Frugal Books, Wartime Books, Books, Books and Books

On Monday it is my turn to provide the subject for discussion at our monthly 'Golden Oldies' meeting in the village hall.   

They have asked me to take along some books, of course! 

To be specific, my old recipe books.   

Which ones to take though?             People glaze over at mention of recipe books.      Perhaps they think  Jamie Oliver, Delia Smith and Gary Rhodes.

But there are many different strands to my collection. 
Some focus entirely on Lincolnshire recipes from days gone by. 
Specialities of the county - it's not all pork pies, stuffed chine, or Plum Loaf, though they almost always feature!
Many give lots of little details, country ways, country life and times long gone.

Many of my favourites are not much more than cheaply produced booklets, but it is what is inside that matters.

Recipes, hints and tips. 
Recipes are basic, instructions minimal,  you don't often get oven temperatures or the size of cake tins, so you do need a little basic cookery knowledge which makes it more challenging, but I enjoy that.

Many were produced during difficult times, war years, food scarcity or food rationing. 
There are no photographs, but there is a lot of social history contained within which makes them infinitely more special than any modern celebrity recipe book, no matter how beautifully staged the photographs.

Some of the covers are very attractive, although many of the recipes are simply weird for our modern tastes and way of eating.   

How about cake sandwiches - plum cake sandwiched between two slices of bread?   Apparently they should be cut into triangles and decorated with crystallised fruits.

Maybe you are more of a savoury person, so how about Mock Salmon sandwiches - very thin slices of fat smoked haddock, raw.  The secret is to spread the bread with mustard (Colman's of course)-butter and add a couple of drops of Worcestershire sauce.  A sandwich fit for a king, or so they say!

Books about frugality.
A whole topic in itself.
Perhaps I should add some Shirley Goode and Elizabeth West books to the pile, two women who really knew how to eat well on a budget.

Then there are lovely old books about flowers as food, and recipes with roses.    Each and every one of them a delight and packed with interesting recipes.

These farmhouse, wartime, and Gloucestershire WI recipe books all date from 1939/40.   They make brilliant reading and some provide useful recipes, but there are plenty of others I could select from the shelf.

These are most of the books which have made the cut, apart from my small collection of handwritten ones, they are going with me.

I think local, country, wartime and frugal will be of interest to everyone, especially given the age of most of the group members.     I'll also add a couple of the more extravagant ones, as a counterbalance.

If all else fails they will stir up some tales of make do and mend, wartime deprivation and village life and that always makes for good listening.

I could throw in a couple of beautifully and colourfully cartoon illustrated ones, or some on historic food,  old 'kitchen bibles' , or recipe books inspired by television series/books,    old English recipes,  or preserving and pickling, others which focus on one particular foodstuff - like honey, or quinces, foraging or foreign cookery.         The list is endless but the meeting only lasts for an hour and a half.


I think I should also provide cake!  😋


ps Most of these came from charity shops, car boot sales, auctions, charity book sales, online bargains - frugal finds!