Locals get behind the humble lamington

By the time the store opens at 6.30am, lamingtons are carried out by the tray-load from the kitchen and slid into display cabinets for all to admire and ponder purchasing.

It’s something bakehouse manager Nick Harris takes pride in doing every day.

“I think lamingtons are everyone’s favourite … it’s the great Aussie dessert,” he said.

On a standard Tuesday, the team sells between 50 and 70 of these classic treats. But for National Lamington Day, the coconut is out in force and the kitchen is in full swing.

While locals will be queuing up at bakeries today, the origins of the humble lamington trace back to 1800s Queensland — and a governor with a catering dilemma.

According to the Queensland State Library, the most widely accepted origin story traces the lamington’s name back to Lord Lamington — formally known as Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie — who served as Queensland’s eighth Governor from 1896 to 1901.

The story goes that when Lord Lamington hosted garden parties, catering was a challenge given the unpredictable number of guests.

His chef de cuisine, Armand Galland, came up with the lamington as a practical and crowd-pleasing solution.

The guests loved the cakes, dubbing them Lord Lamington’s cakes.

However it came to be, one thing is certain — the lamington, in all its variations, has earned its place as a true Australian icon.

Here at The Riv, we’re marking Lamington Day in the most fitting way possible: with plenty of chocolate, coconut and good company.