Quesbo Little Chefs · Around the world · Destination 09
Bake, share and giggle.
Taste Australia.
Cheesy pastry scrolls, little meat pies and chocolate-coconut lamingtons. Three delicious baking projects, with plenty to learn and a little laughter along the way.
Welcome to the next stop in Quesbo’s Cooking Adventures Around the World. Find a grown-up cooking companion, clear a little room for baking and bring your sense of humour. A spiral may wobble and coconut may land on the tray, but every careful step helps us learn.
These family recipes inspired by Australian favourites explore rolling pastry, filling little pies and coating a sponge cake. Choose one recipe for today or spread the adventure over several baking sessions. There are useful jobs for little hands, with a grown-up taking care of the heat, sharp tools and raw beef.
Choose your first taste
A little taste of Australia
Australia’s capital is Canberra, and its food reflects many communities and traditions. These three family baking projects offer a small taste of familiar favourites within that much wider food story.
Vegemite is a concentrated yeast spread with a strong savoury flavour, best introduced with a thin layer. Meat pies are familiar bakery and sports-day snacks, with many fillings and variations. Lamingtons turn sponge cake into little treats with a chocolate coating and coconut.
Quesbo’s imaginary passport adventure
Ruby measured a little Vegemite and showed Quesbo how to spread it thinly over the pastry. He sprinkled on the cheese and helped roll it up. One end made a slightly wobbly spiral. “That one looks as though it is waving,” Quesbo said, and they both giggled. A grown-up took care of the knife and oven. Once the scrolls were baked and cool enough to enjoy, they shared the wavy one. Quesbo drew its spiral in his passport and added a new golden word: LAUGHTER.
First taste 01 / 03
Cheesy Vegemite Scrolls
Quick puff-pastry spirals with a thin savoury filling
Puff pastry, cheese and a very thin layer of Vegemite roll up into little savoury spirals. The spread has a strong flavour, so a little goes a long way. Children can measure, spread and sprinkle while a grown-up cuts the pastry roll and handles the oven.
Allergens: Contains milk and wheat. Original Vegemite contains barley and wheat; check any other yeast extract separately. Contains egg if egg is used for glazing. Check pastry and other ingredient labels.
Your ingredients
For the scrolls
- 1 × 320 g sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
- 1–2 tsp Vegemite or similar yeast extract
- 120 g grated mature cheddar
- 1 tbsp milk or beaten egg for glazing
Get ready together
EquipmentBaking tray, Baking paper suitable for the oven temperature, Blunt table knife or small spatula for spreading, Pastry brush, Sharp knife and board for an adult, Scales and measuring spoons, Cooling rack.
Little hands can- Measure the yeast extract and cheese
- Spread a thin filling with a blunt table knife
- Scatter cheese and help roll the pastry
- Count twelve spirals before the adult bakes them
- Preheat the oven and handle hot trays
- Slice the pastry roll
- Supervise glaze handling and clean up any raw egg
- Check the pastry is cooked and the cheese has cooled before serving
Let’s make it
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Prepare the oven and tray
An adult heats the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan. Line a baking tray with suitable baking paper. Follow the pastry packet's instructions for taking it out of the fridge before unrolling, and keep it cool enough to handle easily.
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Spread a very thin layer
Unroll the pastry with a long edge facing you. Spread the measured Vegemite or yeast extract extremely thinly over the surface, leaving a 2 cm strip clear along the far long edge. Start with 1 teaspoon for a gentler flavour, using up to 2 teaspoons if you prefer. You should still see pastry through the thin layer. Do not taste the unbaked pastry.
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Scatter the cheese
Share the grated cheddar evenly over the filling, keeping the same 2 cm strip clear so it can form the seal. Children can help check that the cheese reaches both ends.
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Roll and seal
Roll firmly from the long edge nearest you, keeping the filling inside. Brush the clear strip with a little of the measured milk or beaten egg and press it closed. If the pastry has become very soft, chill the roll briefly until it is easier for the adult to slice.
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Make twelve spirals
An adult cuts the roll into twelve similar slices. Lay them cut-side up on the tray with space to expand, and brush lightly with the remaining glaze. Wash hands and utensils after handling any raw egg glaze.
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Bake and cool
Bake for about 18–20 minutes, until puffed, deep golden and cooked through, allowing longer if the pastry packet or your oven requires it. Leave for at least 5 minutes before serving, and let an adult check the melted cheese and centre have cooled to a comfortable eating temperature.
Main meal 02 / 03
Mini Australian-Style Meat Pies
Small beef pies with shortcrust bases and puff-pastry lids
Shortcrust pastry cups hold beef mince in a thick gravy, with puff-pastry lids on top. These mini Australian-style pies give little chefs a chance to shape pastry and help seal the edges once the cooked filling is completely cold. A grown-up cooks the beef and checks the baked pies are piping hot through the centre.
Allergens: Contains wheat and egg. Pastry may contain milk, and Worcestershire sauce often contains fish. Check the stock and sauces for other allergens, including celery, soya or mustard where listed.
Your ingredients
For the filling
- 500 g lean beef mince
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 250 ml reduced-salt beef stock
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus a little extra for greasing the tin
For the pastry
- 2 sheets ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
- 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten
Get ready together
EquipmentLarge frying pan, Spoon or spatula, Chopping board and knife for an adult, Shallow containers for cooling filling, Muffin tin with eight suitable holes, Approximately 10 cm and 8 cm round pastry cutters, adjusted to fit the tin, Fork and pastry brush, Baking tray, Cooling rack, Scales and measuring spoons, Food thermometer.
Little hands can- Measure the cold stock and seasonings
- Cut pastry circles with suitable blunt-edged cutters under supervision
- Press pastry bases into a cool tin
- Add cold filling with help and decorate the lids with pastry scraps
- Handle raw mince, chop the onion and clean up afterwards
- Cook the filling thoroughly and cool it safely
- Check cutter sizes and supervise pastry tools and egg glaze
- Make steam holes and manage the oven and hot tin
- Check the pastry, hot filling and serving temperature
Let’s make it
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Cook the mince and onion
An adult chops the onion, heats the tablespoon of oil in the frying pan and adds the beef mince and onion. Cook for about 8 minutes, breaking the mince into small pieces and stirring regularly. Keep raw meat and its utensils away from pastry and other ready-to-eat ingredients, then wash hands and clean anything that touched it.
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Make a thick gravy filling
The adult stirs in the flour, then gradually adds the stock. Add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and thyme. Simmer, stirring, until the mixture is very thick and the mince is fully cooked, allowing roughly another 10–12 minutes as a guide. Check it is steaming hot throughout; a clean thermometer in the centre should read 75°C for 30 seconds or 70°C for 2 minutes.
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Cool the filling before pastry
Transfer the filling to shallow containers so it cools quickly, then refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Let it become cold before filling the pastry. You can prepare it ahead, keeping it covered in the fridge and using it within 48 hours. When ready to assemble, an adult heats the oven to 210°C, or 190°C fan, and lightly greases eight muffin holes.
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Make eight pastry cups
Cut eight shortcrust circles, starting with a cutter around 10 cm. Test one in the tin: the pastry should reach the rim without being stretched, so adjust the circle size for your muffin holes. Press the bases gently into place. Share the cold filling between them, stopping just below the rim and keeping the pastry edges clean. If your tin holds less filling, keep any surplus chilled separately rather than overfilling.
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Add and decorate the lids
Cut eight puff-pastry lids, starting at about 8 cm and adjusting so they overlap the base edges. Brush the edges with a little beaten egg, add the lids and press firmly with a fork. Add tiny decorations cut from pastry scraps if you like. An adult cuts a small steam hole in each lid, then brushes the tops lightly with the remaining egg. Do not taste raw pastry, and wash hands and tools after egg glazing.
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Bake until golden and hot through
Set the muffin tin on a baking tray. Bake for about 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden and cooked through, with piping-hot filling in the centre. Allow longer if needed, especially with chilled filling or deeper tins; follow any relevant pastry-packet guidance. An adult checks the centre of a pie rather than judging only by its lid.
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Rest, lift and check the centre
Leave the pies in the tin for about 10 minutes, then an adult carefully lifts them onto a rack or plate. Let them cool longer if needed. Cut a pie open and check the gravy and meat are a comfortable eating temperature before serving to children.
Sweet finish 03 / 03
Chocolate-Coconut Lamingtons
Sponge cake squares dipped in chocolate icing and coconut
One sponge cake becomes sixteen little cubes, each coated in chocolate icing and coconut. These lamingtons need time for the cake to cool completely, a short chill before cutting, and a rest after coating. Set out the coconut and make a little dipping station together once a grown-up has checked the icing is cool enough to handle.
Allergens: Contains milk, egg and wheat, and also contains coconut. Check the flour, cocoa and other ingredient labels for additional allergens.
Your ingredients
For the sponge
- 125 g unsalted butter, softened
- 150 g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 180 g self-raising flour
- 120 ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the coating
- 300 g icing sugar
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 30 g butter, melted
- 120 ml hot water
- 200 g desiccated coconut
Get ready together
Equipment20 cm square cake tin, Baking paper, Mixing bowl and mixer or whisk, Spatula, Sieve, Two shallow bowls, Two forks, Cooling rack and tray, Knife and board for an adult, Scales, measuring jug and spoons, Clean skewer for checking the cake.
Little hands can- Measure ingredients and help mix under supervision
- Sift icing sugar and cocoa
- Dip cake using forks once an adult checks the icing temperature
- Roll coated squares in coconut and count the finished lamingtons
- Supervise the mixer and manage the oven
- Check the cake is baked and transfer it from the hot tin
- Cut the chilled sponge into sixteen squares
- Melt butter, handle hot water and mix the icing
- Check the icing is safe to handle before children coat the cake
Let’s make it
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Prepare the cake tin
An adult heats the oven to 180°C, or 160°C fan. Line the 20 cm square tin with baking paper. Measure the sponge ingredients and keep the separate coating ingredients aside for later.
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Mix a soft sponge batter
Beat the softened butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then gently fold in the flour, milk and vanilla until evenly combined. An adult supervises any electric mixer and switches it off before scraping the bowl. Do not taste raw batter, and wash hands after handling raw eggs.
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Bake, cool and chill
Spread the batter evenly in the tin. Begin checking after about 22–25 minutes; allow around 22–30 minutes, or longer if needed, until the cake springs back lightly and a clean skewer inserted into the centre comes out without wet batter. Let it settle briefly in the tin, then an adult turns it onto a rack. Cool completely, cover and chill for 30 minutes before cutting.
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Cut the cake and prepare the icing
An adult cuts the cold cake into a four-by-four grid to make sixteen squares. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into one shallow bowl. The adult melts the separate 30 g butter, measures the hot water and whisks both into the dry mixture until smooth. Let the icing cool to a comfortably warm temperature before children help with coating; it should still be fluid.
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Give each square a chocolate coat
Put the coconut in the second bowl and set the rack over a tray. Using forks, dip one cake square briefly into the safely warm icing, turn to coat it and lift it out, allowing extra icing to drip back into the bowl. Handle it gently so the sponge stays together.
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Roll in coconut
Transfer the coated square to the coconut and turn it until covered, then place it on the rack. Repeat with the other squares, keeping one fork for chocolate and one for coconut. If the icing becomes too thick, an adult can whisk in a teaspoon of hot water at a time, then check the temperature again before children continue.
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Leave the coating to set
Let the lamingtons stand for about 30 minutes, until the coating has set enough to handle. Count the sixteen finished squares and choose one to share with your cooking companion.
Your tasty passport · Destination 09
You’ve tasted Australia.
What will you try next?
Open your cooking notebook and make a new passport page. Write AUSTRALIA at the top, draw a dish you tried and add the date and your cooking companion’s name.
- Give it a taste score. Rate each dish you tried from 1 to 5. Everyone is allowed a different favourite.
- Choose your next step. Would you cook it again? Write “Yes”, “Maybe” or “Not yet”.
- Remember three discoveries. Vegemite is a concentrated yeast spread used in a thin layer; Australian meat pies come with many fillings; lamingtons are sponge cake coated in chocolate icing and coconut.
- Earn your LAUGHTER stamp. Draw a funny shape you made or write down a happy moment from your baking adventure. How did you help each other learn?
Food detective: which recipe starts with flat pastry to roll, which uses pastry cups, and which begins as one cake? Answers: scrolls, mini meat pies and lamingtons.
A word for your journey: G’day is an informal Australian greeting. At the table, “Dig in!” is a friendly, informal invitation to start eating.
Your next destination clue: the compass points towards a country known for waffles, chocolate and a comforting dish called waterzooi. Where might your recipe compass take you?
Food and discovery notes for grown-ups
Recipes adapted from Quesbo’s Australia cooking pages, with clearer preparation, supervision and storage guidance. These are family interpretations of the dishes. Food imagery is AI-generated for illustration, rather than photographs from a kitchen test.
- Visit Canberra: Australia’s capital city
- Tourism Australia: everyday Australian expressions and culture
- Tourism Australia: the diversity of Australian food
- Tourism Australia: meat pies, lamingtons and other familiar foods
- Bega: Vegemite ingredients and allergen information
- Vegemite: using a thin spread in a cheesy snack
- Food Standards Agency: cooking food thoroughly
- Food Standards Agency: chilling and storing food
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