Upper crust and bottom ovens

Press, 14 April 1984, Page 20

Upper crust and bottom ovens

The Englishwoman’s Kitchen. Edited by Tamasin Day-Lewis. Chatto and Windus/Hogarth Press, 1983. $29.95. (Reviewed by Thelma Strongman) “The Englishwoman’s Kitchen” is summarised by its editor as being alive and exceptionally well: a place filled with delicious food cooked very often by extraordinary characters. Using a format somewhat similar to “The Englishwoman’s Garden,” this book offers sets of recipes preceded by an autobiographical account of the lifestyle of each contributor, with a photographic portrait, and a sketch of her house. The women in the book are indeed extraordinary, for other than a sprinkling of food writers, each contributor seems to have been chosen on the merit of being part of the English nobility — or at least close to it Perhaps the title “The Upper-Crust Englishwoman’s Kitchen” might be more appropriate, in deference to the huge majority of good English cooks who are not of this social bracket. The rw»inAs contained within the

book are varied — from wholesome vegetable pies and family food, to food from other countries. There is, perhaps, a tendency towards the more complex or expensive meals for entertaining. A number of recipes look attractive enough and seem relatively easy to try out, but for me, those which include smoked salmon, grouse, pheasant, partridge, pigs’ hearts and lungs, and turbot will have to wait for another time or place. In addition to the recipes, one is allowed glimpses of the houses, kitchens and personalities of the women who have contributed. Depending on one’s point of view, this may either add spice to the recipes, or prove to be a-hair in the soup. In its own way, the book can be quite entertaining. For instance, one can play a game of sorting out a contributor’s key phrase which immediately places her in the topdrawer of English womanhood. A cursory reading of the book bagged these gems of English OneUpwomanship: “In 1977 mv husband was High

Sheriff of Cornwall.” “I always send the guns out with a mid-morning snack of assorted alcohol, and hot sausage rolls from a baker in Nantwich.” “We’ve counted over sixty names in the visitors’ book.” “I recently found some imported Greek sheep yoghurt in Harrods.” “I tend to serve pheasant in London rather than in the country where lots of our shooting freinds find them overfamiliar by the middle of the season.” “One can also resuscitate runts in the bottom oven.” However, Rose Elliot’s straightforward account of coping with a vegetarian harvest supper for 150 people could prove to be extremely useful for those suddenly asked to cater for large numbers. Mirabel Cecil’s “Feast for Children” strikes a basic chord, and Lady Sylvia Combe’s reminiscences, engendered by her “Grandchildren’s Lunch,” are quite delightful. Of two recipes so far attempted, the first, cucumber mousse, turned out very well, but in the second, midway through making a batch of bread and butter pickles, it was discovered that the amount of vinegar to be used had been omitted from the recipe. As the recipes are tried, it might be interesting to assess whether the choices of food match personalities.