Celebrate Australia Day with a plate of true-blue Aussie Lamingtons

January 26 is a day for Australians to celebrate.

Across Australia, whether it's backyard cricket matches, beach parties, BBQs, sports day, thong throwing, surfing, swimming or fishing - it's all part of the Australian tradition.

And what could be more Australian than devouring our own national culinary icon - the humble lamington.

The lamington was created at Government House in Brisbane over a century ago under the guidance of Lord Lamington - an English aristocrat who was Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901.

The lamington was "invented" after a slip-up by a maid-servant at Government House in Brisbane who turned disaster into delight with the creation of the chocolate-covered sensation smothered in desiccated coconut.

Lord Lamington devoured the new-fangled tasty treats named after him with great fervour but is on the record as calling them "those bloody poofy woolly biscuits".

Lord Lamington, also Baron Lamington, was born in London on 29 July 1860 as Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie - a mouthful almost as big as an Australian lamington.

Paul Tully celebrates the
 100th anniversary of the
 Australian Lamington.

So on Australia Day, tuck into some true-blue Aussie lamingtons and remember they were created by an Englishman who was Governor of Queensland almost 115 years ago.

It's fortunate the name "Lamington" actually stuck for these tasty morsels.

Imagine if Lord Lamington had wanted a little more notoriety and the chocolate-covered cake had been given his real surname and not his aristocratic British title.

Today, across the cake shops and food outlets of Australia, instead of ordering lamingtons, we would be asking for a packet of "Cochrane-Baillies" - which has as much ring to it as a culinary delights of a raw witchetty grub!

Happy celebrating and eating!

The history of the Australian Lamington: CLICK HERE