Cookery at Sydney City Branch

A great tradition of the CWA and the most well-known part of the CWA is its cooking.

For going on 100 years rural women gathered in their communities and often those gatherings centred on food.

The women cooked what they had on hand and often it was from the basics that they had in their garden, produced on their farms… milk, cream, eggs, meat… and what ‘hard’ goods they had in their pantries, flour, sugar, dried fruit to name a few. They preserved the excess vegetables and fruit, in Vacola preserving jars in the old days, now more likely in a freezer, and made jams, relishes and chutneys. And shared with their neighbours and friends in their communities.

They became intuitive, innovative and good cooks, whether it was for ‘fine’ entertaining in their homes, supplying food for the workers, such as shearing teams, supporting the local community by catering for functions such as weddings in the local halls, wakes for their communities, or the occasional ball!

They held stalls to raise funds for things their community and the wider community needed, whether it was for education, health or just hard times of droughts, floods and fires.

Their famous scones, jam and cream, is still a highlight at the Royal Easter Show, where city and country women and men gather to support the CWA Tea Rooms in one of its largest fundraising events of the year. Attendees’ line up to gain a place at one of the many tables!

 People are surprised that there are city branches of the CWA, but many of our members hark from country towns and farms, have family in the rural areas, or just want to be involved in an organisation with its goal to support one another, and particularly women.

 As many organisations evolve over time so is the CWA…. to meet the needs of the communities we live in and the different demands of today. As well as virtual branches we even have no bake branches!!

 Our Sydney City CWA branch has a wide range of ages and background as members. Women who are studying, working, at home with a family and retired. Our interests are varied and in our Cookery group we like to focus our skills on various cooking adventures:

• We have jammers and preservers who are dedicated to searching out seasonal Australian produce from our farmers and turning it into delicious jars of goodies which we sell at various community markets around Sydney. Currently we attend Carriageworks markets, Concord Rotary and North Sydney Community Market, often on a monthly basis.

• We bake and take our scones to these markets as well, and on special days we bake special things!

• We contribute to the Land Cookery Day as a branch, and it is also open to non-members both female and male, and the winners go on to represent us at our Phillip group level, and sometimes even on to the State Land Cookery Competition (See the Land Cookery page for more details)

 There is increasing interest from people and families now who are interested in where their food comes from, and how it is best prepared. Also a realization that food prepared from basically scratch is healthier and nicer than that bought from a shop. And not to mention less expensive!

 Cookery at the CWA can take many forms, often it is just getting together and sharing ideas, or having a jamming day to learn the basics, or even a scone making lesson.

Whatever it is that you are looking for CWA may be able to help. Come join us! 

 For more information about cookery at Sydney City please get in touch via - cwasydneycookery@gmail.com