Edmonds Cookery Book

Lore & Background

Before the cookery book was created, Edmonds put recipes in the lids of the baking powder tins. The book was first published in 1908, originally named the Sure To Rise Cookery Book with 50 pages. Only two copies of the first edition are known to survive. Over the years, the cookbook has gone through numerous editions and reprints, evolving with changing tastes and kitchen technology.

In 1931 the first edition with photos was released. Originally, housewives could write a request to Edmonds to get a free copy. Couples in the 1940s who announced that they had become engaged in the newspaper would receive a free cookbook. The first 'De Luxe' edition appeared in 1954, and since then, the book has become a paid product. The same year, the front cover began featuring the iconic Edmonds factory in Linwood, Christchurch (demolished in 1990).

Reader's Guide

The Edmonds Cookery Book has been described by journalist Ron Palenski as 'much a part of New Zealand kitchens as a stove and knife'. With over three million copies sold by 2015, it is the best-selling New Zealand published book as of 2019. It has been called a New Zealand icon, Kiwiana, and appeared on a 2008 stamp series featuring national icons for each letter of the alphabet. The book's editions reflect changes in cooking technology and society: the 1971 book was dedicated to gas cooking; the 1976 edition introduced spiral binding and dual imperial and metric measurements to coincide with metrication in New Zealand; a microwave baking section was added in 1988; and international foods and nutritional information were added in 1993. The 69th De Luxe edition was released in 2016, and the 2012 edition has over 500 recipes.

Did You Know?

• Only two copies of the first 1908 edition are known to survive.
• Couples in the 1940s who announced their engagement in the newspaper would receive a free cookbook.
• The front cover began featuring the Edmonds factory in Linwood, Christchurch in 1955; the factory was demolished in 1990.
• The 1976 edition introduced spiral binding and dual imperial and metric measurements.

Origins as a Marketing Gimmick

The Edmonds Cookery Book did not begin as a literary project but as a shrewd commercial tactic. Before the book ever took shape, baking powder manufacturer Thomas Edmonds—whose company is now part of Goodman Fielder—simply printed recipes inside the lids of his baking powder tins. In 1908 he elevated that practice into a standalone 50-page volume titled The Sure to Rise Cookery Book, a name that doubled as a quiet advertisement for the reliability of his product. The book was explicitly designed as a promotional tool to drive sales of his baking powder. Remarkably, only two copies of this inaugural edition are known to survive today, making it a genuine rarity. What started as a clever way to keep a customer's brand name on the kitchen shelf would, over the following century, outgrow its commercial origins entirely and become a defining artifact of New Zealand domestic life.

A Century of Constant Adaptation

The cookbook has functioned as a living document, reshaping itself to mirror the changing rhythms of New Zealand kitchens. In 1930, the first edition to include photographs was released, giving readers a visual reference alongside the text. The 1955 release marked a pivotal shift: the first De Luxe edition appeared, and from that year the book transitioned from a free giveaway to a paid product. The 1971 edition was dedicated to gas cooking, reflecting the fuel preferences of the era. In 1976 the book adopted spiral binding so it could lie flat on a workbench, and it added dual imperial and metric measurements to coincide with New Zealand's shift to the metric system. A microwave baking section arrived in 1988, and by 1993 the book had expanded to include international cuisines and nutritional information. By the 2012 edition the collection had grown to over 500 recipes, and the 69th De Luxe edition was published in 2016, testifying to nearly a century of continuous reinvention.

Woven Into the Fabric of Kiwi Life

For decades the cookbook reached New Zealand households through channels that wove it into the texture of everyday life. Housewives could simply write a request to Edmonds and receive a complimentary copy at their door. In the 1940s, newly engaged couples who placed their announcement in the newspaper were rewarded with a free cookbook, making the book a tangible part of a couple's journey into married life. The visual identity of the book also became deeply rooted in the national landscape: from 1955 the front cover featured the Edmonds factory in Linwood, Christchurch, a building that stood until its demolition in 1990. The book's cultural penetration was so complete that it earned a place on a 2008 stamp series celebrating national icons for each letter of the alphabet. Journalist Ron Palenski captured its ubiquity by describing it as "much a part of New Zealand kitchens as a stove and knife," a comparison that underscores how the book became as essential to the household as the very tools it guided.

Record-Breaking Legacy and National Icon Status

By 2015 the Edmonds Cookery Book had sold more than three million copies, and as of 2019 it held the distinction of being the best-selling book published in New Zealand. That record is all the more striking given that the title originated as a 50-page promotional pamphlet for a single baking powder brand. The book has been widely described as a Kiwi icon and a quintessential piece of Kiwiana, labels that speak to its role as a shared cultural touchstone rather than merely a collection of recipes. Its journey from a handout tucked into a tin lid to a multi-edition, multi-format publication spanning well over a century illustrates how a commercial product can outgrow its original purpose and become embedded in a nation's identity. Nearly 110 years of continuous publication through numerous editions and reprints stands as a testament to its enduring relevance in New Zealand domestic culture.

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