I grew up in a household where food was always important and I'm not sure if I was three or four years old but the memory is so vivid; we lived at the time at Rose Bay, Sydney, just up the road from the flying boat squadron. There had been a huge storm buffeting the shore, then a black out. Mum had candles burning within minutes as we huddled around the small kitchen table and she served us golden syrup dumplings. Was it the smell, the taste, the feeling of safety? I'm not sure but not only is it my first food memory but it was the only time Mum ever cooked them and yet even just talking about them my whole body smiles.