A La Carte

In October 1984 I bought the first issue of a new food magazine called A La Carte, priced £1.50… it would be at least twice as much as that these days! It was and still is quite unusual for me to buy magazines, but there was something so stylish and attractive about its cover, it looked so cool, and when I flicked through the pages it was full of interesting articles as well as recipes that I bought it, and continued to buy it for the next three or four years until it went out of production. I read and reread these magazines, well-written and interesting and sometimes challenging articles, interesting and clever and witty photographs, fabulous recipes… The whole production said ‘quality’.

I still have every issue, and today I got inspired to have a look at them again. On the front of this first issue it promises ‘completely new: the gourmet snack recipes for game, fish, desserts,friends.

Alluring: Anthony Worrall-Thompson and the super snack
Luscious: a coconut Kirsch roulade to make and remember
Accessible: Jancis Robinson’s wine course
Creative: making preserves in a microwave
Astonishing: The Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath
Revealing: what Bob Mondavi said to Philipe de Rothschild
Thrifty: recipes for using up every bit of a pheasant
Entertaining: how other people do it

There were articles and features by such eminent writers, experts and cooks as Jancis Robinson, Paul Levy, Fay Maschler, Yan-Kit So and Michael Smith, and the magazine had sections on wine with a special feature on Chardonnay, food – including Brie and Camembert, microwave cooking, Chinese food and pheasants – entertaining, living/kitchens with articles about tableware, antique sauceboats and kitchen design, travel, restaurants, books, shops…

Having not read my collection for so many years, I am going to have real fun going back and looking at them again!