A dairymaid at work.
Mmmmm, syllabub! Surely one of the best things about syllabub is its name – just saying it is fun! Syllabubs are yet another ‘ lost’ dessert – quite decadent, alcohol fueled and deliciously rich, with a long history. Continue reading
In the pantry at Meroogal. Photo © Nicholas Watt
Our volunteer, Bethany Leyshon, shares with us some recipes, tips and long lost techniques that piqued her curiosity while transcribing handwritten books from Meroogal…. Continue reading
Cooking over the fire at 'Redcoats and Convicts' at the Hyde Park Barracks. Photo © Leo Rocker
While Sydney’s ‘toffs’ tucked into a leisurely breakfast – anything from freshly laid eggs to kedgeree, smoked ham or cured tongue, sometimes as late as 11am, the convicts at the Hyde Park Barracks would have had to settle for a dish of dreaded hominy, a porridge made from maize, or corn meal, doled out in the mess halls just before dawn (see recipe below). Continue reading
The Cook and the Curator set the table for a Macleay dinner, at Elizabeth Bay House. Photo Alysha Buss © SLM
Famous for ‘evicting’ his mother and father and unmarried sister from Elizabeth Bay House in 1845, William Sharp Macleay (1792-1865) remained as master of the house for another 20 years. Continue reading
Fish catch and Dawes Point, Sydney Harbour (detail), J W Lewin, c1813, gift of the Art Gallery of South Australia Foundation and South Australian Brewing Holdings Limited 1989, given to mark the occasion of the Company's 1988 Centenary, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Lewin’s painting celebrates the abundance and variety of fish that could be gleaned from Sydney Harbour. With its breathtaking views of Sydney Harbour, you can only imagine that the Macleays would have the freshest of fish on their table at Elizabeth Bay House. Continue reading
Gelatin paper print photograph of Queen Victoria (detail), photographer unknown. Rouse Hill House & Farm Collection
May 24 was Queen Victoria’s birthday, later celebrated as Empire Day. To mark the occasion I’ve been looking for Victoria Sponge recipes in my nineteenth century cookbooks – to no avail. Perhaps, like many other traditions, it is not so traditional at all – at least not for its claimed origins. Continue reading
Lilly pilly tree. Photo Jacqui Newling © HHT
Meroogal has several productive fruit trees, including a native lilly pilly (or lilli pilli), which towers over the house on its southern side. You can see it just to the left of the house in this welcoming image. Continue reading
Herbert, Hugo & Jenny Ljunggren (Youngein), c1910. Susannah Place Museum Collection © Sydney Living Museums
Dolly’s ‘Cooking homework book’ is 101 years old. Jenny (known as Dolly) Youngein (pictured, right) lived in Susannah Place at 64 Gloucester Street, where her parents ran the corner shop from 1904. Dolly was 12 years old when she created the book. It is still in her family’s possession and is a treasured memento of her childhood. Continue reading
Lemons, loaf sugar and sugar nips. Photo © James Horan
While the Curator has been pulling punches, colonial style, I’ve been busy with the more delicate art of cordial making. Continue reading
Naval officers and a bowl of punch (detail), Thomas Rowlandson. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Bring out the punchbowl and party like it’s 1799 with these recipes! Continue reading