Cooking up Connection

A simple recipe using native Australian ingredients helped one foster family celebrate their daughter's Aboriginal heritage and strengthen her sense of identity.

Some of the most important moments in foster care happen in the middle of everyday life. Cooking dinner together, trying something new, or sharing a small discovery around the kitchen table can spark the beginning of new connections.

Recently, one of our foster families experienced just such a moment while helping their daughter celebrate her Aboriginal cultural identity through cooking.

Their daughter Emma*, now in Year 9, recently selected Food Technology and Sports Studies as subjects at school. Healthy living is something she cares about, and she already enjoys spending time in the kitchen at home experimenting with new recipes.

As part of supporting her cultural identity, Emma's case manager Miriam, suggested to include some Australian native ingredients in one of the meals she prepared. Together, Emma and her foster family began searching for First Nations recipes and discovered a dish featuring two beautiful native ingredients: warrigal greens and saltbush.

"My daughter cooks a lot at home," foster mum, Abigail, shared.

"So when Miriam suggested we try including some native ingredients to celebrate her Aboriginal cultural identity, we started looking up First Nations recipes together."

The result was a delicious Warrigal greens and saltbush cob bread, a familiar crowd-pleaser with a uniquely Australian twist.

Warrigal greens take their name from the Dharug word warrigal, meaning "wild." They look a little like English spinach but grow naturally in Australian soils and have a distinctive flavour. Saltbush, another native plant, has adapted to Australia's dry landscapes and salty soils. When dried, it becomes a wonderful seasoning that enhances flavour in a simple, natural way.

"Cob bread with dip is one of those foods that's perfect for sharing," Abigail explained. 

"It's something you can easily bring out at a gathering. Emma really liked the idea of sharing these flavours with her friends and family."

Moments like these may seem small, but they reflect something deeply important in foster care.

At Anglicare Foster Care, we are committed to supporting children not only with safety and stability, but also with a strong sense of identity, culture and belonging. For Aboriginal children in foster care, this includes helping them stay connected to their cultural heritage and traditions in ways that are meaningful in everyday life.

In this case, that connection came through something simple and joyful: discovering native ingredients, cooking together, and sharing the experience with others. This family's experience is a beautiful example of what thoughtful foster parenting can look like: curiosity, openness, and a willingness to try something new together. And in the process, a young person is given another thread that connects them to their story and heritage, something that every child deserves to carry with pride.

Moments like these remind us that foster care is made up of small, everyday acts of care helping children grow into who they are.

*Name changed to protect identity.

If you've ever wondered whether foster care might be something you could explore, we'd love to start a conversation.