Ryman retiree Robyn swears by her classic ratatouille recipe, handed down from her well-worn copy of The Joy of Cooking, gifted by a neighbour back in 1964.

Robyn and her husband had just settled into their new home in Turramurra, on Sydney’s Upper North Shore, and their removal truck accidentally blocked their neighbour’s driveway while she was heading out to the local branch of the bank.

“She wasn’t very happy with us,” Robyn recalls with a laugh. “But we ended up as very good friends.

“The book was given to me by her as a peace offering!”

Robyn's favourite ratatouille recipe comes from her trusty Joy of Cooking book

The family relocated across the ditch to New Zealand in 1976, and with four kids to feed, Robyn says the ratatouille quickly became the go-to dish – cooked every couple of weeks when the veggies were in season.

“It’s also a popular choice for dinner parties, either as a side dish with a nice roast lamb or you could have it with rice,” she says.

“It’s a great winter warmer!”

According to Robyn says the recipe is wonderfully simple, and the way the flavours of veggies like eggplant, capsicum and zucchini meld together makes it just as tasty the next day—if there’s any left!