G’day, I’m Ella McKenzie
Home cook, recipe tester and the person behind every dish on AustRecipes. I live in Newcastle, New South Wales, and I’ve been cooking for my family for over twenty years.
I grew up eating the food that doesn’t get nearly enough credit online — chocolate crackles at every birthday, Anzac biscuits at school fetes, mum’s roast lamb on Sundays, lamingtons at the church fair. Australian cooking is deeply tied to memory and occasion, and I’ve always felt it deserved its own proper home on the internet, not buried inside “British and Commonwealth recipes” or adapted for an American pantry.
That’s why AustRecipes exists.
What I bring to the table
🍳 20+ years cooking for family
Every recipe comes from a real household kitchen. No restaurant training, no catering shortcuts — just the same pots, pans and pantry you have at home.
🧪 Multiple test rounds per recipe
Before a recipe goes live, I make it several times. I note what failed, what I adjusted, and why — so you don’t waste time or ingredients on a first attempt that doesn’t work.
🇦🇺 Genuinely Australian
I write in Australian English, use metric measurements, and reference Australian supermarket ingredients. These are the recipes I grew up with and still cook for my family today.
My cooking approach
I’m not a restaurant chef — and that’s exactly the point. Everything here comes from real home cooking, in a real kitchen, with the same equipment and pantry you probably have.
Before a recipe goes up, I make it multiple times. I note what failed, what I adjusted, and why. If a slice didn’t set properly on the first try, I work out whether it was the Copha ratio, the fridge time, or the tin size — and I tell you. Because the last thing you want is to waste ingredients on a recipe that hasn’t been properly tested.
Every recipe on AustRecipes is built for busy weeknights, simple pantry ingredients, and clear step-by-step instructions. If something feels too complicated or unrealistic for a home cook, I simplify it until it works.
Cooking at home shouldn’t feel stressful. It should feel natural — and familiar.
What you’ll find on AustRecipes
Every recipe on this site is one I actually cook for my family. The categories reflect the way Australians genuinely eat:
- Dinner — weeknight staples like curried sausages, rissoles and apricot chicken
- Sweets — the classics: caramel slice, vanilla slice, sticky date pudding
- Party Food — the crowd-pleasers: cob loaf, chocolate crackles, white Christmas
- Snacks — from pikelets and cinnamon scrolls to beef jerky
All recipes use metric measurements, reference Australian supermarket brands, and are written the way we actually talk — no jargon, no unnecessary steps.
A little about me outside the kitchen
I live in Newcastle with my family and spend my weekends at the beach, watching sport, and usually thinking about what to cook next. Growing up, food was the language of care in our household — if something happened, good or bad, there was always something baking. A tray of Anzac biscuits for hard times. A pavlova for celebrations. Lamingtons when someone needed cheering up.
That feeling is what I try to bring to every recipe I write. Not just the method, but the warmth behind it.
I am also a mum, which means I have tested every “kid-friendly” claim in real life, with real kids who are entirely unimpressed by my culinary ambitions unless it involves cheese or chocolate. Fair enough, honestly.
How I test and write recipes
- Multiple test batches. I cook every recipe at least twice before writing it up, and often more. If it fails, I figure out exactly why and fix it before sharing.
- Metric all the way. Every measurement is in grams, millilitres and degrees Celsius. No cup conversions needed.
- Australian pantry staples only. If an ingredient isn’t in a standard Woolworths, Coles or IGA, I either find an alternative or leave it out.
- Honest troubleshooting. Every recipe includes the things that can go wrong and how to fix them, because that’s what actually helps people cook better.
- Family tested. My household eats the results. That’s the only quality control that matters to me.
Get in touch
I love hearing from readers. Whether you have a question about a recipe, want to share how it turned out, or have a classic Aussie dish you’d like me to tackle — please get in touch.
📧 contact@austrecipes.com
📍 Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia