Cookbook a valuable resource

Community recipe books are useful in the present and treasures for the future as we see by the work of people like Prof Helen Leach, David Veart and Alexa Johnston, who have written books based on research in old community cookbooks to come up with stories about our culinary past.

The newest local community cookbook is Your Most Useful Mosgiel Recipe Book produced by the Mosgiel Playcentre ($15) with recipes contributed by the families involved.

Besides recipes for baking, puddings, family meals, vegetables, salads, and party foods, there's a useful list of recipes for using up various ingredients, from bananas and egg whites to sour cream and mashed potato, and recipes for things like playdough and "slime" to make for the kids.

The book is being launched outside the Mosgiel Bank of New Zealand tomorrow and will be available at the play centre's Christmas fair on December 6 and from local retailers.