I mentioned that I’d had a touch of the lurgy, a non-definable feeling of bleagh, tired, muddled-headed, annoying cough, floppy… luckily I can just take to my bed, doze, drink tea, lounge about, as at the moment we’ve not got much happening. I did rouse myself for the pub quiz last night, and that, the company, and a couple of glasses of wine certainly improved things.
I’ve not really fancied much to eat, fruit, toast, tea and coffee, and I certainly don’t think any “invalid dishes” from various nineteenth century cookery books would have appealed. In fact the idea of special foods for poorly people continued into the twentieth century and probably up to the 1950’s. I must do some research on that!
I am looking at a recipe book I have, which was published for or by Brown and Polson a well-known corn-flour manufacturer, and you can read about the origins of their business here:
https://www.paisley.org.uk/2016/08/brown-polson-paisley-boom-bust/
The little old book I have is ‘Light Fare Recipes for Corn Flour and Raisley Cookery’ (Raisley was a raising agent added to flour) The invalid recipes I can choose from are:
- Creamed toast
- Milk soup
- Jelly for Invalids
- Simple Baked Pudding
- Corn Flour Custard Pudding
- Corn Flour Soufflé
- Corn Flour Blancmange
- Corn Flour Blancmange with Egg
- Corn Flour Blancmange with Sponge
- Custard Shape
- Simple Trifle
I don’t really fancy any of these, even if I was feeling bright and perky instead of dull and peaky, but I can imagine in the past something like this would have been comforting and would keep the patient’s strength up. I think I will just have a cup of tea and a piece of toast!! Obviously my toast will be just toast and not creamed toast (whatever that is!!)
Lois Elsden 