A speaking engagement at Wolviston Court Women's Institute on Teesside provided a welcome break from the seemingly never-ending Raoul Moat saga last night.
My thanks to the WI member who gave me a fading booklet, entitled "How To Be A Clever Cook" which had been handed down through the family.
It was published to coincide with a "Programme of Demonstrations on Practical Home Cooking by the College of Modern Housekeeping" presented by The Northern Echo in the Hippodrome at Crook in June 1936.
The appropriately named Miss Ann Baker was on hand to show how to cook an array of dishes, including: bacon scrambles, savoury hot loaf, cinnamon buns, grilled chop with bread sauce, and steamed sponge with golden sauce.
The guidance that really caught my eye was for oxtail soup: "1 10oz tin of oxtail soup. Equal quantity of water. Pour the soup into saucepan. Fill tin with water and add to soup. Bring to boil and serve at once."
You don't have to be that clever, do you?
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