The original Parliament House in Canberra was opened by the Duke and Duchess of York on May 9, 1927. The luncheon menu appeared in the papers. Turtle soup would be frowned on nowadays, but I thought Canberra pudding was a creative touch. CANBERRA PUDDING The following recipe
Read more →Someone asked me recently why people often speak of artist and author Norman Lindsay (1879 – 1969) as having lived at Springwood in the Blue Mountains, when the property is actually in the neighbouring village of Faulconbridge. One reason is that Norman himself always wrote his address
Read more →That’s Albert Magic Pudding, for the uninformed; one of Australia’s minor poets; ‘EAT AWAY, CHEW AWAY, MUNCH AND BOLT AND GUZZLE, NEVER LEAVE THE TABLE TILL YOU’RE FULL UP TO THE MUZZLE.’ by A. Pudding What a genius and a national treasure Norman Lindsay was…and is. He
Read more →I once made a somewhat provocative statement on social media declaring Australia’s Foster Clarks custard powder to be superior to the UK Bird’s brand. It was absolutely true, but see that flag on the British product? I should have known I was stirring up a cauldron
Read more →This piece began as a short, selective list of Blue Mountains villages. However, owing to the demands from residents of those left out it became somewhat longer. 😎 OK, HERE WE GO… I am cheating and listing the towns and villages of the Blue Mountains alphabetically rather
Read more →The New Ivanhoe Hotel is located on the Great Western Highway at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. It changed ownership recently after many years and has been renovated The following photo was taken before the update, but fortunately its art-deco interior has been
Read more →BIRTH OF THE PUDDING The English have long been maligned for the uninspired stodginess of their cooking, particularly by their gourmet neighbours, the French. Nevertheless, it was a Frenchman, Misson de Valbourg who, upon visiting England in 1690, was moved to exclaim: ‘What an excellent thing is
Read more →When Australian artist and writer Norman Lindsay first saw what was to become his home near Springwood in the lower Blue Mountains of New South Wales, the sandstone cottage was sadly neglected. The floor boards were full of white ants. Nevertheless, Lindsay reported to his wife (and
Read more →‘Oh! All that steam! The pudding had just been taken out of the cauldron. Oh! That smell! The same as the one which prevailed on washing day. It is that of the cloth which wraps the pudding. Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’ Christmas in Australia is a
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