Celebrated food writer Margaret Fulton, who was known as "the woman who taught Australia to cook," died July 24, the Australian reported. She was 94. "Indeed, such was the lifelong drive of the diminutive matriarch of Australian home cookery that she released her 21st book on the cusp of her 85th birthday, back in 2009." Fulton was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 1983 Queen's Birthday Honors, and in 1998 her name was added to the National Trust's 100 Australian Living Treasures.
It was her first title, The Margaret Fulton Cookbook (1968), "that planted the little Scot's flag firmly in the soil of Australian domestic history. Fulton gave a conservative and affluent Australian generation of women and men--but mostly women--the wherewithal to tackle coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon and Caesar salad in the safety of their rapidly evolving home kitchens. By the end of the century, few Australian households were without at least one Fulton title," the Australian wrote. The most successful Aussie cookbook ever, The Margaret Fulton Cookbook's 50th anniversary edition was published in 2018.
Her more than 25 books include Margaret Fulton's Encyclopedia of Food and Cookery; Margaret Fulton's Baking Classics; Margaret Fulton: Slow Cooking; and an autobiography, I Sang for My Supper.
Describing it as "a sad day for those of us with an interest in the food history of Australia," food and cookbook writer Stephanie Alexander told the Guardian: "Margaret broadened the horizons of Australian cooks at a time when many had very limited ideas about good food. She was that irresistible mix of practical commonsense with a bit of mischief. Margaret always had a twinkle in her eye. She had little time for humbug and was generous in her support for the next generation of cooks and foodwriters. Many households depended on their copy of The Margaret Fulton Cookbook."
Hardie Grant Books, Fulton's publisher since 2004, paid tribute to her as one of the country's "most commercially successful and critically acclaimed authors." Hardie Grant Group managing director Julie Pinkham said, "It was a rare privilege to work with Margaret. She had very high standards and we were always kept on our toes--she completely understood her audience and knew exactly what they wanted."