From nostalgia to the next big idea…

Comfort, healing, celebration, expressing love, quelling hunger. Food is used to express and soothe many emotions in our lives.

Often the recipes on high rotation and sparking joy are those which evoke nostalgia in their creation or consumption. Tastes and smells woven with memories of loved ones and special moments in time.

I find myself increasingly drawn to the recipes of loved ones - recreating their meals feels like a special way to honour the love shared while creating new memories with the next generation.

Nana’s crumbly apricot jam and sweet caramel peanut slices plucked from the reused biscuit tin in the shed at shearing time. Mama’s slow cooked bolognese or osso buco with gremolata on hand painted plates shared around the cosy family dining table filled with laughter and debate. Mum’s foolproof chocolate cake topped with sprinkles, a staple of birthday parties, pony club and school lunchboxes. Zucchini slice and spinach pie with a simple green salad for sunny weekend lunches and picnics.

We all have our own special recipes tied to memories. They’re often scribbled in notebooks, handwritten on scraps of paper, photocopied with notes added in the margin and splattered with stray ingredients from countless uses.

A favourite recipe book of mine is a local community cook book inherited from my Nana, compiled in the early 1990’s as a fundraiser for the Mendooran Lions Club. It is filled with the famous recipes of locals and many from my own family.

As I’ve begun to emerge from the newborn fog which has been cast across our household and find my way with juggling home and farming life with 2 children, I’ve got an idea I’d like you to join me in bringing to reality.

A Tractor Snacks community cook book.

I’d love to compile your favourite and special recipes, whether passed down from loved ones or more recently discovered. Many of these are sent to me privately and I’d love to share more widely and formally.

This might be a bit of a slow burn to bring together, but I think it has potential to become something really special.

Start thinking about your favourite recipes and tips to share with our community. And I’ll get working on a way to compile and honour your contributions.

Let me know what you think!

Camilla x