Old Better Homes And Gardens Cookbook Recipes

Home
DIY

How to create a family heirloom cookbook

Immortalise your home recipe collection for future generations.

Food is a great way to bring family together, and beloved recipes that conjure precious memories of home deserve a special place in your family tree.

With Christmas right around the corner, a homemade recipe book also makes the perfect gift, and something meaningful to share with your loved ones.

Discover how you can turn your family recipes, both old and new, into a treasured collection for years to come…

1. Round up your best recipes

Start by gathering your recipes. Either write them from memory, or make copies of the ones you already have. If you're fortunate enough to have old, handwritten recipes, scan them to preserve their original look, grease stains and all.

You can also ask your family members to contribute their favourite recipes, sharing memories associated with the dish, such as who it came from and when it was served.

Once you have compiled your collection, divide them into categories like breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, or separate by seasons.

Getty

2. Test your dishes

Now that you have your recipe collection, it's time to cook! This is the fun part, and one hungry members of your household will also enjoy. It will also help you refine your recipe by making a note of details such as measurements, cook times and temperatures, including any tips and tricks that help bring it to life.

Getty

3. Take beautiful photos

Now that you have perfected your dishes, it's time to capture them in all their glory. Bringing them to life deserves some attention. For the best results, we suggest using a professional camera, such as the Nikon Z Series Mirrorless Camera range. Teamed with the NIKKOR Z Mirrorless Lens, it offers super high-resolution images to perfectly capture every delicious detail for future generations.

Getty

4. Share your stories

Including some family history and celebrating the people and places behind the recipes you love will make your book extra special. This could be warm or funny blurbs contributed by various relatives about their fond memories of the dish, and/or your own associations with the meal.

Getty

5. Pick a design

Now that you have your recipes, photos and stories, it's time to put them all together. Start by picturing how you want your book to look. Will your recipes be uniformly typed out or handwritten? Do you have a desired colour scheme or font?

Take inspiration from recipe books you already own, craft projects and mood boards. Don't worry if you're not a graphic design whiz, there are plenty of easy templates available for free on sites like Canva, or online directories such as Fiverr to easily match you with a freelancer to design it for you.

Once your final product is prepared, you can share it with your loved ones as an E-book, or easily get it printed and bound at your local stationary store. Your family will love it!

Getty

Brought to you by JB Hi-Fi.

Purchase any Nikon Z Series Mirrorless Camera or NIKKOR Z Mirrorless Lens and share your favourite food snap for your chance to win a kitchen upgrade package from Electrolux. Plus a Beefeater BBQ to be won each month! Find out more here .