HELPING THE HOUSEKEEPER.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160711, 26 July 1920, Page 3

HELPING THE HOUSEKEEPER.

SUr FLYING COOKED'DINNERS. A EXPERIMENT. In the hope of'doing something to solve the domestic servant problem, a novel experiment is being commenced at Dunedin to-day (Monday). This is the preparation of mid-day meals at a central depot, the food being sent out to any address within a mile and a half of the centre, which it may receive on order. The experiment is being run by a private company, with a capital of £IOOO, and the shareholders do not look upon the venture as a moneymaking concern. One of the promoters, in explaining the objects' of the company to a pressman said:-—“We are not out to help poor people to get cheap food. Such a thing would he an impossibility. Good food cannot bo cheap in the sense of being low-priced. Our aim is to help the woman of education who is unaccustomed to hard work, and is now unable to obtain domestic help or to pay for it if it could be obtained. There will be no attempt to sell cheap food. Our proposal is to supply tasty and well-cooked home dishes. There will be no competition by the company with confectioners or cake-makers. Our endeavour will be to concentrate on midday dinners, but dishes for supper can be bought at the counter—such things as hot pies, shapes, etc., suitable for the evening meal. As we shall closo at 5.30, there will be no catering for late suppers. The idea is that persons can call on their way home and take with them something for the late afternoon meal. The plan is -on American lines, and we have the precedent of similar experiments in England; hut the scheme is as yet in its infancy, and we ourselves hardly know on what lines it will develop, for which reason we are at present going slowly.” The price for mid-day meals is 1/6 per head, but it remains to be seen whether this tariff can he continued. To-day’s dinner will consist of: — Brown "soup, boiled mutton with caper or parsley sauce, steak-and-kidney pie, cauliflower, mashed potatoes, tapioca, pudding, steamed date pudding. There will be plenty of variety and a speciality will be made of fish on Fridays. Tins of suitable shape have been made for carrying the food in compartments, and each set of tins will be carried in a container, thus ensuring that the meal will be delivered piping hot. Meals can be made up for one person or for any number up to six. The cooking is entirely with gas in a kitchen that is strictly sanitary and up to date, that being one of the company’s principles. On Saturdays there will be special provision for sending of meals that will serve for the Sundays.