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NEW ZEALAND CLASSICS

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Recipes from 1979 hospital ward cookbook with sausage and apple casserole.

vintage recipes, modern kitchen

EXPLORE THE ARCHIVE

FROM THE 1979 COOKBOOK

Recipes from 1979

I’m recreating recipes from a 1979 hospital ward cookbook to see whether they still deserve a place on the table today. Some are surprisingly good. Some are baffling. All of them are a story.

Original Parsnip Pie recipe from the 1979 cookbook, with a sweet parsnip filling and meringue topping.

Very 1979 verdict.

THIS WEEK’S RECREATION

Parsnip Pie

A sweet parsnip and vanilla pie, finished with golden meringue.

In 1979, parsnips made their way to the dessert table. Mashed parsnip, milk, sugar, vanilla and egg yolks form the filling, with pastry underneath and a crown of baked meringue on top. It looks like a familiar, old-fashioned dessert pie, although the main ingredient might suggest otherwise.

The filling and pastry bake together before the meringue is added and the pie returns to the oven. Could something I’d usually serve beside a roast earn a place at the other end of the meal?

READ THE RECIPE

ALL 1979 RECIPES

The 1979 Archive

Every recipe I’ve recreated from the Ward 9 cookbook, from surprisingly good casseroles to very 1979 desserts.

Original Parsnip Pie recipe from the 1979 cookbook, with a sweet parsnip filling and meringue topping.

VERY 1979

Parsnip Pie

1 HOUR 45 MINS

Homemade Pâté Maison in a white ramekin with toasted baguette cornichons.

WORTH MAKING AGAIN

Pâté Maison

1 HOUR + CHILL

Golden Omelette Alsterblick filled with banana and chocolate beside the original 1979 cookbook

SURPRISINGLY GOOD

Omelette Alsterblick

15 MINS

Sausage and Apple Casserole with onions, apple and brown sauce, recreated from a 1979 hospital ward cookbook.

WORTH MAKING AGAIN

Sausage and Apple Casserole

1 HOUR

Pineapple and mutton curry in a thick golden-brown sauce, served beside white rice in a pale pink bowl on a wooden table.

SURPRISINGLY GOOD

Pineapple and Mutton Curry

2 HOURS 15 MINS

Open jar of imitation raspberry jam beside a bitten slice of jam-covered toast on a pink plate, with butter and a used knife on a blush surface.

BETTER THAN EXPECTED

Imitation Raspberry Jam

1 HOUR + COOL

Mince casserole from a 1979 recipe, served in a shallow bowl with rice, peas, pineapple and bacon.

VERY 1979

Mince Casserole

1 HOUR 20 MINS

Pizza Italian Style baked in a pie dish with cheese, bacon and mushrooms, recreated from a 1979 hospital ward cookbook.

VERY 1979

Pizza Italian Style

40 MINS

Marshmallow cake squares with pink strawberry marshmallow over a golden shortcake base.

CURIOUS BUT CHARMING

Marshmallow Cake

1 HOUR 30 MINS + SET

Four bacon-wrapped saveloys filled with prunes and melted tasty cheese on a ribbed glass plate against a burgundy background.

SURPRISINGLY GOOD

Savoury Saveloys

35 MINS

Slice of kukuye sabzi served with yoghurt and salad leaves, with the remaining herb and egg bake in a blue pie dish.

VERY 1979

Kukuye Sabzi

1 HOUR 25 MINS

Multi-Coloured Fudge Cake no-bake slice with Explorer lollies and coconut, recreated from a 1979 hospital ward cookbook.

WORTH MAKING AGAIN

Multi-Coloured Fudge Cake

15 MINS + CHILL

WORTH MAKING AGAIN

Braising Steak Casserole

2 HOURS 10 MINS

Overhead view of creamy Jiffy mussel chowder in a pale pink bowl, beside a saucepan and handwritten Hutt Hospital recipe book dated December 1979.

VERY 1979

Jiffy Mussel Chowder

20 MINS

Banana Bran Muffins served warm with butter, recreated from a 1979 hospital ward cookbook.

BETTER THAN EXPECTED

Banana Bran Muffins

25 MINS

Sherry biscuit dessert with whipped cream and chocolate chips, recreated from a 1979 hospital ward cookbook.

SURPRISINGLY GOOD

Dessert

45 MINS

THE 1979 TEST

Brilliant, baffling, or still worth making?

Every recipe gets a verdict.

I’m cooking my way through my grandmother’s 1979 hospital ward cookbook, testing each recipe with a modern City Slicker eye.

Together, we're seeing what still works, what feels very much of its time, and what deserves another turn on the table.

Recipes from 1979 verdict card reading surprisingly good.

Recipes from 1979 verdict card reading worth making again.

Recipes from 1979 verdict card reading better than expected.

Recipes from 1979 verdict card reading curious, but charming.

Recipes from 1979 verdict card reading very 1979.

Vintage table setting with amber glasses, flowers and olives for Recipes from 1979.

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