Foods available in the average home

I’ve just been looking at some recipes which were shared on TV between 1963-65. British food – especially from the past has often been criticised, unfairly criticised for the mot part I think. I’m sure there have always been excellent home cooks, ordinary people on limited means,  preparing meals for the family with probably not much, and trying to make their dishes tasty even though they had to be ‘stretched’ with extra fillers.  However, I’m not going to ride this particular hobby horse, but  share some of Zena Skinner’s ideas in her chapter on Pastries and Savouries from her little ‘Town and Around‘ booklet.

The first one in this chapter is a savoury pie made with a cheap cut, neck of lamb. It’s described as ‘a good mid-week pie for colder days’ and is for 4-6 people, but only using 1½ lbs of neck of lamb – by the time the bones and the fat are removed, there wouldn’t be much actual meat left! The fat and bones aren’t wasted, they are boiled together to make gravy (it is skimmed!) The meat is layered with thinly sliced onions (2) and an unusual ingredient, ½ lb of peeled, cored, cut apples sprinkled with a little sugar. That seems odd – but then think of all the sweet and sour recipes there are.  The pie is covered with shortcrust pastry and baked, and no doubt served with potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

The next recipe is described as ‘an unusual combination of ingredients, which, when cooked make a very tasty dish’. Minced beef, ok, chopped bacon, ok, onions, also ok, and then prunes – which I am very fond of! They are mixed together with parsley, thyme, salt and pepper then rolled in a suet pastry, wrapped in foil and baked for 30 minutes. The foil is opened, the roll is brushed with beaten egg and milk then  put back in teh oven for another 20-30 minutes. This is Savoury California Prune Roll, and served with seasonal vegetables and gravy. There’s a similar (but cheaper roll) with bacon, onion and apple, and an even cheaper egg, cheese and potato roll. There’s also a recipe for pork or lamb cutlets in a parcel with raisins, mushroom and hard-boiled eggs.

Most of the recipes in this book are straightforward, quick and easy to make; they often use left-overs, or small amounts of ingredients in combination to give variety ‘designed to use foods available in the average home.’ I might even try making her cheese and ham crescents!