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Recipe Revival

Recipe Revival Celebrating our heritage through food

Kawartha Lakes has a rich history influenced by the region’s Indigenous heritage, immigration patterns, agricultural and industrial heritage, and natural assets. Around these themes, there are many unique and memorable food stories worth sharing with locals and visitors alike. Recipe Revival showcases the details of the region's history and how it has influenced local food and drink.

Using recipes from the City of Kawartha Lakes archives, as well as recipes submitted by the community, this program celebrates the exceptional heritage behind the food and offers new tasty treats to try!

Do you have a recipe with a unique story to share? Kawartha Lakes invites all residents to participate in this delicious project! Share your recipe to be included in the Recipe Revival collection.

Share your Recipe

Laura Love Headshot

Contact the team

Laura Love

Economic Development Officer - Curatorial Services

Types of recipes you can submit to Recipe Revival:

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Baked Goods

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Preserves

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Holiday Meals & Dishes

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Appetizers & Sides

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Casseroles & Mains

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BBQ Dishes

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Salads & Dressings

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Meats & Marinades


Explore submitted recipes

Whether you've called Kawartha Lakes home for many years or you have just joined one of our communities- the heritage, traditions and recipes that you have brought with you adds flavour to our already colourful table. Explore some of the submitted recipes, learn the stories behind them, and try them out for yourself!

Lemon Curd
Auntie Barb's Lemon Curd

Food has a profound way of connecting people, not just across distances but also through time. One of the most cherished traditions in many families within Kawartha Lakes is the passing down of recipes through generations. These recipes often carry more than just ingredients and steps; they hold stories, memories, and for Debbie, her Auntie Barb’s lemon curd recipe, hold’s her family close as she now makes this delicious family recipe.  

Butterscotch Pie
Mom's Butterscotch Pie

This pie strikes the perfect balance of sweetness—just the right amount—and makes an ideal complement to any meal. It pairs wonderfully with a cup of tea and is a fantastic treat to share with friends! You can truly taste the history behind this dessert, passed down from Diane’s Irish heritage, now infused with the love she puts into it today.

Orange Cake
Brer Rabbit Orange Cake

Lillian ‘Maud’ White (nee Fielder) was born in 1913 in Coboconk and she loved to cook and to bake. As a young girl, in a family with 13 siblings, these skills were of great value. Maud was a cornerstone in the meals she prepared and shared at local church dinners. Soon, the word got out that Maud was a wonderful baker! Taste one of Lillian's cakes, it might just transport you back to 1930s Coboconk!

Date Squares
Nan's Date Squares
Many families have their own recipes for homemade date squares and this one comes to Kawartha Lakes all the way from Bell Island, Newfoundland. When Gladys Durdle left Newfoundland in 1966 and started over in Ontario, she made sure to keep her beloved heritage alive- not only in her stories about the people and places she loved and missed, but in her cooking. She passed her love of Newfoundland and baking on to her granddaughter, who now makes them for just about anyone who asks.
Agnes Vander Veen
Mom's Honey Cake

Are you travelling over the winter season and need to bring something delicious to share? Perhaps try Pam Mullin’s Dutch Honey Cake, it goes really well with coffee and/or tea! This recipe comes to Kawartha Lakes from Groningen, The Netherlands, when Pam’s mother, Atie ‘Agnes’ Vander Veen, immigrated to Canada in 1954! 

Clarissa Burgoyne (nee Heatley)
Clarissa Heatley's Rhubarb Jam, Maryboro Lodge Museum Collection

Clarissa Heatley moved from Northern Ireland to Lennox and Addington in 1865 and was a teacher. After marrying William Burgoyne, a Napanee millwright, the couple moved to Fenelon Falls where William became the new plant manager of the local pulp mill. Clarissa spent countless hours cooking something wonderful and one of her favourite recipes was rhubarb relish.

Dark Christmas Cake
Dark Christmas Cake

This heirloom recipe comes from Cornwall, England with Mary Jane Connell’s (nee Harrington) 4th great grandmother, Elizabeth Wilton (nee Coppin). Elizabeth emigrated in Canada in 1831 with her husband William and settled in Northumberland County, Ontario.

Six generations later, Mary Jane makes this delicious recipe in Kawartha Lakes!

Mary Huggins (nee Lowes)
Matrimonial Cake

Many of us hold fond memories of cooking with our families, whether in a farmhouse kitchen or outdoors at the barbecue. Diane Buckley has graciously shared a date square recipe that her grandmother referred to as "matrimonial cake." Diane recalls watching her nana, Mary Huggins (nee Lowes), prepare these delicious treats, a memory that remains dear to her.

"Good memories."

Homemade Pumpkin Pie
Mackenzie's Great Grandmother's Pumpkin Pie
This Thanksgiving recipe has been sent through at least four generations of the Lightfood (and Tisdale) families and they hope that you might also create memories with this delicious pumpkin pie!
Ice Cream
North Verulam Ice Cream, Maryboro Lodge Collection

The perfect addition to pumpkin pie from Beaverton is this vanilla ice cream from Bury's Green!

The community of Bury's Green shared a 5-gallon ice-cream makers and enjoyed gathering for ice cream parties! What a great tradition for you to start this year!

Ada McCurdy
Ada's Mustard Pickles

What is a fabulous side dish, appetizer or little snack that can be found on many Thanksgiving tables? Pickles, of course!

This recipe came with Adaline 'Ada' McCurdy from Stirling to Lindsay when her family moved here in the early 1900s. Eventually this tangy (and mouth wateringly amazing) recipe became part of McQuarrie family when Ada married Donald in 1915!

Plowing
Byron Martin’s Potato Patts, Maryboro Lodge Museum Collection
Byron Martin grew up on a farm just west of Bobcaygeon, and was well remembered for his family’s maple syrup business and the countless hours he spent working at the Bobcaygeon Arena and Fair. Byron would make these often for his lunches- it would also make a great addition to your Thanksgiving meal!
Orange Cake
Marion's Orange Cake, Aunt Maud's Recipe Book by Elaine and Kelly Crawford

"This recipe comes from Marion Webb, and was written on a well worn page in Maud's ledger. In spots her writing is illegible, requiring some guess- work and several trial runs. Marion herself tasted our final version, and says we've got it just right!" Marion Webb was the cousin of Lucy Maud Montgomery and was born and raised at Green Gables, PEI.

Recipe is used with permission.

 

Chocolate Chip and Walnut Cookies
Boston Cookies, Aunt Maud's Recipe Book by Elaine and Kelly Crawford

"One of Maud's housekeepers commented that she was frequently requested to make Boston Cookies. The Macdonald family's cookie jar simply kept emptying!"

Recipe is used with permission.

Photograph:The Kitchen at Maud’s MacNeill grandparents house in Cavendish, PEI.
Photograph courtesy of Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph. L.M. Montgomery Collection, XZ1MSA097003.

Applesauce Cake
Applesauce Cake, Aunt Maud's Recipe Book by Elaine and Kelly Crawford

"This interesting recipe appears in Maud's book with no eggs and the advice to 'turn into a greased load pan line with greased white paper." The authors of 'Aunt Maud's Recipe Book: from the Kitchen of L.M. Montgomery,' Elaine and Kelly Crawford, are related to Maud- Kelly's grandmother was Marion Webb, and Elaine is Kelly's mother!

Recipe is used with permission.

Old Fence and Trees
Lemon Crumbles, Aunt Maud's Recipe Book by Elaine and Kelly Crawford

"Buttery and rich with just the right amount of lemon, these squares must have been a favourite with Maud, who was quite partial to the flavour of lemon."

Recipe used with permission.

Photograph: Old Fence under Birches in Webb’s Field, Cavendish, PEI
Courtesy of Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph. L.M. Montgomery Collection, XZ1 MS A097013

Blackberry Jam
Mom's Blackberry Jam by Deb Evans
Deb's recipe comes with a beautiful memory of picking berries at the cottage and watching her mother make jam. The perfect pairing to any scone or tea biscuits is homemade jam, perhaps while you are making Freda Kelly's tea biscuits, you can also try this recipe from Burnt River?
Macaroni and Cheese
Old Fashioned Macaroni and Cheese
This delicious recipe came with Lisa's grandmother, Margaret Hart (nee McRae), when she and her family immigrated to Fenelon Falls in 1916! Lisa may have been too young to remember her grandmother making this recipe, but she is remembered every time it is made.
Cookies
Chocolate Cake Drops, Kawartha Lakes Museum and Archives
This Chocolate Drop Cake recipe was written by Lilian Stewart (nee Greig) in 1905. Lilian, her husband Thomas and three children resided in Lindsay and loved entertaining friends and family in their home. This recipe would have been a wonderful addition to their gatherings, as well as enjoyed by the entire family.
Scotch Tea Squares
Effie's Scotch Tea Squares
Born Euphemia McQuarrie in 1885 to Laughlin McQuarrie and Isabella Campbell of Eldon, Effie was not only a teacher and world traveler but also a talented baker. Lovingly passed down through the McQuarrie family, Effie's Scotch Tea recipe is the perfect pairing to a hot cup of tea/coffee, and also, especially if right out of the oven, a bowl of vanilla ice cream!
Agatha Rumney
Golden Marmalade, Kawartha Lakes Museum and Archives

This Golden Marmalade recipe was written by Agatha Rumney in 1924 on a Central Restaurant menu in Coboconk. Agatha was married to Earl Cecil Hugill, who ran the restaurant. This recipe is a time machine that takes us back to the flavors of Coboconk in the 1920s.

Edward Leslie
Edward Leslie's Gingerbread

Laura’s gingerbread recipe comes from her great-grandfather, Edward 'Curtis' Leslie, a chef from Fredericton, New Brunswick, born in 1899. Edward turned his love for baking into a job and opened his own bakery. Now, Laura keeps his recipe books as family treasures. This gingerbread is not just a tasty treat, it's a way of remembering someone special.

Gumdrop cake
Light Christmas Cake by Janet Cain

Janet shared her special cake recipe that's been passed down through her family. It's a festive Light Christmas Cake filled with raisins, fruit, gumdrops and coconut. Imagine making this cake with your family during the holidays!

Shepherd's Pie
Shepherd’s Pie by Rachel Kruyf

Rachel’s Shepherd’s Pie recipe comes with a heartwarming family story. The recipe was passed down by her mother, Josephine 'Jo' DeGroot, who told her that finding the bay leaf in the pie would bring good luck. Her mother made the story up so Rachel wouldn’t be grossed out by the leaf! Now a family joke, the bay leaf tradition lives on, showcasing the delightful way culinary customs are born.

Tea Biscuits
Freda Kelly's Tea Biscuits, Maryboro Lodge Collection
Every year, Maryboro Lodge celebrates their community heritage by offering a formal Afternoon Tea. With talented pianists that join on the first piano in the Village of Fenelon, a 1868 Chickerning Square Grand, this event is perhaps one of the longest running social traditions in Fenelon Falls.
Cliff and Barbara Hooey sitting on a bench by the lake
Nana's Fudge from Barbara Hooey
Barbara Hooey made this fudge recipe every year at Christmas time. The photo shows Nana and Grampa Hooey at their family cottage in Fenelon Falls with their dog, Misty. Contributed by Kirsten Meehan, some of her best memories were spent at the cottage together.
Coleslaw on a Bun
Coleslaw from The Lady Hughes Chapter, I.O.D.E. Coronation Cook Book
This recipe was taken from the The Lady Hughes Chapter of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (I.O.D.E.) Coronation Cook Book. Formed in June 1943, members of the Lindsay chapter celebrated their tenth anniversary by compiling a list of their favourite recipes.
bowl of Salsa
Jennifer Johnson's Salsa

This is Jennifer's family recipe for salsa, using fresh ingredients straight from their garden. Choose your level of spice by adding as many, or as few, jalapenos as you like.

Portrait of Myrtle Dobbs Bailey
Myrtle's Mustard Sauce, an Easter Recipe

Myrtle made this mustard sauce recipe for her family, friends and community every Easter. It has been passed down from generation to generation and is made with the same love that Myrtle initially put into the sauce. This delicious recipe is a must-have addition to any ham, and like many recipes, is made with the hope of bringing people together.

Dinner Rolls
Great Aunt Maggie's Dinner Rolls
Deb Evan's dinner roll recipe has been passed down through generations by her family in Kinmount. From her great-aunt, to her mother (who only made them on special occasions), to herself and now to her granddaughters, Deb hopes that this recipe might find its way into your family dinners, as well, no matter the occasion!
Queen Mary's Needlework Guild War Cake
Queen Mary's Needlework Guild War Cake

A little card found in the Abbott Sister's Recipe Book with so much history! This recipe from the Queen Mary's Needlework Guild is another reminder that the war was never too far away from home.

Photograph of Grace and George Simmons
Grandma Grace's Hard Tack Cookies

Remembering special moments with her grandmother Grace Simmons (nee Hancock), Debbie always looked forward to visiting her grandmother in Irondale. The photo shows Debbie seated on her grandmother’s knee surrounded by big smiles on her grandparent’s faces, expressing just how much they enjoyed spending time together.


Have a story to share? Check out our other programs for more information:

Palestine Community Centre Artifact
Connect with your Collection
The City's collection is truly for the past and current residents of Kawartha Lakes. Explore the artifacts and archives that tell the stories of the people and places who helped shape the towns and villages of Kawartha Lakes.
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Moments and Memories
Step into another time and discover the moments and memories of places and the people who used to, or still do, call this place home. The Moments and Memories Map shares the stories that help you make deeper connections to the area.
Kawartha Lakes artifacts - Lindsay Parade
Artifacts and Archives
The Artifact and Archival Services program in Kawartha Lakes focuses on documenting, preserving, and promoting 3D artifacts and 2D archival collections with a focus on connecting the items with their stories.

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