Here's another Christmassy you tube, this time from an old TV programme - from 1995.
This is the link if the above doesn't work it's 30 minutes long but there are some ads. Ruth worked in various kitchens and then became cook/housekeeper for Lord and Lady Illife until she was 70. Then she answered an ad in the WI magazine for people who had worked in large Country Houses before the war. The BBC wanted to follow on from a successful gardening programme ' The Victorian Garden'. She became the cook on the programme - The Victorian Kitchen and then followed that with 'The Wartime Kitchen and Garden' and then her own programme - above - when she was nearly 80 years old.
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| My copy of the Wartime Kitchen and Garden that went with the TV programme |
This programme is much more homely than something that was on TV the other night - a programme all about how M&S have a Very Expensive Christmas. I believe they were selling a Beef Wellington "By Tom Kerridge" (does he make them all himself??) for nearly £200 and the whole Christmas meal using their top of the range food would be £600!!
I suppose enough people buy their things otherwise they wouldn't have them.
Day 9 of the coffee advent yesterday was Mocha, so I'm getting quite a selection now.
My friend J brought back my two Nativity scenes that I had loaned for the display. She said they had had lots of visitors so hopefully raised a little to help. She said it was an exhausting two days, as usual for village congregations, there are very few younger people to help.
Well, "normal" turkeys were an arm and a leg last year so heaven knows what they will cost this year. The M&S Christmas meal sounds a ridiculous price. We are having lamb but I may ring my old butcher and get him to put a piece of Salt Marsh lamb on one side for me to collect. It's just once a year and just five of us at table . . .
ReplyDeleteRuth Mott was such a lovely lady and knew so much about cooking in the past. I think I still have those books . . .
I had the Victorian book at one time too.
DeleteI've got a frozen turkey in the freezer ready for Eldest daughter to collect although I might end up cooking it and then taking it on the day
£200!!! Thank goodness my vegetable lasagne will cost a lot less than that. X
ReplyDeleteI think Everything is cheaper than their Beef wellington!
DeleteThank you for the link. I loved those programmes. Such a lovely, genuine lady and great in front of the camera.
ReplyDeleteThere do seem to be more silly priced food items this year. As you say, someone must be buying them. It's not us 🤣
Aldi have run out of medium turkeys I heard - so that's what many of us are buying!
DeleteI loved those two programmes, the BBC should repeat them. Im glad the Nativity Festival went well, and applaud your friend and her helpers for their hard work.
ReplyDeleteThey are certainly repeating dozens of other Christmas programmes!
DeleteThanks for the reminder about Ruth Mott, I shall catch up with those.
ReplyDeleteCrazy money for an M&S Christmas meal. Homemade and cooked will still be much nicer!
Penny
It's an interesting watch better than Mary Berry I reckon!
DeleteThe old programmes were good and better than some I could mention now.
ReplyDeleteM&S are going the same way as John Lewis..very high end. Like John Lewis it might be their downfall. It is all just a lot of hype, I wouldn't swap my nutroast for a bought one no matter what chef made it or how much it cost.
I miss my home made nut roast, a combination of my Mum's recipe and mine, but I can no longer cook for myself. However, Cook do a very good one, and also a roasted vegetable lasagne.
DeleteMade me smile when it says made by Tom Kerridge as if the chef personally preps them all himself!
DeleteI've temporary lost my nut roast recipe - hope it's on the blog somewhere
I used to love those programmes. I stumbled across the Wartime series on Youtube recently and really enjoyed watching it again.
ReplyDeleteA nice simple quiet watch for Christmas.
DeleteTelevision seemed to have been much more homely in those days. Loved both programmes, especially The Victorian Garden.
ReplyDeleteSeems such a long time ago when they were on - cookery programmes are so different now
DeleteThanks for the link to the Ruth Mott programme-that will be a little treat for this afternoon as it’s very wet and windy here still. Volunteers are hard to come by these days and it was good of your friend to give her time. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI heard about storms 'up north' hope my friend on the windy island is OK
DeleteThe cost of food at Christmas is absurd. A peeve of mine with M&S is the disappearance from the shelves of smaller portions serves 2 or 3 replaced with serves 8 to 10. I don't need that much! It's only me and I only have a small fridge and freezer. I have pushed the boat out, Cook will be delivering Christmas on 22 Dec, and there's Spanakopita coming from Tesco, paid for with vouchers, on 23 Dec.
ReplyDeleteI shall have to look up Spanakopita!
DeletePeople often don't appreciate how much time and effort go into organising displays. I hope the Nativity displays generated good revenue.
ReplyDeleteMy friend wasn't sure how much money was donated but hopefully a little towards their tower roof - very hard work though, for the few older people organising it.
DeleteThank you for the Ruth Mott reminder, I used to love those programs. I've got the Farmhouse Kitchen cookbooks ( Dorothy Sleightholme ) they are another favourite - very 'times gone by' , when life was , on the whole, simpler.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
Apparently you can find a Ruth Mott appreciation society on Facebook. Trish x
ReplyDeleteTQ Trish, kind of you to mention
DeleteAlison x
Ruth Mott sounds very interesting! I will take a look later.
ReplyDeleteA church near me removed Mary and Joseph (Jesus doesn't appear until Christmas anyway) from its outdoor nativity scene and put a sign instead saying that the immigration department had removed them (also including the phone number you can use to warn that these people are in the area). I think this is brilliant and most if not all of the parishioners agree but it has become controversial because the local archbishop demanded it be taken down (the priest refused) and every time I drive by there are television crews outside. The parish is about to welcome a refugee family from Ukraine so I hope this doesn't reduce donations (it helped remind me to make one).
I remember those Victorian Kitchen and Wartime Kitchen and Garden programmes, very cosy and interesting. A hotel down here is offering a 3 course Christmas Day lunch for I think it was £125....I know they have to pay staff for working that day, but all I can think is how many meals I could cook for that price!
ReplyDeleteSo true about older people being the volunteers, especially in church congregations. It's true about quite a few groups -- my recorder society has gone because nobody young enough to run it. My fiberarts groups are a bit more age assorted, but lean toward older.
ReplyDeleteWe have the same problem with the volunteer group I work with. Not any young people but I think they are busy with work and family and don't have time like the rest of us retired ladies.
ReplyDeleteI loved those programmes. As its only us on 'The Day', we are having chicken breasts stuffed with sausagemeat, sage and onion and the usual veg. I am taking a cooked ham to daughter's for Boxing Day. They are at the in-laws on the 25th. A very nice pub near us is doing Christmas Day lunch, 2 sittings for around £180pp and I don't know if that includes drinks.
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone for comments. We only had a Christmas Day meal out once - it was nothing special - and no leftovers for boxing day!
DeleteWe used to go for Christmas dinner to Harvey's parents one year and mine the next. One year we did both and felt as stuffed as the turkey was. Never have we gone out for a meal here at Christmas as most of our eating establishments are closed so their employees can enjoy the holiday with their families.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
All my Christmas meals have been home cooked and I'm an ordinary cook. Preparing traditional festive meals using family recipes and having both family and friends' share a holiday meal means a lot to me.
ReplyDeleteHaving all the leftovers for a few days is lovely too.
I am so interested in this video. When we were in England, we went to Basildon Park, home of the Illife's, and it was fascinating and beautiful. (In some Downton things, too!). So I'd love to see this one and the others sound good too.
ReplyDeleteI remember those shows. They were interesting to watch.
ReplyDeleteWhat an expensive meal that would be! Some people have more money than sense.
I couldn't believe the price of Tom's Beef Wellington ... he obviously makes them all himself by hand and sprinkles them with gold dust. ;-)
ReplyDelete