Copyright and Cuisine: Navigating Recipe Ownership

Australian cookbook author Nagi Maehashi promises her caramel slice recipe actually works. That the caramel won’t be runny and that it won’t crack or ooze when cut. She shared the recipe on her widely popular website RecipeTin Eats several years ago, and then last year noticed a recipe with uncanny similarities in a bestselling book by Brisbane bakery owner Brooke Bellamy. Bellamy has denied allegations that she plagiarised Maehashi’s recipe, saying she has been making caramel slice herself since 2016. Lifestyle editor Alyx Gorman speaks to Nour Haydar about the recipe plagiarism allegations that have caused a stir in the cookbook world