Nan Ward’s Kitchen

This little corner of the internet is dedicated to the recipes I inherited from my Grandma, Nan Ward (née Hamilton), a true force of nature born in 1918 in the rugged South Island of New Zealand.

Over her 101 years, she lived rich and fruitful life, working as a nurse, raising six children, and eventually becoming the matriarch of a loving, sprawling, mildly chaotic family including 13 grandchildren.

These recipes span many decades of Nan’s life, and include recipes to stretch a Christmas spread for a family of dozens, all of the classic kiwi slices and desserts from decades past, through to homemade electrolyte drinks to support her medical needs later in life.

You’ll find an interesting mix of imperial, metric, and what I can only describe as grandma-core measurements (1 teacup sugar, anyone?) which I have done my best to translate into metric for consistency, and suitability to my own Australian kitchen. A number of the recipes leave out some key information or assumed knowledge so I’ve added my thoughts in italics to annotate the recipes. And if you’re not a 1950’s housewife, you may need to start stocking up on sherry, as it appears with some regularity.

I hope these recipes bring some nostalgic magic to your table!