Saturday, July 25, 2009

From Romance to Cook Books

On September 24, "Under The Tree' will be launched, a recipe book that celebrates the community of Fahan school and it will be the result of nearly two years of incredibly hard work by myself and a small committee of friends. If someone had told me that the first book I ever published would be a recipe book, I would have laughed at them as what I know about cooking you could fit on a postage stamp. But then again, "Under the Tree" is much more than a recipe book.

My husband and I have educated our four daughters through Fahan, a small private school in Hobart, and two years ago, several events occurred that made me pause and consider why, at an expense that at times we have struggled to afford, we have done so.

This 'pause' led me to discover that what I cherish most about our school is the community that binds it together. As I talked to people, I also found that I was not alone. To many students, both past and present, it is that sense of belonging and community that they most cherish about Fahan School. From this pondering, I formed a small committee and together we have created "Under The Tree" a recipe book that celebrates the community of Fahan and all the recipes that have helped bind our families together.

Our hope is that this book serves two purposes. That it will give the reader a sense of all that is special within the Fahan community. And secondly, that whilst the reader will discover some innovative and contemporary recipes within its pages, they will also be reminded of those special ones that have made their own families special. My personal favourite is the chocolate pudding recipe as it reminds me of meal times as a child and that garish orange dish that the pudding was always served in (that still survives to this day) and of my five brothers and sisters fighting over who went first.

So, whilst not the writing project I hoped would launch my career, it is still one of which I am incredibly proud and as the first copies become available (we are expecting the advances in approximately two weeks) I will share with you images from 'Under the Tree."

6 comments:

  1. Congratulations! Next to romance, cookbooks are my fave! Can't wait to hear/see more :)

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  2. Thanks Rach. I still have to pinch myself. At one stage I didnt think we would even get the idea off the ground and now we are waiting for its arrival. Pinch...pinch...

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  3. Great news Felicity! Fabulous that all your hard work paid off. Well done.

    Jackie

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  4. Thanks Jackie. Now I will have no excuse not to get on with my manuscript. That is unless I come up with another bright idea....

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  5. CONGRATS Felicity! I definitely want chocolate pudding now ;)

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  6. Me too. Although I can also personally vouch for the chocolate pots recipe. When we cooked them to be photographed they nearly didnt make the shot they were sooooo gooooood.

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