The home of hungry readers
‘What’s for dinner? I’m starving.’
‘Veal cutlets a la Russe,’ Mrs Glover said. (August 1926, page 293)
In my introductory Kate Atkinson post I referred to the veal cutlets a la Russe, one of the dishes appearing in Life After Life that I had not heard of, and I promised that I would come back to it at a later point.
And now is that time. Continue reading “Life after Life 6: Veal a la Russe”
They were eating cake, almond speckled with chopped-up pieces of chocolate, an old recipe of Mrs Glover’s handed down on a piece of paper that was covered in greasy fingerprints. (2 September 1939, page 303)
One of the things I like so much about cooking is the idea of food as a legacy, as something that is passed down through the generations over time. And of course the way in which that manifests itself is through recipes – through writing down how to make something to eat, the joy and pleasure of food can be transmitted from person to person, from age to age. Continue reading “Life after Life 5: Almond Choc-Chip Cake”
Ursula remembered…the kitchen at Fox Corner on Mrs Glover’s baking days – the big brown ‘health’ loaves that Sylvie insisted on, but also the sponges and tarts and buns. She imagined eating a slice of the warm brown bread, thickly buttered, with the jam made from the raspberries and redcurrants at Fox Corner. (April 1945, page 439)
Until last year I had never made jam. I assumed it was a terribly complicated process involving thermometers and sterilising equipment – and the effort would not be worth the result.
How wrong I was. Continue reading “Life after Life 4: Raspberry and Redcurrant Jam”
Nanny Mills was rather frightening (although not to Hugh apparently), spending a lot of time quizzing Ursula about her manners and inspecting Teddy’s ears for dirt. Her sister was nicer and plied them with glasses of elderflower cordial and slices of milk fadge spread with blackberry jelly. (September 1923, pages 198-99)
It is perhaps no surprise for a foodie like me that my memories and thoughts of people are so often bound up with food. Continue reading “Life after Life 3: Milk Fadge”