Edmonds Cookbook Competition
Bring your Edmonds Cookbook to your local library during the month of October and enter the NZ Book Month Edmonds Cookbook Competition sponsored by Edmonds themselves! This iconic national favourite was also voted as the Christchurch non-fiction favourite which is why we are celebrating it during NZ Book Month. It doesn't matter how old or new your cookbook is, there's a category to fit.
Winners
Oldest publishing date
- 1914 - Mr and Mrs Kear
- 1925-30 edition - Bev Dickson & Ruth Pearson
Best loved/Most used
Most annotated
Virgin copy
Fay Neeson 1950’s but fresh enough to sell in a shop
Tell us a story
Edmonds Cookbook Stories
- Joan Duffey
- I have collected many recipe books over the years and when I am looking for a recipe I sometime browse through them. But in 95% (or more) I go back to my faithful Edmonds’ books. I could not do without them – I treasure them like gold.
- Beatrice Neutze
- My book was given to me by my Grandmother for my 28th birthday. When I got married in 1952 I was not used to baking and didn’t have electricity but I managed with the help of my Edmonds “Sure to Rise” Cookery book. My book has a hard cover and this has helped to keep it much cleaner but well used.
- Pat Jeffrey
- The one egg chocolate cake was my absolute favourite. It was always a success and so economical and so very enjoyable. Also well loved were shortbread creams and almond biscuits.
- Burns Family
- The first step that we always have to do takes at least 15 mins because it’s looking for the page we want to use! But it is always worth it because all our favourite recipes are in this book. (Their book was submitted as a group of loose pages!!)
- Fiona Martini
- My personal favourite in my Edmonds cookbook would be the scone recipe. I make them when we have friends over for morning/afternoon tea and make it a true “Devonshire” tea treat.
- Rose Robinson
- The best way to understand cooking quantities, ingredients, cooking times and oven temperatures etc when you are in NZ is to get the Edmond’s cookbook. Together with my husband and two young daughters, we had newly arrived in NZ in 1986 and I was becoming increasingly frustrated with chocolates cakes that just simply would not do the right things. For a while I thought that Edmond was my neighbour’s uncle or something, but when she presented me with her old copy (she had used this opportunity to purchase a nice bright new copy for herself.) I realised that she had accepted me as her neighbour and we had begun to build our friendship.
I have treasured this copy for the past 23 years and despite buying numerous Edmonds Cookery Books for family and friends have never replaced mine. Interesting how this seems in a way to represent our integration as a family into NZ culture. We have enjoyed the flavours, textures, smells, delicious tastes and sometimes cooking disasters which we have lived through at the heart of our home, which I believe is in the kitchen. Perhaps I have accepted “Edmond” as a benevolent uncle anyway. It is good to be part of the family. - Kerry H
- While visiting my brother I decided to make rainbow pudding, a childhood favourite. I laid out the ingredients then realized whilst the recipe was metric, the household scales were imperial – PANIC. Flicking back toward the conversion tables I discovered a photo and a recipe taken from a 1959 edition – saved!
- Barbara Kear (entered a 1914 cook book)
- The Edmonds Cookery Book (entered) originally belonged to my mother-in-law, and I was lucky enough to receive it when she gave up housekeeping in 1973. She was an excellent cook and often made the sponge sandwich recipe on Page 26. I always use the Lemon Honey recipe on page 42.
- Ruth Seymour
- This is a three generation book used by my mother, myself and my daughter. A well-worn and well-used book. I would look for my Edmonds book to find it missing. Usual story - daughter borrowed it – so in frustration I bought her a new Edmonds cook book.
- James Whitmarsh
- My wife died in 1983 and as I had two children aged 7 years and 6 years I had to look after them and I needed a cookbook to do this. I am now 85 years old and still use the book quite regularly. I need a new copy but keep forgetting to get one.
- June Booth
- I’m a very unenthusiastic cook and the results of my attempts prove this! Even Edmonds couldn’t transform me.
- Karo Bythell
- Every summer my family would go to live at our grandmother’s up in Foxton. My mother and grandmother would have a baking day once a week. The rest of the week we would have picnics and outings (eating the baking from the recipes in this book.) When I grew up I came to associate the Edmonds book with adventures, outings, and a sense of food happiness that only a yoyo or afghan can give you.
- Christine Church
- Travelling home from my mum’s one night, I was on my Honda 50 motorbike. It suddenly began to rain and a very cold wind faced me. My thin jacket was supplemented by my copy of the Edmonds recipe book placed against my chest and zipped up. A great warmer! That was in 1978.
- Helen McAlister
- When my sisters and I were young and mother was out (we didn’t have babysitters) we would take a cup of precious sugar ration to make the toffee - which didn’t often set. We would hide it under the verendah. But we didn’t know that all good cooks have a keen sense of smell…
- Kevin Dodd
- Bought for my husband who wanted a banana cake and after 2 failed efforts this was found in an antiques shop in Greytown. Had asked 85 year old neighbour for her copy but she had misplaced it, so when this was seen it had to be purchased and given the recipes in some sections are rated it was a must. The banana cake is rated “good.”
Competition details
Competition opens 1 October and closes 5pm Monday 19th October. But you can make a late entry on the day if you bring your cookbook to the special prize giving event at New Brighton library 11am on 23 October where local councillor Chrissie Williams will present prizes and a local chef will do a cooking demonstration. Edmonds Cookbook Competition Entry form [322 Kb PDF]
