Flavour of Eltham: recipes and other things was collected and published by the Friends of Shillinglaw Cottage in 1964.
The original cottage once stood about 100 metres away from its current location in Panther Place, Eltham. Built in the 1870’s, it is one of Eltham’s earliest buildings. In 1963 it faced demolition to make room for the Eltham Shire offices. But local residents came together to save the cottage. It was the first time that an early settler’s brick building was removed and reconstructed.
A fundraiser was the resident’s compilation of loved recipes into the cookery book Flavour of Eltham. It also includes illustrations and advertisements for local businesses.
The foreword of the book states:
“This book is about Eltham. But more than that it is about intention. It originated when the people of Eltham, the first in Australia to preserve the reconstruction an historical building, removed and rebuilt a cottage that reflected the spirit of a period. The shilling law cottage was first built in 1859 and was rebuilt in 1964. It has beauty and is rich with the past. The people of Eltham stand for something. There is, in this community, a firm resolve to preserve for their children the natural beauty of the district; to establish a centre whose allegiance is to aesthetic values rather than to commercial ones. Eltham already has this reputation, a reputation that is known beyond the borders of Australia. Its desire is to increase it. This book is a step forward in that direction.”
October 1964. Signed Alan Marshall
The chapters include: Old time, Restaurants, Are you in a hurry, Advance action, Serve it cold, Tea time tantalizer, Pickles and preserves, Fabulous fare and Ne Buvez Jamais L’eau.
The cover illustration was drawn by Peter Glass.
Publication dates:
First Edition: November 1964
Second Edition: January 1965
Third Edition: August 1965
Fourth Edition: August 1968
Additonal souce: Marshall, Marguerite, Nillumbik Now and Then, MPrint Publications, 2008
