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A tale of two cooks

23/2/2022

2 Comments

 
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Farewell and thanks to Jan Cheshire
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Welcome, Pip Sibley.
By Catherine Watson
 
THROUGH all the years of the Post’s existence, Jan Cheshire has been a constant. Now, after almost 10 years of writing A Cook’s Journal, she has decided it’s time to hang up her cook’s apron, or at least to stop writing about cooking.  
 
Jan has been our cooking writer for the past nine and a half years, which makes her our longest-running contributor!
 
Her first column for the Post was in the spring of 2012, so naturally it included tips on making the most of asparagus, plus a recipe for a broad bean dip.
Many of her recipes were based on the fruit and vegetables grown by her husband Bert.
She has produced an incredible 86 recipes, using everything from apples, asparagus and avocado to zucchini done every which way - fried, stuffed and made into a pie.
 
Huge thanks to Jan for producing work of such high quality over all those years, and we wish her many more successful tuna mornays and German apple cakes without the stress of writing about it.
 
And now welcome to Pip (Philippa) Sibley, one of Melbourne’s most acclaimed chefs. The name will be familiar to those of you who inhabit the world of fine dining in which she is known as the Queen of Desserts.
 
A celebrity chef would normally be beyond the Post’s pay scale (ie. zero) but Pip’s mum Bet, a loyal friend of the Post, put the hard word on her. Pip has kindly agreed to fill the post for a while, at least until her life gets too hectic again.
 
In her classic cookbook PS Desserts, Pip paid tribute to Bet, from whom she learned a love of food and of cooking for others.
 
Her recipes focus on fresh local produce and an immense curiosity about tastes and combinations. On her frequent trips to Wonthaggi, she can sometimes be seen wandering in the back lanes sampling the produce that’s hanging over back fences and hence in the public domain.
 
If you could read her thoughts, they would go something like this:  “Ah that’s sensational. Tangy but sweet. Now what if I added a bit of … no, perhaps I’ll try ... Maybe with the marscarpone. Yes. Would lime juice work? A bit of zest perhaps …”
 
Despite the brainwork, her recipes are refreshingly simple and rarely require a shopping trip to anywhere more exotic than Woolies.
 
Head to her cooking page for this week’s recipe which makes beautiful use of the bounty of home-grown tomatoes most of us are enjoying. I might even give it a go myself, and I don’t often feel that way about a recipe.
2 Comments
Lorrie Read
25/2/2022 11:43:42 am

Well done Jan, some wonderful recipes over the years, especially the zucchini ones, this time of year always reminds me of summer……and zucchini’s!

Reply
Joy Button
25/2/2022 04:46:54 pm

Thank you Jan for your contribution over the years and I always read your column first when opening the Post and have tried and put some in my 'keeps' book for future use.
Welcome Pip and looking forward to the recipes that you will share.

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