01-05-2025
Cookbook authors share their process after the RecipeTin Eats-Brooke Bellamy recipe accusations
There have been accusations of plagiarism in the Australian cookbook scene, with RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi claiming two recipes from Brooke Bellamy's cookbook are similar to ones she has previously published, which Bellamy has rejected saying she has been creating her recipes and selling them commercially since 2016.
In a
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The accusations, which have
While many of us rely on recipes, how they are created can be mysterious. We asked three Australian cookbook authors to share their process and thoughts on crediting and ownership.
Alice Zaslavsky, cookbook author and TV host
Alice Zaslavsky hosts A Bite To Eat With Alice on ABC TV.
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ABC
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Based in Naarm/Melbourne, Alice Zaslavsky explains that there aren't rules for when you should attribute a recipe or idea in food writing, however "most recipe writers know the value of giving or providing context".
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a composite image of two women
Brooke Bellamy rejects claims by popular Australian cook Nagi Maehashi that two recipes in the cookbook Bake with Brooki are copied.
"It goes beyond etiquette," she says, adding that including sources and inspiration in a recipe become part of "what makes it special".
She says every recipe has an element taken from somewhere else, whether it's a cooking technique from social media, a flavour combination inspired by a restaurant dish or a childhood memory.
In her cookbook In Praise of Veg, Ms Zaslavsky's beetroot brownie recipe credits an orange cake that first appeared in print almost 60 years ago by the cookbook author and food writer Claudia Roden.
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When I visited her in London we had a good chat about that cake. She talked about how many different cookbook authors have credited that cake and then created their own version, and it's a compliment.
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Hetty Lui McKinnon, food writer and cookbook author
Hetty Lui McKinnon says some recipes can reflect the unique perspective and experiences of their creator.
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ABC News: Hetty Lui McKinnon
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Hetty Lui McKinnon says being a responsible recipe developer includes acknowledging your sources, influences and fellow recipe writers.
She is the author of five cookbooks and
Often she uses a recipe introduction to share or acknowledge the inspiration behind a dish.
"People complain about head notes … but that's your chance to give context to recipes, to explain why you did it the way you did it."
Lui McKinnon loves when other cooks and creators give her credit for a recipe.
"On social media it's so easy, but somehow a lot of people don't do it."
Lui McKinnon says her dumpling tomato salad recipe went viral and it was sometimes recreated without acknowledgement or credited incorrectly, which was at times "hard to see".
"That [recipe] reflects my culinary background," she says.
When it comes to recipe ownership, she says there are different types of recipes.
"There are recipes that already exist in the world and we're presenting our version of them, and for me personally I don't feel ownership over those so much."
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Andreas Papadakis, chef and restaurateur
Andreas Papadakis says he gets 'a lot of inspiration from classic dishes'.
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Supplied: Andreas Papdakis
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Andreas Papadakis is the executive chef and owner of Tipo 00 and author of The Pasta Cookbook: For People Who Love Pasta.
He often refers to the region and traditional methods behind his more modern take on recipes in his cookbook.
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Two copies of the Bake with Brooki cookbook.
Can you own a recipe? And what are the protocols if you take inspiration from another cookbook author's work?
He likes to "Melbournise or do an Andreas version of something traditional", often inspired by local and seasonal produce.
After more than a decade, Mr Papadakis says he's been happy to see chefs leave to open their own restaurants or become executive chefs elsewhere.
He says it's natural for ideas, recipes and techniques to travel with them, but hopes others will put their own spin on things.
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I feel like you need to put a good 50 per cent of yourself in it and make it your own.
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Mr Papadakis chooses to avoid social media for cooking inspiration because it can feel counterproductive.
"I feel like if you scroll on food pages on social media then you'll have to copy someone in some way or the other."
