Rose’s onion savoury

As you may know, I love old cookery books, and looking back at the sort of things ordinary people grew, cooked, ate and enjoyed. There are lots of recipes I have started using, but some just don’t seem the sort of thing any of my family would enjoy – and in fact do seem a little odd. I can just imagine the faces if I presented ‘Rose’s onion savoury’… and I think I would probably take away from the table as much as I had put on it!

From the National Mark Calendar of Cooking, here is the savoury, made by one of the writers’ – either Ambrose Heath or Dorothy Cottington Taylor, – one of the writers’ friend’s cooks, presumably Rose:

Rose’s onion savoury

• as many medium onions as people, boiled until tender but not broken
• cheese
• tomato sauce or purée
• paprika
• butter
• buttered toast

1. cut each onion in half, and chop the insides finely
2. mix cheese, onion and tomato sauce/purée, paprika
3. fill each half with mixture, top with a dab of butter
4. brown in oven and serve on toast

I’d love to hear from anyone who tries this!