The New Blue Ribbon Cookbook
Prize-Winning Recipes and Inspiring Stories from Australian Country Show Cooks
Will be published approx. on 4. August 2026
Book
Hardback
284 pages
978-1-76147-167-4 (ISBN)
Description
Bringing together the best of the country's blue ribbon-winning recipes, and stories of the rural cooks who plate them up, as well as tips from show judges and winners.
"This delightful book takes me right back to the delicious aromas and tastes of the farm kitchens and country shows of my childhood, and encourages us all to have a go." --Heather Ewart If you've ever tasted a sublime scone, looked in awe on glowing ranks of preserves, wondered if you could make your own dog biscuits or felt an itch to enter baked goods in your local show, and if you've ever wished someone would share their inside tips and tricks to help you achieve perfection, this is the book for you. The New Blue Ribbon Cookbook is a treasury of time-honored recipes that have been tested in competition, and a compendium of priceless knowledge and advice from prize-winning cooks and meticulous show judges who have refined the art of making and selecting the best of the best. And it is about more than recipes. In this accessible and stunning guide, best-selling author Liz Harfull also brings to life the heart-warming stories of diverse cooks-from 9 years old to 90, men and women, neurodivergent and neurotypical-and gives a unique glimpse into the rich traditions of agricultural shows and their lasting significance to communities across Australia. This book is the ultimate inspiration for anyone desiring to expand their repertoire of blue-ribbon winners-for competition or for company.More details
Person
Liz Harfull is passionate about telling the stories of the extraordinary, everyday people who make up our communities, particularly in regional Australia. An award-winning rural journalist and communicator, she grew up on a small farm near Mount Gambier, discovering her love of both writing and cooking at a young age.
In 2006 Liz walked away from corporate life to write books. Her leap of faith was rewarded two years later with The Blue Ribbon Cookbook, which became a surprise bestseller. Capturing the stories and traditions of South Australian country shows and show cooks, it even took her to Paris as a finalist and eventual runner-up for the most hotly contested category of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Since then Liz has written ten books, including Tried Tested and True, which was listed among the 'Best in the World' in the 2019 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards; the bestsellers Women of the Land and The Australian Blue RibbonCookbook; and The Women Who Changed Country Australia, a centenary history of the Country Women's Association in New South Wales, where the iconic women's movement started. Today Liz lives in the Adelaide Hills, occasionally finding time to bake scones and make jam while juggling a busy writing career and volunteer work as a community historian.