Penguin Books Australia

Introduction

The Country Women's Association of Australia has been in existence for more than 80 years and its members have long had a reputation for being wonderful cooks. Indeed, too often it seems that the public and the media think that our main activity is 'making tea and scones', though this is far from the case. But it is true that cooking and catering by our members, especially at local agricultural shows, have always been a major source of fundraising, enabling the CWA to raise many hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years, which has been used to support families and communities particularly in rural areas.

The recipes in this series of cookbooks reflect the way in which our pioneer women used the simple ingredients they had to hand to make nutritious snacks, soups, stews, sweets and cakes, and would ensure their household a year-round supply of jams, jellies and relishes by preserving fruit when it was in season. Some of these recipes are family favourites and have been handed down through the generations, being adapted along the way to suit the available ingredients and local conditions. Many members have also adopted and adapted 'new' foods introduced to Australia from other countries.

We are proud to be working with Penguin Books in putting together these cookbooks and to be sharing with you our members' prized recipes. In so doing, once again CWA members are providing a valuable service to rural communities, as the royalties from the series (and from the recipe book Country Classics, which was republished by Penguin in 2007) will help us fund a postgraduate nursing scholarship. This is awarded to a nurse working in a rural area, allowing them to learn new skills and thus continue to provide an essential service to their community.

The scholarship is of especial importance as we see the nation's health services struggling – in all parts of Australia, but particularly in rural communities where sometimes the nurse is the only health professional available.

May you get as much pleasure from trying these recipes as the members of the Country Women's Association have in sharing them with you.

Lesley Young

National President (2006–2009) Country Women's Association of Australia