My favourite recent charity-shop find is the Two Fat Ladies cookbook. I never saw these two on TV (although since buying the book I have watched all the YouTube clips I can find), and I am sorry that I didn’t discover them before Jennifer Paterson passed away, because the book is wonderful. They wrote with such gusto and joie de vivre – about the recipes, the ingredients, their experiences of cooking, their lives – and the food is just what I want to eat at this time of year (in moderation!): luxurious, courageous, robust atheroma-inducing old English comfort food, with a side of no-nonsense brilliance and a hearty sprinkling of colonial eclecticism.
Some friends moved into their new flat over Christmas, and Deri helped carry their stuff and build flat-pack furniture. When they invited us round last night to toast their new home, and asked us to bring “nibbles,” the least I could do was bake something. But nibbles are savoury, aren’t they? Oh dear. I can only bake cakes.
Luckily, I’d been wanting to try this recipe of Jennifer Paterson’s for a while. How could you resist something reputed to be “perfectly splendid with a good cocktail”?
They were perfectly splendid with champage, too. Crispy, crunchy, buttery and cheesy – unsurprisingly, for something made of equal amounts butter, parmesan and flour, flavoured with celery salt, paprika, mustard, and cayenne pepper. Moreish, too. We ate them all, sitting around and telling stories.
Mike and Sarah – thank you for having us, thank you for your wonderful friendship, and Happy New Home!
And Jennifer, thank you.
(I would feel bad typing onto the blog a recipe which I have just cooked straight from a book – out of respect, and also for copyright and plagiarism reasons. Twenty-two years of exams will do that to you. But I also love sharing recipes, and the community and heritage which grows from that, and I know lots of people in the blogsphere do it without blinking. What do you think?).
Those do look fantastic! I had never heard of Two Fat Ladies either. Thanks for the tip – I will check them out!
Those look yummy! Naxian as in from Naxos?(of which I hadn’t heard until I googled ‘naxian’ two minutes ago!) Anyway, i’m sure your friends’ house is appropriately warmed – those look and sound rather like a posh variant on cheese straws, and I imagine I could eat a large number of them….
Yes, they are cheese straws from Naxos! The celery salt and the spices are the charm, and would work just as well if soldier-shaped. :)
Pingback: Reader’s Choice: “For Your Own Sanity, Answer These 4 Questions Before You Read Vogue’s September Issue” | Privilege
I do miss the Two Fat Ladies and regularly rewatch it (have all the series on DVD) & dip into the recipe books, which are a wonderful read even if you don’t intend to cook any of it. Also worth tracking down Clarissa’s autobiographies (I’ve got Spilling the Beans). Fascinating and erudite women.
GREAT POST:)
Your blog is so wonderful..do you have twitter or bloglovin to follow with??
If you want some cute swedish decor inspiration…check out my blog:)
Have a great week dear
LOVE Maria at inredningsvis.se
(sweden)