A&U acquires New Blue Ribbon Cookbook
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world English rights to The New Blue Ribbon Cookbook by Liz Harfull, in a deal brokered by Fiona Inglis at Curtis Brown.
‘Every year thousands of talented amateurs devote hours to preparing entries for cookery competitions run as part of 600 or so agricultural shows across Australia. In their quest for a precious blue ribbon, they use recipes based on generations of experience and strict judging codes that demand absolute perfection,’ said the publisher. ‘This book will be a favourite on the kitchen benches of anyone aspiring to be best in show, even if the only judges are their families and friends.’
An award-winning rural journalist and communicator, Harfull is the author of 10 books, including The Blue Ribbon Cookbook (Wakefield), which was a runner-up in the Gourmand World Cookbook Award and nominated for the 2010 Le Cordon Bleu Awards, and Tried Tested and True (A&U), which was listed among the ‘Best in the World’ in the 2019 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Harfull lives in the Adelaide Hills, occasionally finding time to bake scones and make jam, while juggling a busy writing career and volunteer work as a community historian.
Harfull said, ‘This book, like my other Blue Ribbons, combines three things that I am passionate about – telling the stories of everyday people, community history and cooking, especially traditional baking and preserving.
‘I thought I was a reasonably good home cook before I wrote these books, having grown up helping my mum in the kitchen. But after spending close to 20 years observing, interviewing and soaking up like a sponge (pun intended) the knowledge of prize-winning show cooks and judges from across Australia, I am infinitely better. Their combined wisdom, which comes from practical experience and knowledge handed down through the generations, is extraordinary.’
Publisher Sally Heath said, ‘[The New Blue Ribbon Cookbook] will appeal both to those who enter our country shows, and those who want fail-safe recipes, drawing from an era when cooks learned how to create something delicious from simple, cost-effective ingredients.’
A&U plans to publish The New Blue Ribbon Cookbook in March 2026.
Photo credit: Sam Oster.
Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions
