QUEEN MARY AS A COOK

Evening Star, Issue 20322, 2 November 1929, Page 24

QUEEN MARY AS A COOK

Her Majesty visits her own kitchens personally, inspects her _ linen cupboards, washes her own priceless china, arranges for the comfort of her guests, and. is an excellent cook, with a marvellously light hand for pastry. In short, she knows as much about the 1 art of housewifery as any woman in England. It is difficult to be domesti- ! eated in a palace—but Queen Mary. ! from' the pure love of it, has triumphed i and has turned a palace into a home, j The kitchens at Buckingham Palace, ; Sandringham, and Windsor are all absolutely up to date, and contain many labour-saving devices that have been seen and ordered by the Queen herself at various times, although, naturally, the kitchens at Buckingham Palace are not so sunny as those in the country. (The Queen often has flowers sent down from her own rooms). Many people will not believe that the Queen of‘England visits her own kitchens personally, but she does, and there is a small "kitchen leading out from those at Buckingham Palace which is kept for her special use. It is tiled in white, and the floor has the new l rubber linoleum which is so easy to keep clean. Het Majesty has spent many hours in this kitchen, looking very business-like in the blue overall which she always wears when cooking. She lias a marvellously light hand for pastry, and the King has often remarked that no other pastry comes up to that of his wife. During the .King’s illness, the Queen’s cooking was invaluable. As is well-known, when His Majesty was dangerously ill, he would accept no nourishment except from the Queen’s hands, and once when she was feeding him he managed to whisper: “1 know you made this, it is so delicious.” His Majesty was, of course, only allowed fluids for a considerable time, and Queen Mary used to make for him a kind of milk soup with just a flavouring of cinnamon to make it palatable. Even when she did not actually make the soup, she always asked to come and add the flavouring, because she knew just how much to put in. When the King became really, convalescent, lie liked nothing so much as the very light sponge" cake which the Queen used to make especially for him. _ Perhaps it may interest niy readers if I give the recipe, which is as simple as it is 1 delicious

When Her Majesty inspected Craigwell House with a view to the King’s visit, she hist of all saw the room it was proposed that he should occupy, and then straightaway went down to the kitchen “ Dh, how attractive this is!” she exclaimed as she entered, and the kitchen a* Craigwoil House is certainly delightful. The colour scheme is white and blue and practically all the cooking is done by electricity. At one side there is a smallish table with an enamel top and largo enamel-lined drawers, and standing at this one can look out over the grounds at the back. “This is where 1 shall do my cooking,” said the Queen when ■ she saw it. and. true to her word,, she was seen there nearly every morning.

THE QUEEN’S SPONGE CAKE. . Three eggs (whites beaten separately), weight of three eggs in castor sugar, weight of two eggs in selfraising 'flour. Method. —Put yolks and beaten whites of eggs in basin, sift in castor sugar and beat up, then sift in the flour. Have ready a cake tin lined with paper. Put in mixture and place in hot’ oven. If gas is used, lower gas immediately cake is in oven and do not look at cake for at least twenty minutes to half an hour. Gas should be very low. Test with skewer and if the latter is clean when taken out, the cake will he done.