Stephanie Alexander's reflection on her iconic cookbook The Cook's Companion

As families are about to gather around the holiday table, food, fun and nostalgia will once again take centre stage – so what better time to share a reflection from Australia’s great food educator, Stephanie Alexander, on her perennial kitchen classic The Cook’s Companion.

The original concept of The Cook’s Companion was a small paperback A–Z of common ingredients to help families better understand them. Somehow, it became the kitchen ‘bible’ in over half a million homes. My background as a librarian had taught me the power of good cross-referencing and the appeal of arranging information alphabetically. By the end of ‘A’, certain issues became apparent – the length of the book, first of all. Despite early suggestions to cut it back, I did not (thanks to my publisher Julie Gibbs pleading my case).

I also realised that sometimes you just want a quick idea rather than a proper recipe, hence the shorter recipes in the margins, which have proven to be very popular with my readers.The original book took four years to write and edit, and it was all done on paper. The pile of paper was formidable. Photography of dishes was impossible, given the eventual size and scope of the project. I was not worried by this, as sometimes those perfect, glossy images alarm the more inexperienced cooks and put them off trying them. I included some old-fashioned classics that many readers would remember from their own childhood and be delighted to see again. It was important to me that the information be as accurate as I could make it, and that it was written in a friendly tone. Many of the recipes have come from the printed work of a friend or have been written after a positive taste experience I’ve had, when I have begged for the recipe.

The resulting commercial success of The Cook’s Companion was life-changing. It enabled me to purchase my lovely riverside apartment with a small but delightful garden.

Over the past 30 years it has been received enthusiastically by cooks everywhere, and tributes have been published by Nigella, Jamie and Yotam. I have spied in the hands of Fergus Henderson a copy held together with tape. And I have been asked to sign many a book without a back cover, splodges of chocolate or oil on the pages. I take this as a great compliment.

The Cook’s Companion has had many little updates and two major revisions over the years. A third volume is in the works, which will have taken over two years when it’s published. One thing I can say with all certainty: the world of food does not stand still.