Cookery from yesteryear

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During lock-down we cleared lots of old filing which included books and magazine articles on cooking. Bron has kept a extraordinary amount of information about the grand parties we used to hold from Victoria Road days until now. These included the IAM party when two police cars were in our garages and of Rotarian, Masonic and church gatherings for charity plus, of course, many family celebrations. Most were quite big events at Victoria Road with many dozen present. Bron would often read recipes for a week preparing a comprehensive spread  -  then spend days to make it all single handed.

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Here are some extracts from the hand written recipes that might amuse you. American Cheesecake, Stilton cheese soup, Mushroom hazelnut soup, Cashew paella, Hazelnut and apple sponge, Fish cakes, stuffed lamb, sticky toffee pud, champagne jelly. White Christmas cake, some very early recipes for 700 watt microwaves and much, much more.

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Bron and Judy went on two cookery courses together, one Oriental and the other European. There are notes of Bubble and Squeak patties, kidneys Provençal, Chinese pork noodles, sour-cream chocolate cake, buttermilk birthday cake, how to make black icing for a Thomas the Tank engine, lamb gigot, coq au vin, Coronation chicken, roast red peppers, Pekin duck, crispy beef, chicken glazed in hoisin sauce.

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Letters of thanks (and reciprocal recipes) from friends in Bath, Swansea, abroad and of course from many local friends. In those days it was de rigueur to write to thank the hosts! Most made comments like 'best buffet ever', 'helium balloons galore' and much more.   Finally I found a long lost recipe for mulled wine with the calculation that 12 bottles of cheap red and 12 bottles of water, with all the necessary spices would make 150 glasses of decent punch!  I can't remember making it.

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It brings back old memories for us of very happy parties.