A Marriage Proposal

So that’s settled, isn’t it?’ he said, going on with his toast and marmalade; ‘instead of being companion to Mrs Van Hopper you become mine, and your duties will be almost exactly the same.’   (Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca)

We often associate marriage proposals with food: candlelit dinners in quiet restaurants, classical music playing in the background and a bottle of champagne at the ready.  Continue reading “A Marriage Proposal”

Life after Life 7: Marmalade Cake

‘What happened to you?’ Maurice said to Ursula one afternoon as he sprawled on a deckchair on the lawn reading Punch, cramming nearly an entire slice of Mrs Glover’s marmalade cake into his mouth at once.
‘What do you mean what happened to me?’
‘You’ve turned into a heifer.’ (May 1926, page 230)

In these posts on food in Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life, Mrs Glover’s cooking has been presented as often falling short of expectations. Her Sole Veronique – discussed here – is described as a ‘surprisingly capricious interpretation‘ of the classic French dish whilst her Veal cutlets a la Russe – from my last post – are dismissed as ‘unappetizing‘ and ‘like the dog’s dinner‘. Clearly sophisticated continental cooking is not her forte. Continue reading “Life after Life 7: Marmalade Cake”