people is how to cope with processing the bounty!
I love chocolate chip cookies, hard on the outside and chewy on the inside!
Love the sound of both these books.
I am attempting to become more self-sufficient in my little suburban block. I borrowed “One Magic Square” from the library, but to have both of these beautiful books in MY bookshelf would be brilliant!!
I am endeavouring to grow my own food on a square meter so I could probably get some great tips from this book !!!
Hi Amanda, I enjoy Barbara’s writing, in fact I think I may have asked her to contribute to an anthology a long time ago (it didn’t get off the ground, unfortunately). Both books sound really interesting. And I love those parcels too!
I am fascinated about how to grow food on one square metre, as I live in an aprtment with a tiny balcony. The first book sounds like a great read.
My favourite cookes are mint slices!!
These books sounds incredibly interesting – I only live in a courtyard home in the ‘burbs but have always done windowsill herbs and have just recently planted carrots, spinach, broccoli, cauli and kale. Fingers crossed they survive – I need all the help in the garden I can get!
p.s. My favourite cookies are vegan molasses made by Cherie Hausler and sold at ‘The Breakfast Rave’ in the Barossa!
I would LOVE these books. I am in the process of starting a veggie patch (curently everything is in pots) and hopefully it will be up and running by spring. I need all the help I can get! I already like you on FB!
I love peanut butter choc chip cookies!
They both look like great books!
These sound like great books, a friend has recently asked me to refer her to a good beginners gardening book, these may be it!
Thanks for yet another great giveaway 🙂
I would love to enter to win these books, they both sound amazing. I’m a big believer in growing your own food.. but I have to admit my husband does most of it. Time for me to take a more active role!
I’m a biscuit addict.. but if I had to choose just one type to eat forever more, I’d have to choose Anzac biscuits 🙂 And given that no two batches ever turn out the same.. it would still give me variety!
I’d to go savory and plain – yes boring I know
Learning more about Australian food history sounds fantastic, but even more perfect, learning all about growing your own food would be grand as we are just digging out 4 garden beds for our own veggie patch…
Oh and favourite cookie – white choc/lemon/macadamia… Yum!
Favourite biscuits have got to be double choc chip! Who can resist?
Hmm.. I tried to leave a comment, but it wouldn’t let me alter the text. Sorry about that. Anyway, I wanted to say this is very timely.. we’ve got a bit of a yard and we’re keen to start a garden. I don’t know the first thing about gardening, but my wife’s Mum is going to visit and help us set one up 🙂
Both of those books sound fabulous. I would love to win them!
Like others I borrowed One Magic Square and absolutely loved it and have started putting some of my readings into practice -it was very inspirational and I am sure Outside the Magic Square would be just as good. It would be fantastic to have my own copies of the books to refer to all the time and to be able to read when I want to and not when the library says I can!
Great write up and all these books sound fantastic! I have a wishful green thumb and little to no space – but the chilis growing on the benchtop are looking pretty good. Bold Palates sounds so interesting too!
Just saw the comment requirement! Oatmeal all the way 🙂
If Simon Bryant is endorsing it, I’m sold too! I’m no “celebrity chef” follower, but in terms of food security and ethics, he’s a bit of a hero of mine.
Im also currently enjoying “Looking for Flavour” by Barbara Santich.
Hmm, I tried to leave a comment – using Safari on a Mac. It showed me the cookie prompt but wouldn’t let me enter or edit anything. Odd, that. My favourite cookie is not a cookie, but a Honey Crackle. Simple but a classic, easy to make, very tasty, and impresses both Australians and USAn’s alike, The USA’s have never had them before, and the Australians all say they haven’t had them since they were little.