The Edmonds cookbook
As Kiwis, we’re proud of our iconic treasures. Today we look at how the Edmonds cookbook came to be and where it is now.
Gooey caramel slice, mouthwatering afghans and tasty anzac biscuits – you name it, the likely has it. But did you know the humble scone is the most popular Edmonds recipe?
Although banana cake has consistently topped polls as a Kiwi favourite, scones are the clear winner, according to Edmonds.
Just like milk and bread, the Edmonds cookbook is a staple in many Kiwi households.
But it isn’t just any old cookery book. With it comes history, often passed down from generation to generation.
Many Edmonds cookbooks have creased covers. Their pages are stained with cake mix and their corners folded and torn. Scrawled notes from old family members appear at the bottom like footnotes.
The first was published in 1908. But over time it has undergone some radical changes. Here’s what’s new with New Zealand’s most-loved cookbook:
‘SURE TO RISE’
The story begins with Thomas John Edmonds, who owned a small grocery store in Christchurch in the 1870s.
After learning that much of the baking power being sold at the time was unreliable, Edmonds set about making his own.
The trademark ‘‘Sure To Rise’’ that now graces the packets of all Edmonds products is said to have been his catchphrase, the company’s website states.
Edmonds eventually went on to make a pamphlet of recipes for his customers, and in 1908 the first Sure To Rise Cookery
was born. It contained just 50 pages of recipes and tips.
New Zealand author Alexa Johnston says Edmonds ‘‘did brilliantly’’ when it came to marketing his products.
‘‘He actually sent them to couples who had engagement notices in the newspaper. So that was very good marketing on his part.’’
Housewives also received a complimentary copy on request.
Over the years, the Edmonds cookbook has been altered and republished many times. Johnston edited its last edition, which currently sits on bookstore shelves.
More than a century later, Edmonds’ notion around gifting the book still exists, as people wrap it up for Christmas and engagement presents, and give it to teenagers going flatting.
SO WHAT’S CHANGED?
‘‘The Edmonds book has changed constantly through the years – grown and responded obviously to the different fads and fashions,’’ Johnston says.
Still, in the minds of the public, it seems like the book’s ‘‘never changed’’, she says.
‘‘The copy that was on their mother’s bench [seems like] the same copy they’ve got on their bench. Even though, if you actually went through and compared the recipes that wouldn’t be the case.’’
Historically, there have been incremental changes as new editions were released.
The fourth edition, from 1923, introduced coloured illustrations. The book released in 1955 was a deluxe edition, which expanded to 570 recipes.
The eighth edition added more savoury dishes, such as pasta. The 1971 cookbook was a special gas-cooking edition, reflecting the changes of that era.
In the late 70s, the spiral-bound style was introduced – which is still the style of the book today.
By the late 80s, there were hardback covers and, in the 90s, nutritional information, international foods and breakfast sections were added.
But Johnston says as far as she’s aware, the ‘‘most radical change to the book’’ is likely the one she edited.
COOKING REVISED
The started out being a ‘‘general purpose book’’ but over time, the recipes had changed so much that ‘‘that was no longer the case’’, Johnston says.
‘‘I was astonished when I got involved in it at how terrible a lot of the recipes were,’’ Johnston adds.
She felt that some of the recipes in the previous cookbooks had moved away from traditional cooking and baking. There were recipes that had hugely reduced the amount of butter needed or removed it altogether.
‘‘If you’re doing traditional baking, very often you need butter.’’
Then there were savoury recipes from other cultures that had been adapted incorrectly, and some other recipes which had confusing methods.
One of these was a recipe for leek and potato soup, which instructed people to mash the potato first and then add the leek.
But Johnston says the key to a good soup is stewing the ingredients together first with butter and then adding stock.
A lot of these outdated recipes were removed from the cookbook Johnston edited. She also brought back some of the traditional recipes that had been in earlier editions.
Crumpets, coconut loaf, Elsie’s Fingers (shortbread) all made their return, as well as tartlet marmalade cakes from the 1930s, and marshmallow shortcake from 1976.
‘‘This book, as far as I was concerned, was about home cooking. I was trying desperately to make things that people would find palatable and authentic in the sense of relating to when the recipes first appeared.’’
New recipes were also added: lemon fried chicken drumsticks, tahini cream and cashew cream.
The 69th edition of the Edmonds cookbook Johnston edited was so different, it was dubbed a ‘‘revised’’ edition.
This 2016 version has different formatting to the other editions, new photographs and an updated cover.
More space was given to the baking section, and the number of chapters and recipes in the book were reduced slightly. A dedication page was also added.
‘‘The whole idea of cooking is that you should enjoy yourself and have something at the end you’re happy with,’’ Johnston says.
By taking the book back to the basics, she hoped to achieve that.
The most recent edition of the
is the 70th, which contains the same content Johnston added, and is the version now gracing New Zealand bookstore shelves.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR EDMONDS?
Are there more drastic changes on the cards for the Edmonds Cookery Book? Apparently not.
‘‘We don’t have any plans at this stage for a revised edition,’’ an Edmonds spokesperson says.
The cookery book has been a constant, reliable companion in Kiwi kitchens for over 100 years, the spokesperson adds.
‘‘New Zealanders have grown up with it, learned to cook with it and fed families from it.’’.
Johnston says it’s intriguing that even though there’s no author attached to the book, it still has such a hold on people’s affections.
‘‘The book somehow got into the psyche and the hearts of New Zealanders and it stayed there.’’