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Home » Recipes

Nana Ling's Handwritten Recipes

This is a collection of recipes recorded by my great grandmother Lydia Louisa Ling ("Nana Ling") in the 1930s and 40s. Nana Ling's Handwritten Recipes are a family treasure but are also valuable from a historical perspective. They capture the way people in regional Australia cooked during this time and coped with wartime rationing and scarcity. Among her recipes, are one of the earliest records of Pavlova (she includes a note that it should be "hard on outside and like marshmallow inside), a fruit cake designed to be sent to soldiers during WWII, Mock Chicken and a beautiful old-fashioned Sultana Cake.

These recipes are so special to me and I hope you'll love them too. The original handwritten recipe appears in each post along with my "tested and tweaked" version in the recipe card.

  • raspberry coconut slice.
    Raspberry Coconut Slice (Classic Australian Recipe)
  • lemon meringue slice
    Lemon Meringue Slice (With Biscuit Base & Tangy Lemon Filling)
  • Coconut Cake.
    Coconut Cake
  • tomato jam in jars with pineapple and tomato in background.
    Tomato Jam
  • snowballs
    Snowballs
  • Golden Syrup Dumplings.
    Golden Syrup Dumplings
  • Lamingtons on plate.
    Lamingtons
  • lemon cake recipe
    Lemon Cake
  • Carrot Christmas Pudding on plate with warm vanilla sauce poured over.
    Carrot Christmas Pudding
  • passionfruit cordial
    Passionfruit Cordial
  • passionfruit curd recipe.
    Passionfruit Curd
  • Caramel Date Slice cut into squares.
    Caramel Date Slice
  • Apricot Jam.
    Apricot Jam
  • Burnt Butter Biscuits on cooling tray.
    Burnt Butter Biscuits
  • apple amber slice on plate.
    Apple Amber
  • passionfruit melting moments.
    Passionfruit Melting Moments
  • sultana cake
    Sultana Cake
  • nan's sponge cake
    Nan's Sponge Cake
  • cherry cake
    Cherry Cake
  • Passionfruit Sponge Cake.
    Passionfruit Sponge Cake
  • Butterfly cake.
    Butterfly Cakes
  • date slice
    Date and Walnut Slice
  • Pavlova decorated with cream and fruit.
    Best Aussie Pavlova Recipe
  • flummery.
    Flummery Recipe
  • Stack of Scotch Pancakes.
    Scotch Pancakes
  • Lemon Curd in jar and on spoon.
    Easy Lemon Curd
  • Canary Pudding
  • Scottish shortbread petticoat tails.
    Scottish Shortbread Petticoat Tails
  • Iced currant fingers.
    Iced Currant Fingers
  • Honey Biscuits served on white plate.
    Honey Biscuits
  • butternut cookies recipe.
    Butternut Cookies
  • chocolate ripple cake
    Chocolate Ripple Cake
  • pikelets on plate served with butter and jam.
    Pikelets
  • pineapple tart
    Pineapple Tart
  • lemon jam
    Lemon Jam
  • junket ice cream recipe
    Homemade Junket Ice Cream
  • mango pudding
    Mango Pudding
  • floral fruit cake
    Floral Fruit Cake
  • jam drops on cooling tray
    Old Fashioned Jam Drops
  • banana cake with lemon frosting
    Banana Cake with Lemon Icing
  • Soldiers Cake 2
    Soldiers Cake
  • spicy fruit roll biscuits on cooling tray
    Spicy Fruit Roll Biscuits

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Hi, I’m Libby, a recipe researcher, writer and home cook. I find, test and preserve traditional Australian recipes, sharing the stories behind them and making them reliable for today’s kitchens. I hope you discover an old favourite—or a recipe that brings back treasured memories.

More about me →

Christmas Collection

  • Dubai chocolate Slice with an Australian twist.
    Dubai Chocolate Slice
  • Yulefest Pudding in a mug.
    Yulefest Pudding (Microwave Christmas Pudding for One)
  • Christmas Biscotti on plate.
    Christmas Biscotti
  • Pea and Ham Soup in bowl.
    Pea and Ham Soup
  • Christmas Jelly Slice on plate.
    Christmas Jelly Slice
  • Baileys Truffles

Most Popular

  • Tomato Relish in dish with jars in abckground.
    Tomato Relish
  • Apricot Chicken on plate with rice.
    Apricot Chicken
  • cob loaf recipe with bread dipping into cob loaf.
    Cob Loaf Recipe
  • classic trifle recipe
    Traditional Trifle Recipe
  • choko pickles
    Choko Pickles
  • Cabbage Mince Chow Mein in frypan.
    Cabbage Mince Chow Mein

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I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where I work and live, the Wonnarua people, and pay my respects to Elders past and present.

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