The last roses – deep red and heavy-scented

I haven’t looked at my old, 1930’s, Modern Practical Cookery Book for a while, but looking at the suggested menu for October I see that if I were offered it, I would say, yes please! Before the suggested menu is a little introduction with a suggested table decoration – for October:

The last roses – deep red and heavy-scented. Arrange them loosely in a silver bowl and your table will look hospitable and quite perfect.

The menu has four courses, soup, entrée, dessert and then a savoury. We no longer have savouries to round off a lovely dinner – the last remnant is cheese and biscuits! Because I’m not particularly fond of sweet dishes, I really would enjoy something like that to complete a meal. Looking through the other menus for other months, there are such things as mushrooms on toast, cheese soufflé, tomato toast or eggs en cocottes.

This is what is on the menu for October:

cream of tomato soup
saddle of mutton and redcurrant jelly
potatoes and spinach
apple meringue
soft roes on toast

I’m not sure many people would like roe, soft or hard these days, but I love it – not that I’ve had it for a while, it’s not something you often see. The recipe here is quite simple:

• ½ lb soft roes
• buttered toast
• salt and pepper
• lemon (it doesn’t say but I guess slices or zest)
• butter

1. wipe the roes, season and fry gently in butter
2. arrange on the buttered toast and garnish with lemon

Now that I’ve written about roe, I really fancy some… I will look on the fish counter next time we shop, otherwise I may have to make do with tinned!