Interview with vINCENT

Born in 1930, Vincent and his siblings were only given chocolate crackles on special occasions. After finding the recipe on the back of a Rice Bubbles box, his mum Nellie, would whip these up for her 8 kids (5 boys, 3 girls). Cooking for a family of 10 during the depression meant you had to be frugal, so these crackles would only come out for incredibly special occasions. Decades later, Vincent went on to have 7 kids of his own (4 boys, 3 girls including 1 set of twins), and when his wife, Joan, would travel he would call upon this recipe to please the taste buds of his brood (and to possibly keep them quiet!). 

Some recipes don’t need to be complicated or fancy to be worthy of being a ‘family’ recipe. In fact, some can even be found on the back of cereal boxes. 

What is the secret to happiness?
Happiness is a state of mind. You are either a happy person - happy with what you’ve got, or a miserable person always wanting more than what you’ve got.

What advice would you give to your younger self?
You can’t answer that because you don’t know what the result would have been if you had done something different but having got this far (91!), I ‘spose I’ve got to be happy with what I did.

You raised 7 kids. What advice would you give to parents these days?
Kids keep you young, because they give you exercise, and they make the family but there’s always trouble in every marriage so just take it as it comes.

What is the most important thing about being a parent?
Making the world a safe place for your kids.

What isn’t worth stressing about?
Anything that doesn’t affect you seriously and if it’s still not worrying you a month later, it won’t matter anyhow.

If you could be any animal, what would it be and why?
If you come back in a second life, I’d come back as a seagull. Clean living, he can go up in the air, come back down, he’s got the whole ocean to feed off. That’s what I would be.

What would be your desert island meal? (last meal for a year)?
A carton of Toohey’s New, crumbed lamb cutlets and a side of Julia Roberts.