I have been looking at Modern Practical Cookery’s recipes for April. There’s a section in the 1930’s book of suggested dinner party menus; April’s starts with corn soup, progresses to roast lamb, mint sauce, new potatoes and spring cabbage, to pineapple pie and as a savoury anchovy fingers. Lamb is a traditional meat for Easter which did fall in April this year – as there are more possible days for Easter Sunday in April than in March (March 22nd – April 25th) lamb does fit well into the April menu. The pineapple pie is a meringue pie – crushed pineapple thickened with egg yolks and topped with meringue… sounds very delicious!
Most of us have abandoned a savoury course in a meal, except for cheese and biscuits, but on earlier menus there was always a little savoury something to finish a meal… for April it’s anchovy fingers:
Anchovy fingers
- 10 anchovies – boned and tinned or bottled in oil
- 12 bread fingers, toasted and buttered or fried in butter
- 1½ oz butter
- pepper
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and yolks removed, whites finely chopped
- parsley
- mash the anchovies with the butter
- add the egg yolks and mix well, rub through a sieve and season
- spread the anchovy mix on the toast
- sprinkle with chopped egg white and garnish with parsley
- serve hot or cold
A footnote adds that anchovy paste can be used instead… I think I might prefer the actual fish!
The suggested table decoration is a vase of bluebells and daffodils on Normandy lace mats, so I’m sharing a picture of our local bluebells which grace the Donkey Field in our village.
Lois Elsden 
Oh my word, that sounds delicious
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Doesn’t it just!
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