Celebrating Lammas In Australia – With Recipes
Lammas in Australia is a bit different to our northern neighbours and so it should be. We are in the opposite Southern Hemisphere after all. We have a vast range of our own fruits, vegetable, animals and our seasons are completely different. I see the same question pop up all the time among the community “what are you doing to celebrate Lammas?” For our newest brothers and sisters this can be a very confusing time while trying to find your feet!
So to first find the history lets look at the words Lammas, Lughnasadh and Lunasa. All three of these words are used interchangeably to represent the celebration.
Lammas(Lah-mus) – Anglo Saxon – Festival of the loaves.
Lughnasadh (Loo-na-saw) – Irish Gaelic -This word roughly translates to Lugh’s Assembly. The god Lugh is known as the Celtic God of the Sun.
Lunasa (Loo-nah-sah) – Modern Irish – This is a more modern version of Lughnasadh.
Lammas is traditionally a time of harvest as Summer turns to Autumn. It is a time where the community of villagers and farmers would come together before the labor of harvesting would begin during the Autumn months to determine if there was enough to last for the long winter ahead. In Australia Lammas is usually celebrated on the 1st or 2nd of February, this is one of the hottest times of the year here and is the perfect time for that trip to the beach, a BBQ or just a great meal with friends.
Considering in this modern age we no longer have great feasts with villagers and farmers, one simple way to bring this tradition into a more modern era is to shop fresh, go to your local markets and buy fresh fruit and vegetables, free range eggs and milk to support our Australian farmers. Make the conscious decision to buy Australian made if you don’t usually.
Thanks to our farmers, food is available to us all year around meaning we don’t have to store food for winter like our Ancestors did. This removes the need for us to assess if there is enough food for winter. We can however, assess and plan our lives for the upcoming months (how are those new year resolutions going?). Don’t forget to also look back on the successes of last year. Focus on what you achieved and reward yourself for those achievements no matter how big or small. After all you made it through all those times you thought you wouldn’t.
For those looking for a starting point on how to celebrate Lammas here is how I typically celebrate with my family. You are welcome to adopt or change this menu to suit your own celebration. My family does not necessarily share my beliefs and traditions, but this has never been a problem. Lammas is one of my favourite times because although we don’t share the same beliefs, we all love sitting around as a family enjoying a hearty home cooked meal. I don’t just mean the typical Australian meat and three veg either.
I have also included links to basic recipes, I tweak them depending on what is freshly available to me at the time but everything is made fresh from Australian ingredients (ok maybe a few shortcuts for those who are a little time limited).
Damper
Lammas is the festival of the loaves but what better way to add an Australian twist than to cook damper. Damper is an Australian iconic dish traditionally cooked in a camp oven or in the coals of a fire. I however chose to cook it in the oven and make a savory version perfect for sopping up the gravy from your plate. I have chosen this recipe as I am using fresh herbs from my garden that go perfectly with the roast lamb I am also cooking. You can change the herbs depending on what protein you are serving.
Australian Herb Damper for Lammas —->Recipe Here
Meat
For my celebrations I love a lamb roast. Not only is lamb delicious it has also made it’s way to be known as one of Australia’s national dishes. It is however not something we eat often due to it’s high cost and this makes it the perfect dish for this special celebration. You can use any roast you like for this celebration or have no meat at all and stick to fresh produce and grains.
Rosemary, Thyme, Garlic Roast Lamb With Pan Gravy —->Recipe Here
Vegetables
I love roasted vegetables but this is only one option for Lammas. Often I find myself with a large amount of corn, sweet potato etc left over and I toss it all together to create a beautiful salad. There are so many salads you can make using seasonal vegetables.
Lammas Seasonal Salad —->Recipe Here
Yummy Potato Salad For Lammas —->Recipe Here
Vegetables in Season Now Include: asparagus, avocado, butter beans, green beans, beetroot, cabbage, carrots, capsicum, celery, corn, cucumber, daikon, eggplant, leek, lettuce, okra, onion, spring onion, peas, snow peas, sugar snap peas, potato, radish, shallot, silver beet, squash, tomato, watercress, zucchini, zucchini flower
Desserts
What better way to end a delightful feast than to end with a delicious dessert.
I usually cook a peach and apple pie and serve it with custard and a dollop of ice cream. You can even make the custard yourself, my husband loves homemade custard, I on the other hand am not a fan of the taste and texture and prefer the store bought stuff. I have included a recipe for home made custard below but it is up to you which way you go.
Apple & Peach Pie with Custard —->Recipe Here
Pavlova is also an Australian favourite even though the debate continues over where it originated. But who can go past a classic made with fresh Australian egg whites whisked together (how did anyone even come up with this recipe?). The best part of pavlova is the delicious combination of the cream and fresh fruits and berries on top making it a refreshing dessert in our hot weather.
Fruits in Season Now Include: apple, apricot, banana, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cantaloupe, cherries, currants, fig, grapefruit, grapes, honeydew, lemon, loganberries, lychee, mango, mulberries, nectarine, oranges, passion fruit, peach, pear, plum, pineapple, rambutan, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, tamarillo, watermelon.
Drinks
Often you will see drinks such as Elderberry wine, meadow sweet tea and ale written as a favourite during these celebrations. It is up to you which you chose however elderberry wine is not readily available in Australia. So here is where we add our Southern Hemisphere touch, as someone who does not drink alcohol often, I usually have a glass of wine with my meal on Lammas. A couple of years ago I found some delicious wine which is made from Australian fruits, it may be something you will have to ask your local bottle shop to stock if you would like to try it, but remember it is quite a sweet wine. The wine I enjoy is made by Banrock Station and the flavours in their fruit fusion range include raspberries and black currant , Summer Berries and Tropical Fruits.
However you spend your Lammas, I hope you enjoy this wonderful time of year before the cooler weather arrives.
Blessed Be,
Tarah
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References: “Sustainable Table”. Seasonal Produce Guide. Retrieved 17/01/2017, “https://www.sustainabletable.org.au”.
