1950's theme

Someone mentioned Marguerite Patten had a Victory cookbook and you can get it at Amazon.co.uk - you could try that!

Martini

There's a whole section in the Victory Cookbook for party nibbles from the VE celebrations section.

I remember fish paste sandwiches being a biggie

Egg Nog: (became popular when liquidisers were first introduced)

Put a fresh egg with 1-2 tsp sugar adn 1/2 pint (full fat) milk into a goblet. Add 2-3TBsp brandy or whisky. Switch on liquidiser. Serve cold or heat for just one minute taking care that it doesn't boil!!

Coronation Chicken (1953! Could be used to fill vol-au-vents for a nibble?)

1 chicken
1 onion
2-3 carrots cut into slices
parsely
tarragon
salt n pepper

For the Salad

10-12oz (300 - 350g tin) halved apricots
225ml - 7oz mayo
2tsp curry paste (or to taste)
4 Tbsp cream (60ml)
2 Tbsp fruit syrup (from the tinned apricots)
3oz blanced flaked almonds

Put the chicken into a large saucepan with the other ingredients for cooking. Cover and simmer gently until just tender. Let cool
When cold, skin the chicken, take off the meat and cut into bite sized pieces.
(Put carcass in the fridge - you can use it for stock another time)
Drain apricots and cut into thin slices.
Mix mayo with curry paste, cream and fruit syrup; add chicken, apricots and half of the nuts.
Pile neatly onto a dish and top with remaining nuts.
Garnish with a border of shredded lettuce and slices of tomato and cucumber.
OR: Fill vol-au-vent cases with chicken mixture and top with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Salmon Dip: Dips were just coming into fashion and would be served with crudites (fingers of raw veggies: carrot, cauliflower florets, radishes, red/green/yellow/orange bell peppers cut into strips or even small crackers., etc)
Flake 8oz (225g) of well drained canned salmon and mix with 1Tbsp lemon juice, 5 Tbsp mayo 2Tbsp double cream, 1 Tbsp tomato ketchup, 3Tbsp finely grated skinned cucumber, and 2tsp chopped fresh parsley.
Put into a small dish and surround with your chosen raw veggies.


Also:
cucumber sandwiches (no crusts, cut into neat triangles )
cheese straws (shortcrust pastry with grated cheese added. Cut into narrow strips and "twist" into a spiral. Place on baking tray and cook in a hot oven for about 10-15mins.

Coke was very big too LOL as in cola!

Think ..... "Grease" / "Happy Days"

Good luck, sounds like FUN!!! (are we invited??? )

In the 50's foreign travel was just becoming available to some and foreign foods were just starting to come onto the UK market. Things we think are old hat now such as spag bog would be the hight of sophistication back then. Presentation was everything and entertaining much more formal so no throwing things in a bowl, take time and cut all those cherry toms into little florrets.:eek:

Babycham in those basin type glasses woz very chic in the 50's as were cocktails in glasses with coloured sugar iced rims.

Coronation Chicken was very trendy (and exotic in 1953):rolleyes: Filled pastry boats were the voluvont of their day and open sandwiches, pate and toast a must for fancy entertaining. The brighter the colour the better so a lot of artificial colours were used to pep up natural foods and make them look more interesting. Bright orange coronation chicken on a blue or green coloured rice ring would be ideal for the period and anything made in a whimsical mould is also very 50's. Salads were laid out in contrived arrangements on large platters a bit like summer bedding in council flower beds. No tossed salads and rarely a dressing.

Other ways to give the 50's feel apart from the obvious outfits 'n' music is to use chinese paper lanterns (very 50's) and some chianti bottles with than ratan stuff on the outside and red candle in the top. Also send out your invitations on cards through snail mail. Word it formally ie Mr & Mrs X request the pleasure of the company of Mr & Mrs Y etc and ask them to RSVP in writing. This always gets them 'in the mood' and is a trick I often use when hosting a murder mystery type do and ask them to reply in character.

HTH Feel free to PM my invite I sharn't hold you to social convention and insist you send it gilt edged thorugh snail mail;)