Looking at my 1920’s/30’s Modern Practical Cookery book, and the suggestions for a February menu are crown roast of lamb as the entrée:. In those days lamb and mutton were cheap, today they are too expensive to have on anything other than a very special occasion. Maybe the roast crown of lamb was a special occasion as it appears in the little dinner menu for the month. As usual, as well as the main course there is a starter, a dessert and a savoury – and suggestions for a table decoration:
Anemones – crimson, purple and every shade of mauve, arranged loosely in a cut-glass bowl.
N.B. – these flowers look lovely used in conjunction with vivid Chinese table-mats.
The menu:
Halibut and cheese sauce
crown roast of lamb
potatoes, turnip tops
Peach cream
Prune toast
It seems strange to me to serve fish and cheese; halibut is such a lovely fish I would want to serve it as simply as possible! Peach cream is made from tinned peaches – all they could find in the days before supermarkets and all year round availability of everything. Prune toasts would not appeal to everyone, prunes, almonds, cream cheese and streaky bacon… I can’t imagine anyone apart from me even trying them in our family! However, if you think they might appeal, here is the recipe:
Prune toast
- 12 stoned prunes, pre-soaked in cider
- 12 blanched almonds
- 6 thin streaky rashers of bacon, rinds removed and cut in half
- cream cheese
- 6 oblongs of buttered toast
- salt and pepper
- insert cream cheese and an almond in each prune
- wrap a piece of bacon round each prune
- pin with a skewer or cocktail stick
- bake until the bacon is cooked
- arrange two bacon prunes on each piece of toast
I saw my first primroses today, very early… so I have primroses for my featured image
Lois Elsden 