Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Christmas Eve


This is my grandmother's well used cookbook. I love to imagine her poking through it looking for a recipe to try or go back to. In it are taped bits of paper with handwritten recipes and notes. Rhubarb chutney, a newspaper clipping....Kitchen Hints for Scots Houswives, taped on the front page, her Xmas pudding, a real classic and handed down from her mother. Ingredients like 1 gill of brandy, 1 pound of Demerara sugar, sultanas, mixed peel, almonds and shredded suet. It was made by my mother and I have made it too. Let stand 12 hours, boil for 8. The smell of the house when it is on the boil represents Christmas:)



I wonder who Mrs. Baird was:)


Have a Happy Holiday Everyone:))

December Views

4 comments:

Kathy said...

Don't you just love the old recipes? I have one from my Grandmother where you weight everything...even the eggs! My dad was a wonderful baker. I don't even like the kitchen. I cherish the recipes in my mother's handwriting. She had beautiful penmanship....now that's an old word! Thanks for sharing

Anonymous said...

What a book! I think these handed-down family recipe books are heirlooms, don't you? My aunt sent me my nana's recipe book. Inside are handwritten recipes going back to my great, great grandmother and her sisters. I made copies of her book for my family members last Christmas. So which recipe are you going to try making?

Suzie Ridler said...

That is such a treasure! Oh I wish I had something like that. The women in my family didn't like cooking or baking very much.

Enjoy the decluttering! Great resolution for the new year.

Gifted Typist said...

Nigella Lawson is the modern day Mrs. Beaton, sort of. Apparently Mr Beaton saw the opportunity to leverage the nineteenth century domestic work market, and together they created an empire. That was Nigella's story too, before her husband died of throat cancer. Now look at Nigella.