I haven’t bought cookies for a long time.
Not because I’m particularly fussy, it’s just that bought cookies are boring. I don’t know their backstory. I know what you’re thinking … do cookies really need a backstory?
Let me explain.
These are the quarantine cookies that I made for last Sunday’s neighbour bake. And as I was making them, it occurred to me that every ingredient had its own tale to tell.
The organic unsalted Belgian butter was a gift from our friend Chef Graeme who lives across the road. As an aside, can I just say how happy we are to have someone so knowledgeable close by? He’s incredibly patient too, putting up with my endless texts for advice at strange hours of the day.
The eggs came from our darling neighbour Jane, who is trying to support a free range producer who lost most of his wholesale business as a result of the lockdown. Jane buys 180 eggs every couple of weeks, shares them out with the whole street, and refuses to take any money for it. She’s an absolute rockstar.
The cacao nibs were made by Chocolate Ninja Jess who has just opened a bean to bar chocolate factory at our local shops. Lovely Lorraine at Not Quite Nigella wrote this post about her a couple of months ago and at the time, she said to me “I think you’d be really interested in what Jess is doing”. She was so right! The business is set up as a social enterprise, with every purchase helping to support growers in the South Pacific.
The vanilla extract was homemade, using beans that my incredibly generous friend Dotti gave me last year. The aroma is incredible!
I used the whole wheat Viva La Farina Italian flour that Steve, who is still stuck in Italy, had delivered to me from Lario International. I’ve been baking loaves and also sharing this wonderful flour with friends and neighbours. Its nuttiness really adds to the cookies…
Many of my baking supplies come from Southern Cross Supplies, and I’m keen to keep supporting them at this time, as so much of their wholesale business has dropped off. They’ve now moved to much larger premises in Lidcombe. I bought my cranberries, currants, dried figs and sultanas from them, as well as the Australian dark brown sugar and rolled oats.
The Olsson’s flossy sea salt, harvested in South Australia, also came from Southern Cross, in a giant 25kg bag no less. If you haven’t kept up with our salt adventures, you can read about them here and here.
When lockdown began and there was a run on salt at the supermarkets, I turned to Pete and said…”ha! Who’s the nutter now, then?”
Seriously, if that man’s eyes roll any further back in his head, there’s a chance they won’t come back out…
And finally, the Sao Thome 70% dark origin chocolate callets were bought from the truly gorgeous folks at Chefs’ Warehouse. I’ve been buying from them forever and popping in to their store is like visiting old friends. They’ve relocated to a large deconsecrated church in Redfern, and they too could really use your support now if you’re looking to buy supplies…
. . . . .
See why I find it so hard to buy a cookie these days? Every bite of one of these connects me to folks that I know personally – friends, neighbours, and suppliers that I’ve been buying from for years.
“Know where your food comes from”, we’re constantly being told. I can’t always manage that, but when I can, it’s incredibly rewarding. And this time, I knew where my food was going as well – to feed my fabulous neighbours. I left loaves and cookies on the back deck and they all came to pick up! ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
This made me cry, but with joy 😍
What a lovely neighbourhood you live in, the world would definately be a nicer place if everyone lived like this.
Backstory…we need those and this one was perfect. Thanks.
You are my heroine. You not only walk the walk and talk the talk, you also cook the cookies. :)
I love you Celia! I would also like to say that while our household got a bag of cookies, I didn’t get even one!!! But I did love my bread! If anyone in Sydney is interested in getting some of these great eggs, and much more besides, this guy is wonderful. Check him out. https://countrymeatsdirect.com.au/shop/
love to everyone from me, The Egg Rockstar. x
Long time reader, first time commenting! I loved this post Celia, you are so connected to your food – it’s really inspiring me to be much more aware of the backstory to my food. Thank you
Great piece Celia. Always best to know where your food comes from. I think you also need to apply this to your Barramundi too as seafood sustainability across the planet is really critical. The AMCS Sustainable Seafood Guide is a a great resource to help with this
Farmed barramundi (which the one we had was, I checked when I bought it) is actually one of the more sustainable species to eat! :) Plus these fish are grown in Taiwan primarily for the Japanese market, so the water hygiene and care requirements are particularly high. I asked lots of questions when I bought the fish. :)
Can I tell you how much I love these daily posts? They are so comforting. Warm hugs from California, Maz. <3
Love this story. What wonderful mutual support.
I thank God for wonderful, generous, kind serving people like you Celia! Not only giving acknowledgement to your friends, neighbours & suppliers but also giving in return to your neighbours – freely! I love baking. and giving. It’s a wonderful fulfilling feeling isn’t it? Just knowing you’ve been blessed and you’ve been a blessing to others. Cookies in our home don’t last long. We pack away for a few households and leave the crumbly burnt ones for us.(They;re usually the best tasting ones I reckon) .
A lovely and inspiring story. I envy you having access to such wonderful products. Hope you are well, Pauline x
I feel like delicious home made chocolate chip cookies now, but I know if I make any I’ll eat half a dozen with no trouble… Packet stuff is never the same, so often lifeless and empty.. Soulful cookies all the way!
Celia, such a timely post. I was so hoping to go to Chef’s Warehouse again; I miss so many of my favourite foods and cookware and can now look forward to visiting the new premises.
They’re opened restricted hours at the moment, so worth calling first. Plus they have home delivery now too!
What a lovely post what a lovely neighbourhood. I just love back stories more than sitting in the front seat ! You may all know this already but I was interested that the word quarantine came from plague epidemics in 14th Century Italy. Started with a Trentino then had to go to 40 days hence Quarantino. Hope you don’t mind me saying ……..
Absolutely don’t mind at all! I think it’s fascinating! I discovered the connection to the Italian word for 40 when we bought rapini seeds! Scroll back a bit and you’ll see the post! 😉
A wonderful post showing just how lovely connections made can be. My first batch of these is cooling right now, and I’ll be sharing with neighbours later 😊
Loved this post – and who wouldn’t love these. That’s the difference between real food and food that was manufactured. Manufactured cookies only tell a story about supply chain and profits.
[…] a link with friends and family even though we can’t meet up with them at the moment. Cook food to leave on neighbours’ doorsteps, mend clothes for others or make music for everyone in the […]
Home made vanilla essence is yet another way you have impacted my life. I topped up the jar with some vodka last week. It just keeps giving, as do you!
This is such a wholesome post, and I’m sure that your friends love your cookies.
A true foodie. Living in Melbourne one of the things I miss at present is our food wandering to our favourite suppliers all over town. We usually make a day of it zipping about the inner suburbs and grabbing an awesome but simple lunch on the way.