Who still has their Margaret Fulton Cookbook in their cupboard? Have the pages got a bit stained from heavy use? Are there still bookmarks for your family’s favourite recipes, including your mother’s or grandmother’s?
Margaret Fulton burst into the nation’s kitchens in 1969 with her burnt orange crockpots and chunky stoneware serving dishes. Born in Scotland, Fulton travelled extensively and brought everything she learned to her cooking and to her writing, encouraging housewives to try their hand at Nasi Goreng and Apricot Chicken.
“Australian food back then was bland, boring and British, or overly fussy, fancy and French”, BREC Experience Manager Suzanne Clark explained. “Margaret Fulton changed the game entirely.”
The Margaret Fulton Cookbook, with hundreds of recipes, step-by step instructions, hints, tips and full-colour pictures was a huge success and taught a generation of women how to make delicious, economical dishes for family and friends. The era of the dinner party was born. Armed with a fondue set, a pressure cooker and their new confidence, women transformed themselves from family cooks to elegant hostesses, serving Chicken Liver Pâté, Sweet and Sour Pork and Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding.
Margaret’s book sold over 1.5 million copies.
In 1983 Margaret was awarded an Order of Australia in recognition of her services to cookery, and in 2006 she was named by the National Trust as an Australian Living National Treasure. In 2009 Margaret was named as one of the 25 Australians who have most changed the nation.

Sadly, Margaret Fulton passed away on July 24th, 2019, aged 94.

Margaret Fulton’s best-selling autobiography I Sang for my Supper, which follows her journey from humble beginnings to super-stardom, is the basis for a playful, energetic musical that has finally made it to Bunbury. Chances are it will not only inspire its audiences’ nostalgic streak, but make them go back to those bookmarked pages in their worn cookbooks to honour Australia’s first culinary queen through their cooking once again.
For more information or to purchase tickets for the show on 20 May visit the event page.