In her view, this had a far bigger impact on the quality of food eaten than whether you were rich or poor. The book is a compendium of favourite tips and treats, many of which just happen to be several hundred years old . Some of these such as stargazey pie are old-fashioned, but all are practical recipes that can be cooked. When I look back at the food of my 1970s childhood, it all seems as brightly coloured as a pair of toe-socks or a brand new Space Hopper.

I'm moving this off the "currently reading" shelf, because, while I've read big chunks of it and will consult it in the future, reading 600 pages of recipes is tough going. Why English and not British, do not worry dear readers from the other three countries who are part of the British isles, there is a reason why in the book showing how you are covered and described and how by ancestry you are so much a part of this book. I'd remembered it as being an epic account of English cooking, from medieval times onwards, interspersed with recipes. Elevenses, for example, were far better in the country than in towns: a "big slice of solid cake" as against some dull "tea and biscuits" in the city.

The instructions are given in a few paragraphs: "Let the sirloin be well hung; dust it lightly with dry mustard, pepper and brown flour to give a crisp crust; bed the fat end well under the lean undercut, and secure in place with string or carefully placed skewer.

Where quantities or cooking temperatures have to be specified, these are included in the instructions; otherwise, matters are left to the cook's discretion. The book suggests a much more varied, rich, and bizarre English cuisine than the stereotype allows, listing native plants and garden plants that were once widely consumed but now are forgotten (e. Contains 676 printed pages of text with monochrome illustrations and archive photographs throughout.The book ‘Food in England’ was really born in the 1930s when Dorothy had a weekly column in ‘The Daily Sketch’ newspaper. It was there that she began work on the book for which she is best known, [6] Food in England, leading to its publication in 1954. It has been extremely difficult to put my finger on what exactly makes the British different, or rather what part of it is endearing for me. Dorothy Hartley wrote numerous books on British culture and history, including the six volumes of Life and Work of the People of England. I was startled to discover that almost all of the 676 pages are taken up with practical recipes and techniques, with very little historical narrative.

Have you ever wondered where old saying's come from, for instance, "Hook or by Crook" or how chimneys were cleaned of soot,using a Holly Bush and a horse or bullock, No, well I had the first but, not living in the country,didn't even know a thing about the second one. She seems to have had a quixotic need for solitude and sometimes hung up on friends who telephoned, snapping "I can't talk to you now.The book is a compendium of favourite tips and treats, many of which just happen to be several hundred years old. A fine, bright copy, contents entirely clean, in the unusually well-preserved dust jacket, unclipped, spine mildly sunned, tiny nick to foot of spine panel, uncommonly bright and sharp.

She describes some delicious puddings, cakes and breads, including an exotic violet flower ice cream, an eighteenth century coconut bread and Yorkshire teacakes. Thus you dredge with powders or spices to give flavour, or with acid juices, or chopped herbs, which the pouring fat washes down into the crevices of the roasting meat.

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