The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

Floss

@Florenceem I don't see there being any issue about "having" to bake your own, rather than buying due to cost.

I wasn't brought up with shop cakes, indeed me & my older brothers well remember my mum spreading melted Scotbloc onto Co-op digestives because it was cheaper than a packet of chocolate digestives. We helped to bake & never missed shop bought, although I still can't do pastry despite cold hands.

My sons were brought up with home baking and would choose that over shop cake (unless it was Mini Rolls at Grandma's), as would their friends when visiting (whose mums couldn't/ didn't bake). Even now in their 30s both boys & friends occasionally comment on a birthday cake, or regularly baked things they were offered such as flapjacks or my Grandma's ginger biscuits.

annieb64

I remember  spreading cooking chocolate  onto plain digestives. It may have been something that Shirley  Goode suggested  doing. 

Floss

annieb64 said:

I remember  spreading cooking chocolate  onto plain digestives. It may have been something that Shirley  Goode suggested  doing. 

I think it was mentioned in one of her books, I had them when I was first married to 20th century husband.

pollyanna_26

There's a recipe for Chocolate Wholewheat Biscuits in More for your Money. The book Shirley co wrote with  Erica Griffiths but she used half plain chocolate and half cooking chocolate.

I think the other recipe is in Have A Goode Year which covered the Seasons including Christmas.

I've promised to lend the Soup Kitchen my Shirley Goode books so they can print off some recipes. Have a Goode Year seems to have taken a walk although the others were together so I'm going to have to hunt. I'll include Mary Berry's Feed Your Family the Healthier Way. I used that a lot when the children were growing up.

Have a Goode year is really good for seasonal cooking and Goode for one is ideal for someone on their own.It does include recipies for entertaining guests.

There seem to be some used books on the big river site but I think Shirley's books are still relevent today . She mentions how to make butter, forage and stretch ingredients. One thing which seemed a really good idea in Goode for One was using a large 4 hole yorkshire pudding tin to bake individual pies sweet and savoury quiche,flans etc to use over two days so you aren't eating the same thing two days running.

I've often wondered why her books weren't reprinted. With the cuts, the energy rises etc they would be helpful for many. They helped me when I was feeding four hungry youngsters .

Apologies for the Italics! Openreach have been digging the road up and it takes a while for  things to settle.

pollyx

MrsCD

Ironing all done and put away this morning then Dad's cleaning and changed his bed this afternoon. I've prep'd the veg for tomorrow and now I'm watching Pie in the sky with the wonderful Richard Griffiths and Maggie Steed.

MingVase

I think those old cookbooks are definitely much needed today Polly. It's getting very like the 70s in a lot of ways, so I suppose the next logical step is 1970s cooking. I was a verhy hardup mum of two toddlers in a high rise flat then, with a husband who worked in Leith docks and was always on strike or out of work. We lived on big pots of lentil soup, egg& chips, and rice pudding  lol

pollyanna_26

MrsCD said:

Ironing all done and put away this morning then Dad's cleaning and changed his bed this afternoon. I've prep'd the veg for tomorrow and now I'm watching Pie in the sky with the wonderful Richard Griffiths and Maggie Steed.

I used to enjoy Pie in the Sky. I'm waiting for Casualty, still loyal since a young Charlie Fairhead turned up on his first day. I've only missed one episode when I went into labour. Same thing happened with Hill St Blues and Mash. I did buy the dvd boxsets of those two. I'm planning to watch all The Frasier DVDs when winter arrives. My David Tennants including the Christmas specials and the Hannah Hauxwell DVDs. I have no idea how she survived those winters high up in the Yorkshire Dales. Small but Mighty. I'll also watch the Geoff Hamilton dvd I mentioned recently. Problem is I'll start wanting to make things out of wood and there's an Arbour, Bench, Table and an Arch already as well as Wooden plant troughs and Window Boxes.

pollyx

pollyanna_26

MingVase said:

I think those old cookbooks are definitely much needed today Polly. It's getting very like the 70s in a lot of ways, so I suppose the next logical step is 1970s cooking. I was a verhy hardup mum of two toddlers in a high rise flat then, with a husband who worked in Leith docks and was always on strike or out of work. We lived on big pots of lentil soup, egg& chips, and rice pudding .

I've probably mentioned it before but Gary Rhodes Vegetarian Scotch Broth fed us many a time. He did a non veggie version but the Veggie one was fine. It does have celery in it but you could leave that out. Most of my books were from the 80s and lentils , herbs and veg were in many recipies.

My mum used to make huge rice puddings with a large tin of Carnation evaporated milk. She'd pour that in then add a can full of water. They were lovely and I always made mine the same way.

The 70s were the beginning of frugal cooking and I was glad I'd learned to cook from scratch from childhood especially when the two younger children came along. This is where old style ways are useful. I know from the Soup Kitchen many of different ages have no living skills. Now things have eased the cooking lessons have started along with life skills. They're using some of Tom and Marcus's recipies and I suggested they print off some from Shirley Goode's books. Considering those books were 80s Shirley was ahead of her time in some ways using less common ingredients and herbs and spices.

I remember her writing about how to make margarine go further and all sorts of hints, My dad had been a chef so I didn't need it but in The Goode Kitchen she explained kitchen gadgets. Then shopping lists and budgets.

One of the first things she made on TV was the Cross-bread which can be made from any source of protein and flour. She gave different souces of protein so you could vary it. Very cheap and easy.

It looks as though we're in for a bumpy ride so remembering the woman who had The Knowledge we know what to do. Apart from the Energy Companies that's a different Kettle of Fish.

pollyx

Hard_Up_Hester

I had the Paupers Cookbook, I still make the bacon, onion and potato hotpot from it. Otherwise known as how to feed a family of 6 with a rasher of bacon!

I also had Shirley Goode books, the pizza base with yoghurt was a favourite.

My family still remember all the home made cakes, bread and meals such as Hunt the Fish pie.

I really miss baking but there is no point now as Steve doesn't eat cake.

annieb64

We love the bacon, potato and onion hot pot from the paupers kitchen. 

I only have one of Shirley Goode's cookery books but think I came across the chocolate digestive idea and the suggestion about making pies in Yorkshire pudding tins in articles she wrote for a little magazine called "Home and freezer digest"