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The Australian ‘Anzac’ biscuits began to emerge during World War I. It is said the sturdy and oat biscuits were made by soldiers’ wives and mothers, and shipped to the front lines as a sweet treat for the weary men, they were also baked and sold for wartime fundraising efforts.
The significance of the Anzac biscuit has been baked into Australian folklore since one of the earliest known published recipes appearing in the War Chest Cookery Book, published in 1917.
Rolled oats, sugar, coconut, fresh local butter, flour, golden syrup, bi-carb soda and water: these simple ingredients combine to create the crisp and delicious Irrewarra Anzac biscuits you know and love! Compared to most other Anzac biscuits on the market, you’ll find that ours are the closest to those you make at home. And whether you’re a traditionalist, a chocolate lover or you enjoy a nutty crunch, there’s an Irrewarra Anzac biscuit for you!
Did you know that only a handful of businesses around Australia are formally approved to produce Anzac biscuits? Including Irrewarra Bakery. The Australian Government’s Department of Veterans Affairs are the guardians of the recipe and the name, and it is with great honour that we hand-bake our crunchy, buttery Anzac biscuits here at our bakery each week. Out of respect for our service people past and present, and as a contribution to our local community, we make an annual donation to our local Colac RSL representing a percentage of our Anzac biscuit sales.
Following World War I, parts of John Calvert’s original Irrewarra Estate were sold to the government and divided into settlements for returning soldiers. Servicemen settled with their families on the small farms that now surround our bakery, and many of these families remain in the district generations later.
The families that settled here during the interwar period have created the local Irrewarra community we know today – such as returned serviceman Ted Hitchings who hosted a cricket match in one of his paddocks in the late 1920s, which kickstarted the formation of the local Irrewarra Cricket Club. The Hitchings family continue today to farm Irrewarra. If you have a story or a connection to the Irrewarra region or Calvert family that you’d like to share with us, we always love to hear from you!
In the meantime, look out for our biscuits at your local retailer, or place an order online – and in the long tradition of sending Anzac biscuits to loved ones, we will send our Anzac biscuits direct to your door.
