I was clearing out the attic the other day and came across an old cookery book I had bought at a car boot sale. Inside, was a Polaroid taken at a shoot I styled many moons ago (how dated the clothes looked), some recipe cards from an 80's issue of Elle and a hand written recipe for elderberry and apple jelly. I have no idea who wrote the recipe, but it got me thinking about how there is a whole generation who will never want or need to write these kind of notes. Why should they, when at the click of a button they can locate instructions for anything.
My house is full of hand written instructions hidden in odd places as my mum and grandma are/were fond of writing out recipes and knitting patterns and somehow I have ended up with some of them. They are an insight into another time, when women hand knitted vests and hats and bothered to document their favourite recipes. I wonder who Miss Miller was?
Yes, I love my ancient recipe book with recipes copied out in my mother's handwriting, or various old aunts'... It has become an unintentional family heirloom - well worth asking members of your family, and friends, to write out one recipe each for you... you'll find you always think of them when you turn to that page - and somehow the immediacy of seeing their writing seems to bring those who have died closer...
x Elspeth
Posted by: Elspeth Thompson | December 07, 2009 at 11:06 PM