In The Kitchen With… Lisa Scanu | @oakandjune.food

There's a particular kind of warmth that comes from a kitchen that's been cooked in, really cooked in, for decades. The kind where the recipes aren't written down, where the smells have seeped into the walls, and where every meal carries a memory. Lisa Scanu of @oakandjune.food is exactly that kind of cook. A mum of four daughters, a keeper of family recipes, and a storyteller whose food has resonated with people all over the world, Lisa sat down with us to talk about the memories behind the meals, cooking without a recipe, and the cookbook she's been quietly building for her girls.

For anyone who hasn't found Oak and June yet, who are you, and how did a page for your daughters turn into something that's touched so many people?

My name is Lisa; my husband and I are parents of four beautiful daughters and four amazing sons-in-law. We love spending time with our family, having fun, and making and sharing delicious food.

I have always loved the fact that food brings families and friends together, memories made sharing food around a table are so special. From the simplest sharing food, to cooking all day for a family dinner, sharing food with those we love can comfort, revitalise and nourish, not just the body but the mind as well, bringing joy to all.

For as long as I can remember I have loved cooking. I loved watching my mum and grandma cook when I was young and took a keen interest in all types of cooking wherever I went. I started cooking at a very young age and took any cooking class I could in school when I got the chance.

When I had my own children, I loved the idea of comforting and nourishing them as my mum and grandma had done with me. So, as my girls were growing up, I found so much joy in cooking for them and with them. I started teaching them when they were very young, little feet standing on tippy toes on a chair to reach the bench as they excitedly "helped me."

I have so many memories of their little hands helping me make cookies, cupcakes and homemade gnocchi. There would be flour flying everywhere as the measuring cup missed the bowl, landing on their little cheeks and noses instead. Our cooking sessions inevitably ended in a messy kitchen, wonky gnocchi shapes and uneven icing on cupcakes, making the food even more special.

And always, their cute little fingers sneaking cookie dough from the bowl. And still now, some not-so-little fingers grabbing cookie dough from the mixing bowl to this day!

Teaching them the basics and then watching them grow into capable and talented cooks themselves has been the most beautiful thing to see. I wanted them to learn to cook, not only to save money by cooking for themselves, but also to teach them to eat healthy homemade food without nasty additives, setting them up for a healthy life.

As I don't often use recipes, I started a project to record my own recipes, my childhood recipes and recipes created through a blend of my Aussie culture with my husband's Italian culture. I started an Instagram page and quickly found that childhood food memories and nostalgic recipes were something that resonated with so many people, evoking warm feelings and their own fond memories. From there I have been able to collaborate with so many amazing companies, connect with fellow foodies and share our love of homemade family food and nostalgic recipes with people from all around the world.

The name Oak and June is so beautiful, and it sounds like it carries a lot of meaning. What does it represent for your family?

Oak is for the giant oak tree in our front yard. It represents our family home, a place of comfort, warmth and support. The oak tree sits outside our dining room window where we gather to spend time together for family meals, celebrations, coffee and chats.

June is a family name. My mother's sister was June. She passed away at a very young age, so my mum gave me June as my middle name, and I passed it on to my eldest daughter as her middle name. June is also the month my husband and I were married.

So, Oak and June quite simply means home and family. It means being together, a place to switch off, relax and make memories, doing so with lots of yummy food involved of course!

Home and family, and the smell of something cooking. Can you paint us a picture of what that looked like growing up, what was your mum making when you walked through the door?

I grew up living with my mother and grandparents, and I loved watching them both cook. As a child, I would walk home from school, dragging myself up a very steep hill near my childhood home, and instantly feel hungry as all kids do after school. Smelling something cooking always gave me a cosy feeling.

Dinner was different each night depending on who was cooking. My grandma would cook in a more traditional Australian way, roasts, lamb chops, meat and three veg, boiled potatoes in their "jackets," casseroles, split pea and bacon bone soup, rissoles with onion gravy, pans of hand cut hot chips.

My mum, however, had a more modern take on cooking and would try new recipes, some that are still in my rotation to this day. One in particular is vegeroni, a multi-coloured pasta in a rich beef and tomato sauce. My mum was always eager to try new recipes, and that opened my skills and my taste buds.

Those early food memories are so precious, and you lost your mum when your girls were still little. How did that shape the way you cook, and what has it meant to try to recreate her recipes for them?

Losing my beautiful mum was devastating. It makes me sad that she did not get to watch my girls grow up. Sharing her recipes and the food she loved with them, and telling them about her, has kept her memory close.

My mum taught me the value of home cooking, the importance of eating well and caring for others. She always supported my cooking endeavours and let me experiment and cook whenever I wanted to when I was young. When I got married, she helped me to refine my skills as I would call her for recipes, tips and advice. Since she passed away, I have struggled not being able to ask her for advice and recipes. This has moved me to record my recipes as a gift to my daughters, I know how special those recipes and tips are.

It sounds like those instincts for preserving recipes have extended into your husband's family too. You've been learning from his mother's kitchen alongside your own, what has that experience been like?

My beautiful mother-in-law is such an amazing cook. From the first time I visited her home, a huge, slightly intimidating, very loud, and very beautiful extended family dinner, I fell in love with traditional homemade Italian food.

My mother-in-law and I share a common interest in cooking and sharing family meals, which is such a big part of Italian culture. I have learnt so much from her, and recently I had the privilege of recording a traditional Sicilian family recipe with my mother-in-law, her sister, and her niece, who were visiting from Italy.

My girls have so many wonderful memories around the table at their Nonna and Nonno's. From her incredible lasagne and cannelloni to my father-in-law's homemade donuts, a simple cake affectionately known as "Nonna's cake", there was always something special to enjoy. Almost every visit involved pastina soup and a simple iceberg lettuce salad. One of my daughters famously combined the two by putting salad in her soup, and she still does it to this day!

Other highlights included sauce day, when we would all get together to make fresh tomato sauce for the year ahead. All of this contributed to my cooking journey as I blended my husband's family recipes with mine, creating my own style of cooking for our family.

You cook without recipes, which is a skill most people find genuinely terrifying. How did you develop that instinct, and what does it feel like to then have to measure everything out and write it down for the first time?

I started out using recipes but the more I came to love cooking, the more I began to experiment, and that turned into cooking without recipes and from there creating my own. It soon became second nature to make my signature recipes without even thinking about it.

The process of recording them I have to say has not been easy, but with the help of my girls watching me and helping me measure as I go, we have been able to successfully record most of their childhood recipes.

And now those girls are all grown up with their own kitchens. What's it like to see them reaching for your recipes in their own homes?

I get so many texts and phone calls from my married girls, "Mum, how do you make… this or that?" Seeing them interested in and wanting to make my recipes for their families and friends is truly so special.

They are all amazing cooks who have their own style and recipes, but also love cooking meals from their childhood, which is such a wonderful feeling.

That leads beautifully into the cookbook. What do you hope your girls feel when they open it one day?

The book will be a blend of both cultures. There will be old school recipes the girls grew up with, along with more modern, quick and easy meals. I still want them to remember all the recipes from both sides of their family that are slowly fading as people have less time to spend in the kitchen.

Times have changed though. Personally, I was fortunate enough to work from home while they were growing up, so I was able to cook in the afternoons. These days not everyone is able to do that, and my girls all lead very busy lives, so it isn't as easy for them to spend lots of time cooking each day. So I have adapted many of my recipes to a more modern and fast way of cooking. I also like to test the online trends and viral recipes, put my own spin on them, and record the good ones for my girls, so they can look on my Instagram page or in the book when they're busy or tired and still make a fast and nourishing meal.

The day I watch my girls open their cookbook for the first time will be the most amazing moment. They are so supportive of everything I do, my biggest cheerleaders and my best friends. To be able to give the gift of a book, a piece of their childhood, is something I hope to make a reality very soon.

My beautiful husband is my number one taste tester and biggest supporter in this project and in everything I do. He constantly reassures me and helps me in any way he can. And my amazing sons-in-law are always enthusiastic, giving me feedback about my new recipes and ideas.

So I hope my whole family feels the love as they see the meals I have made them over the years on the pages of that book.

Last question, and one that feels very Lisa. What's the one dish in your repertoire that does comfort better than any other?

That would have to be my strong chicken broth. My girls always comment on coming home to the smell of a large pot of fresh chicken stock simmering away on the stove. In most cases it is the first thing they feel like after travelling, and is always on tap when they aren't well. They say the feeling the soup gives them is like no other food.

Another favourite of the whole family is my slow cooked Italian meatballs and homemade gnocchi, which holds so many memories of making and sharing together as a family.

A little something extra, what would you say to anyone who hasn't started recording their family recipes yet?

Do it! Jot it down as you go, keep a notebook in the kitchen and make notes as you cook. If you cook with recipes, take copies of the family favourites and put them in a folder. It makes such a unique and special gift that can be shared with family and friends.

Ask your grandparents, parents, aunties, uncles about their food memories. Sadly, I cannot ask the questions I want to ask my mum and grandma now, so I am so glad I did ask at the time and take in their experience and knowledge.

Track down family recipes, share them with family and friends, keep them going, adapt them if needed. There is so much value in these traditions and recipes. Take photos of the food when you visit your parents or grandparents, ask questions, learn the stories behind the recipes, you will be so glad you did.

Thank you so much to Lisa for sitting down with us and sharing a little piece of the Oak and June kitchen. Her warmth, her stories, and her cooking remind us exactly why we love what we do, making cookware for the meals that matter most. You can follow along with Lisa's recipes and family food adventures at @oakandjune.food on Instagram.