Barossa Council, Media Release, 17 March 2025

The legacy of Australia’s most enduring cookbook, The Barossa Cookery Book, is being honoured with the launch of the companion edition, Rolling Up Their Sleeves.

The creative inspiration of Those Barossa Girls, Sheralee Menz and Marieka Ashmore, Rolling Up Their Sleeves explores the remarkable history of the iconic cookery book, which was compiled in 1917 as a war fundraiser.

“The original cookbook is a symbol of love, hope, generosity and resilience, and really connects us with how the community would have been feeling at that time,” says Sheralee.

The contemporary edition, to be launched this week, draws on archives and family interviews to paint a portrait of the enduring women behind the original recipes, which are characterised by their frugality and seasonality.

Sheralee and Marieka have translated a selection of the original recipes for today’s generation, and in so doing, created a powerful connection between the past and the present.

Sheralee says it’s been a privilege to write such an important chapter in the Barossa’s regional food story.

“It’s difficult to articulate how important the project is, how time-consuming it’s been but how valuable the end result is,” she says.

“Everything about our sense of identity and our regional culture is captured in these two books – it’s a celebration of all things Barossa.”

The Barossa Council’s Team Leader Arts and Culture, Rowena Sloane, says Rolling Up Their Sleeves provides a tangible link to the Tanunda Roll of Honour and Soldiers’ Memorial Hall.

“In the same way that Sheralee and Marieka have come to know every woman in The Barossa Cookery Book, we have come to know the soldiers whose portraits hang on the wall and how they connect to the women in the book,” says Rowena.

“It also reconnects us with the early days of this space, the value of its legacy and what the hall is here for, which is our community, and the beautiful fruit that bears.”

Rolling Up Their Sleeves will be launched on 19 March at a free special event at the home of The Barossa Cookery Book, Tanunda Soldiers’ Memorial Hall, with copies to be publicly available in store at The Gallery Shop or online at thosebarossagirls.com.au.