THOUGHTS TURN TO LUNCHEON.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 108, 8 May 1937, Page 3 (Supplement)

THOUGHTS TURN TO LUNCHEON.

Art of Meal Setting.

(By A FRENCH CHEF.) SUCH a difference the setting out of even the simplest meal makes to its enjoyment! A lunch of bread and cheese and fruit can be as appetising as the veriest banquet, if it is presented in an attractive manner. For the very simple lunch, beloved of most moderns, a really rustic setting is best. Tablecloths in gaily coloured checks are just right, and fortunately can be made at home quica easily from ordinary gingham, or bought for a very little in any linen shop. Wooden plates, cruets, and bowls give the appearance of luscious country fare to a meal of cheese and fruit. If you prefer to use china, it is best to choose a set in plain pottery with bands of bright colour to decorate in, or with an all-over pattern of spots or stripes. Of course, a cloth and tableware of this type would not be suitable for the more sumptuous food, but many a hostess has managed to make the ordinary everyday lunch appear most appetising by serving it in this rustic setting. And now a word about a more formal lunch table. Most of us have our favourite sets of luncheon mats, but how difficult it is to think of a new idea for table decoration. One grows tired of the usual vase of flowers, or bowl of floating petals. Next time you want to find a really new centre-piece for your table try this idea. All you need is a big bowl for the middle of "the table, and four small or shallow ones for corner pieces. In the big bowl arrange some shortstemmed flowers in the shape of a Victorian posy, using bright colours for preference. Then fill the smaller bowl with silver sand which can be bought at any grocer's. Damp the sand thoroughly, and then fill each bowl with flowers in the following way: Break off the stems of the flowers to* within a few inches of the flower heads and stick each one carefully into the sand to form a posy. If you can keep the sand reasonably damp the flowers will stay fresh for some time. One of the most important things to think about when you are planning a lunch table, whether it be for a simple meal or party, is the finger napkin*. Nowadays it is usual to buy these to match your cloth if you use them, but where mats are used, of course, the napkins have to be bought separately. Those made of coarsely woven linen in gay stripes, and finished with a fringe,

are most attractive, easily laundered, and very colourful. These napkins are, as a rule quite small and look best folded hanflkerchief-wise, and laid flat on the side of the plate. Crusty rolls look most appetising laid on top of the colourful squares. If you use coloured glass on your table take care to choose the napkin to tone with this. Some modern glass has lines of bright colour to decorate it, and table linen edged with the same colour looks delightful. About Salads. Lettuces, curly endives and other greens are all delightful for making salads with, and plenty of delicious salads can also be made without them. Raw cabbage heart soaked in cold salted water and very finely shredded is very good with a mayonnaise or cream dressing, and a few chopped capers or gherkins. Dieed beetroot and apple mixed with cooked rice, chopped spring onions and a French dressing, is delightful to the eye, as well as to the palate. Sliced tomato goes well with spring onions, French dressing and water-cress. Chicory, the French endive, with beetroot or tomato. Cauliflower with a sharp sauce like tartare, an ordinary mayonnaise, a French dressing if you will add some chopped onion, tarragon and chervil; or. for epicurean occasions, a cold Hollandaise. Tinned Food: How to Choose It. Choose tin foods which bear the manufacturer's name on the label. Beware of tins built r.p of many pieces of metal, with a lot of soldering and ugly seams. Rap everything you buy with the knuckles. When you happen across a doubtful tin the difference in the note emitted will at once be apparent to you Don't let the shjpman sell you clti*tv tins with stained labels that have i«-t----j carelessly stored. Well-stored tins undoubtedly keep indefinitely, but a fcriidred per cent deterioration has bee;: recorded in tins stored in hot and exposed places. Rusty, dented tin?, and those wit' : two solder holes, or whose tops anbottoms are not concave, are others avoid. When a tin is opened. jn<* the contents by looking for the followr signs of poor quality, bad cooking, oi deterioration :-- I Colour faded. Food broken, soft and pulpy, both meat and fruit being di* integrated into a mass of fibre. .!••' liquefied, interior of tin corroded, sine!' sour, stale or musty, sometimes m: after the fruit has been turned out a stood in a dish for an hour.