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Here is one for cake lovers who have just discovered that the milk has gone off.  It is from Farmhouse Fare, so its a bit short on description but it sounds awesome. 1lb flour 1/2 lb butter 1/2 lb sugar 1/2 lb currants 2 ozs chopped candied peel 1 teaspoonful mixed spice 1/2 pint sour milk 1 teaspoonful bicarbonate of soda 1 tablespoonful of syrup 1. Rub the butter into the flour then add sugar, currants, peel, and spice. 2. Warm the syrup and stir it into the milk, now add the soda and mix altogether. 3. Pour into a greased tin in a moderate oven for 1 1/2 hours.

This is one of Marguerite Patten's classics from 500 Recipes for Suppers and Snacks.  A really hearty sixties meal with a lot of easy-to-obtain ingredients. It is a little odd, with processed cheese consisting as one of the main ingredients.  Most probably something to stay away from if you don't like cheese. 8 small cocktail sausages 3 oz elbow spaghetti 1 creamed corn on the cob 1 oz butter seasoning 6 - 8 oz of processed cheese 1. Grill fry or bake the sausages. Keep hot until needed later. 2. Cook the spaghetti until tender. 3. Strain and mix with the creamed corn on the cob and the butter 4. Season well/ 5. Put a layer at the bottom of a casserole, cover with a layer of processed cheese, then a layer of corn on the cob mixture. 6. Top with a thick layer of cheese. 7. Cook for 15 minutes in a moderately hot oven, (400F - 425F, GM 5-6) until cheese melts. 8. Arrange sausages on top.

So last night, I sat down to write up this recipe in to my steaming blog-pot of recipes and felt that engulfing feeling of numbness overcome me completely.  So tonight, with a bit more energy I bring you a 1950's dinner party favourite. I have neglected cocktails on this blog because they're not edible, but when I started this blog I had themed parties in the back of my mind.  So here is a little party favourite to think about for the weekend, and yes I know it is only Tuesday but let us look ahead. 1 bottle of burgandy 4 ounces brandy 1 quart sparkling water 2 bottles of champagne 1 cup cube sugar 1. Dissolve sugar in a cup of sparking water and pour into punch bowl. 2. Add burgandy and brandy, stirring well.  Place a block of ice in the bowl and add champagne and the balance of sparkling water. 3. Garnish the top of iceblock with strawberries or raspberries, or other fruit in season and float thin slices of two oranges on top of punch.

If you're in Exeter next week on the 21st January, the local CAMRA is holding their Winter Ales festival at the Exeter City Football ground in St James Park.  In tribute to this occasion, here is another beer related meal that can be experimented with and played around with. 15g Margarine 450g minced beef 1 x 225g packet of frozen mixed vegetables 200ml beef stock 300ml real ale 100g mushrooms, chopped salt freshly ground black pepper Topping: 2 tomatoes, skinned and sliced salt freshly ground black pepper 450g thinly sliced potatoes 50g margarine 300ml plain yoghurt 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg 50g grated cheese 1. Melt the marge in a saucepan and saute the meat for 5 to 10 minutes until browned. 2. Add the mixed vegetables, stock, real ale, and mushrooms.  Add salt and pepper to taste and then simmer for 30 minutes. 3. Turn into an ovenproof dish and arrange the tomatoes on top. 4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 5. Fry the potatoes in the marge until sof...

Here is a classic from the darker period of culinary creation, yet surprisingly nice as a concept. 225g mincd lamb 1 small onion finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 teaspoon of garam masala salt freshly ground black pepper 1 beaten egg oil for frying 1 283g of curry sauce a few mint leaves roughly chopped to garnish 1. Mix the meat, onion, garlic, spices and salt and pepper. 2. Add the beaten egg and mix well. 3. Shape in to 8 to 10 meatballs and fry in hot oil in a shallow pan on all sides until evenly browned. 4. Drain well, and then in a large saucepan, heat the curry sauce and add the meatballs, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve garnished with chopped mince.

Figs are nice but not common.  If you can get your hands on some, then here is a little recipe that'd make a nice tea accompaniment or a quick fix for gingerbread-heads. 6 ozs. self raising flour 2 ozs. margarine 2 ozs. oatmeal 1 oz. sugar 4 ozs. figs 1 egg 1 teaspoonful of ground ginger 2 tablespoonfuls of syrup Pinch of salt little milk 1. Sift flour and salt into a bowl.  Rub in the marge, add sugar, ginger, oatmeal and chopped figs. 2. Melt syrup and add with beaten egg and milk to make a soft dropping consistency. 3. Turn into greased and lined tin and bake in a moderately hot oven for about 1.5 hours.

This comes from Farmhouse Fare, a book first published in 1935 and revised over the years.  I have the 1971 edition which contains lots of great recipes from over the years.  Some of these are older than the thirties, but for the sake of cataloging I am sticking to the date of first publication. The ease of this dish would make a great little starter for beginners, or something quick to whip up at the last minute.  Again, with many of these recipes, timings are not exact and one has to use ones own instinct when it comes to how quickly they will take to cook.  This recipe also calls for a vintage ingredient, Cream of Tartar.  It is still available from supermarkets  or online.  If you don't have it to hand, then white vinegar will be a good substitute. 8 oz Flour 1 oz sugar 1 oz treacle 1 oz margarine 1 teaspoonful of cream of tartar 1/2 teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda Buttermilk or ordinary milk 1. Rub the margarine into the flour, add the sugar, c...

I need to explain a few things with this recipe.  First of Ratafia is a type of liqueur  or  cordial  flavoured with lemon peel, herbs in various amounts ( nutmeg ,  cinnamon , clove ,  mint ,  rosemary ,  anise , etc.).  Thanks Wikipedia. It is a classic recipe that appeared even in a 1789 cookery book entitled Cookery and Pastry by Mrs MacIve r that you can access on Google books.  I have embedded the book below so you can see what other fantastic recipes exist.  It even has a search function!  This little drink would make excellent party appetisers or even a pudding course, depending on how thickly it turns out. But this seems to be the non-alcoholic version.  By 1851 it had morphed into a concoction using Brandy and Ratafia, but if you don't have Ratafia to hand, then a good malt whiskey should do nicely. The recipe calls for heating the mixture over boiling water, so in a similiar way that you would make a chocolate ...

This recipe might be a lot older than 1950s.  It sounds delicious, and is an old Scottish recipe.  It involves pushing pease through a sieve, so make sure its a metal one. The recipe comes from a book called The Scottish Cookery Book, by Elizabeth Craig.  Nowhere does it say to make them in to patties.  Do you cook it all in one or in small bits? What shape? Again a really nice recipe but let down by a badly written methodology.  I would recommend cooking them in patties, it'll help cook even all the way through. 2 cups cooked dried peas 1 teaspoon butter salt and pepper to taste 2 well-beaten eggs 1 cup milk 1/4 lb flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1. Rub peas while hot through a sieve.  Mix with the butter, salt pepper and eggs. 2. Beat well, stir in the flour sifted with baking powder. 3. Fry in rounds dropped from a jug into a frying pan containing enough hot fat to cover bottom of pan till bubbles form on top, then turn and fry on other side.  Serv...

This is one for beginners.  It makes a really nice alternative breakfast or a quick fix for a baking urge.  making shortcrust pastry is pretty easy and it gets even easier when you buy pre-made, pre-rolled stuff. So have a go at this classic recipe, it isn't a 'typical' sixties recipe as it still lives in today.  Flans are not exactly in fashion at the moment, but they're still pretty popular. 5 - 6 oz short crust pastry 4 - 6 oz bacon, diced. 3 to 4 eggs. seasoning. 1. Line the flan tin with pastry and bake for about 10 minutes to set, but not cook, the pastry. 2. Fry the diced bacon until just crisp. 3. Add this to the well-beaten and seasoned eggs. 4. Pour the mixture into the flan case. 5. Set a further 25 minutes in a moderately hot oven.

Salmon and mushrooms? The combination isn't unheard of but here is a recipe that is worth a thought.  If you do buy cans of Salmon make sure if you can, that it is responsibly fished. 1 8oz can of Salmon 8oz cooked mashed potato 1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup 2 teaspoons of lemon juice 1 dessertspoon parsley (finely chopped) salt and pepper To coat: 1 egg beaten browned crumbs 1. Flake fish and mix with mashed potato.  Stir in half a can of soup, lemon juice, parsley and seasoning. 2. Leave to stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Divide mixture in to eight, shape in to round patties, brush with egg and coat in browned crumbs. 3. Fry in hot fat until golden brown on both sides. For the sauce put the remaining soup in a small pan, add 2 tablespoons of milk and seasoning and beat well.  Heat gently and serve with patties.

Stuck on what to have tomorrow night? This classic from Keith Floyd is very simple if you have the right ingredients (obviously). 4 pork chops Salt and Pepper 1 oz (25g) lard or dripping 1 pint (600ml) beer 1 oz (25g) capers, drained 2 egg yolks pinch of nutmeg lemon slices and parsley to garnish 1. Season the chops with salt and pepper.  Fry quickly in hot lard in a frying pan to seal in the juices (or you can trim the excess fat from he chops, melt it down and use that). 2. Drain off fat and reserve.  Add most of the beer and more seasoning to the chops and simmer gently for 30 to 45 minutes until they are tender 3. Remove the chops from the pan, place and a warm serving dish and keep warm. 4. Pour the hot cooking liquid into a basin, add the capers, egg yolks and nutmeg.  Beat thoroughly, adding a little of the drained-off fat. 5. Return the sauce to the pan and stir until it thickens, but do not boil; then add a couple of dashes of beer to bring ba...

Recipe Mutiny: Bacardi Rum Chocolate Cake : I promised myself that the first recipe on this website would be a Chocolate Cake recipe. So here it is. Fresh from the darker parts of th...

Recipe Mutiny: Baileys Irish Cream Truffles : This is a quick and naughty recipe that would be ideal for a party. No bake, fridge truffles with Baileys in? Yes please. 12 oz Semi-s...

This isn't a vintage recipe exactly.  Making fudge isn't necessarily something that ONLY happened in the 1960's, but given the nights are long and the wind is cold I want to inspire you to make home-made sweets stuff. I am also launching a another food blog dedicated to junk food, fast food and unhealthy fatty things, treats etc.  I will post up the URL somewhere obvious here on this blog when it becomes something worth visiting.  This recipe for Extra Rich Vanillia Fudge will be included on that blog at some point. So, how do you make Extra Rich Vanilla Fudge? 1lb granulated sugar half a pint of cream 2 oz butter 3 tablespoons water half a pint of milk 1 - 2 teaspoons vanilla essence (or a vanilla pod). 1. Put all ingredients, including the vanilla eessence or the cut vanilla pod into a strong saucepan.  This is very important because of the high cream content. 2. Stir until sugar is thoroughly dissolved. 3.Boil steadily, stirring quite frequently, until the mixture...

This is one of those 'I-would-love-to-try-this-recipe-if-I-had-a-metabolism-higher-than-Everest' recipes.  It is a complete treat, one of those things that you just have to try to say that you've done it. Once you've made your Toffee, storing it might be an issue, so make sure you have plenty of wax paper or try individually wrapping them.  Personally I would let it set in a slab or try and pour it in to a slab mould of some sort. 1lb sugar, preferably Demerara 3oz peanut butter 1/3 pint of water 1 1/2 oz of butter 2 level teaspoons of golden syrup 1 teaspoon vinegar 1. Put all the ingredients into a strong saucepan and stir over a steady heat until the sugar has dissolved. 2. Bring to the boil and cook until the mixture reaches the 'hard crack' stage 290F. 3. Drop in teaspoonfuls on to a buttered or oiled tin and either allow to set as a slap or mark in to squares as the toffee becomes partially set.  Then cut or break when completely set.

Throughout my research and discovery of vintage classic recipes, I have found quite a few badly written recipes.  I have avoided them as they are harder for my readers to work out, and they are not overly helpful.  They assume you know a lot about the cooking process, so they seem to be less a recipe as such, moreso a quick reminder for someone that has done them countless times before. I am sticking my neck out with this one, as the recipe is short and it has a lot of 'cupfuls' which I often find off putting.  I would love to know if someone has made lemon cheese before and what it tastes like, it sounds more like icing that cheese to be honest. 2 1/4 quarter cupfuls sifted flour 1 egg 1 cupful of milk 1/4 cupful of melted butter 4 teaspoonfuls of baking power 3/4 cupful caster sugar 1/2 teaspoonful of salt 1 teaspoonful vanilla essence lemon cheese. (recipe for lemon cheese can be found here ) 1. Add the sugar to the well beaten-egg, then stir in alternately the milk a...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82603192/vintage-1950s-cookbook-culinary-arts This has to be my crave of the day.

Don't eat these mushrooms, buy them from a shop. Its cold outside, the perfect soup weather.  Mushrooms have an earthy savory flavour that is perfect in a soup, and added with onion and scattered with some lovely crispy croutons, you're on to a satisfying vintage recipe your grandmother would have loved, assuming she liked mushrooms. We now have pre-made croutons available to us, so a quick fix is available.  But in my opinion you cannot beat home made croutons. 2 pints of white stock 1lb mushrooms 2 eggs 1 Spanish onion 1  dessertspoonful  of flour A little milk A little cream salt and pepper Croutons of fried bread. 1. Wash the mushrooms and chop them up.   Chop up the onion finely then bring the stock to the boil. 2. Add the mushroom and onion then boil for half an hour. 3. Pass all through a tammy or a fine hair sieve.  Add a dessertspoonful of flour mixed into a smooth paste with a little milk and salt and pepper to taste. 4. Boil up again,...

You have to hand it to our previous generation, they really knew how to live off the land.  This recipe is probably a lot older than the 1930's but as it is from a cookbook of that period it is being cataloged as such.  The assumption made here is that the cook knows how to pluck and gut a pigeon, if you're not entirely au-fais with it then buy one from a butcher. This recipe is a challange as it requires the pigeon to be continually basted in butter. 3 pigeons 3 slices of fat bacon 3 oz. butter Pepper and Salt 3 slices of buttered sauce Garnish of fried parsley 1. Singe and draw three pigeons.  Put about three-quarters of an ounce of butter inside each pigeon and season them with pepper and salt. 2. Truss them for roasting with a slice of fat bacon tied over the breast of each. 3. Toast the slice of bread, butter them, and stand one pigeon on each.  Roast them, in front of a brisk fire or in a gas oven, for 20 minutes, basting them continually with butter. 4. W...

So I want to mix it up a bit.  This is a recipe from the 1920's, courtesy of TheVintageKitchen on Youtube.  It shouldn't be such a suprise but I found that there are, in fact, tons of high quality videos showing you step-by-step how to make some delicious vintage recipes. TheVintageKitchen is just one of these channels.  Thanks to this recipe, I am now tempted to overcome my hatred of parsnip!

There is a recipe for this on the BBC website that one of the Master Chef programmes, but the principles don't appear to have changed much.  Despite its name it is not Sea Weed and shouldn't be muddled up with Sea Kelp. Sea Kale isn't the first thing that comes to mind, but it goes really nicely with melted butter much the same way that melted butter goes with toast.  This dish would be perfect as an a partner with meat or even just on its own as a nutricious vegetarian meal.  Replace the butter with dairy free butter for a vegan alternative. Quarter of a pound of Butter 1 oz flour Half a teaspoon lemon juice Salt and White Pepper Three quarters of a pint of water 1. Wash and rinse the sea kale thoroughly to remove the grit.  Cut away any brown or discolored parts. 2. Tie the heads up into small bundles with tape and put them into a basin of cold water until wanted. 3. Have a saucepan of boiling salted water, sufficient to cover the Sea Kale well, and put t...

This is essentially Mushroom on Toast.  So, Fungi Bruschetta for the posh amongst us. 8 oz. mushroom Third of a pint of milk 1 oz flour 1 oz butter Seasoning Dash of Worcester Sauce Little parsley chopped 4 slices of buttered toast 1. Wash and chop mushroom caps and stalks coarsely. 2. Simmer in the milk until tender. 3. Blend flour and butter together and work into mushroom mixture gradually. 4. Cook gently for some little time until smooth. 5. Season well, add sauce and parsley. 6. Spread on toast and divide into fingers.

This is most probably the simplest and healthiest dish that I can make without a recipe book near me.  Here Marguerite Patten gives us a quick simple recipe for this classic dish which I personally reckon was more sixties?  Regardless, Ms Patten gives us some alternatives with Cheese or minced meat instead of rice at the end of recipe, but I'll leave that up to you. A neat little recipe which can be adjusted and modified easily. 4 green peppers 2 onions 3 tomatoes 2 oz margarine 3 oz cooked rice seasoning (salt and pepper?) little parsley chopped 1. Halve the peppers lenthwise and remove seeds and hard centre 2. Out into boiling salted water and cook for about 5 minutes early. 3. Take out and drain. 4. Meanwhile fry the chopped onions and tomatoes int he margarine, add to the rice, season well and put into the centre of the peppers. 5. Cover with greased paper , put into a well greased dish and bake in teh centre of a moderate oven (375F - Gas Mark 6). Sprinkle with Parsley.

Strangely enough, these appear in the 1936 edition of 'Cookery Illustrated and Household Management'.  These make excellent party appetisers.  This will serve three to four people. 1 and a half cupfuls of grated cheese (Cheddar or Edam) 2 tablespoons of flour half a teaspoon of celery salt 2 egg whites Paprika 1. Beat the egg whites till light but not stiff, add the flour, cheese, paprika and celery salt. 2. Roll mixture into the size of marbles and fry till golden brown in deep fat at 373F. Serve on a hot dish lined with a lace paper d'oyley.

Continuing the sixties theme, with this little summer number I thought I would try and lighten the mood a bit given the weather outside.  This is one of those two tier recipes with the beef and the sauce being made separately.  However, I reckon a BBQ shop-bought marinade would suffice if you're short of time.  This is a really basic burger recipe which can be added to or modified. In The Good Housewives Encyclopedia there is a little post-amble for the nervous readers who might not have experienced Hamburgers before, which I have to include here. "The Genuine American hamburger has at least two or three garnishes, so don't be afraid to experiment" If you enjoy making burgers then take a look at this, prepare to drool!  http://www.cheeseburgersociety.com/ . You'll need Flash installed to take advantage of it. The Burgers 1lb. ground beef 1 tablespoon Worcester Sauce 1 onion, finely chopped. 1 teaspoon salt. Pepper Barbecue Sauce or butter for basting. 1. Combine a...

Here is one to teach your kids. 4 - 5 Fresh Free Range Eggs Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tbsp butter 2 tsp of chopped fresh parsley, chervil and chives 1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon 1. Beat the eggs, salt and pepper in a bowl until whites and yolks are combined. 2. Melt the butter in a suitable pan until it starts browning and bubbling 3. Pour in the eggs and stir them with the flat end of a fork igorously. 4. Lift the edge of the eggs tilting the edge of the pan at the same time so uncooked egg runs to the edges. 5. Sprinkle over the herbs, fold over the omlette, serve.

Here is some perfect sixties party food, and its chocolaty too :) There are two elements to the recipe, the cake and the icing. 2 heaped tablespoons cocoa 4 tablespoons hot water 8 oz. self-raising flour 8 oz. luxury margarine 10 oz. caster sugar 4 eggs 2 tablespoons milk For the icing 3 dessert spoons tangerine juice grated rind of two to three tangerines 8 oz icing sugar 3 oz luxury margarine 1. Sieve the cocoa and mix smoothly with the water.  Let it cool. 2. Sieve the flour then cream the margarine and sugar thoroughly together. 3. Beat the eggs in separately one at a time, adding a little sieved flour with each egg after the first. 4. Fold in the remaining flour and the milk.  Divide equally between two sandwich tins, (8 x 1.5 inches) lined with greaseproof paper and brushed inside with melted margarine. 5. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes in a moderate oven on the middle shelf. 6. When cold, cut open and sandwich all the layers together with the tangerine icing attachi...

Mad Men themed party? Perfect party dish. 3 level tablespoons 1 red pepper (chopped) 4 oz crumbled Cheshire cheese One eighth pint of double cream 2 large pears 4 lettuce leaves Sprigs of watercress 1. Either turn up your refrigerator up to maximum or make sure you have access to a clear freezer. 2. Mix mayo with the Cheshire cheese, chopped red pepper, double cream and spread in an ice tray. 3. Place in a freezing compartment/refrigerator and stir every 30 minutes until mixture is frozen which should take 1 - 1.5 hours. 4. Wipe pears (peel if skins are tough) and cut in half and remove core.  Place each half pear on a lettuce leaf, pile iced cheese mixture on pear and garnish with watercress sprigs. Serve immediately.

I don't personally like Anchovy but here is a lovely little recipe for sixties party food. Pastry (ready rolled) 1 can of flat fillets of anchovy 1. Roll out pastry into an oblong third of an inch (just over 1 cm thick) 2. Cut into two pieces 3 inches wide. 3. Lay strips of anchovy fillet at intervals across one of the 3 inch pieces of pastry, cut between and roll pastry over in quarter inch wide strips and twist the two ends together with a strip of anchovy between. 4. Place on greased baking sheet and bake until golden brown in a hot oven.

This is one of the older recipes that I have posted on here, so bits of it might not make perfect sense.   recipe assumes that you know how to gut and skin Pheasants too, you're welcome to cheat by getting a couple from the roadside or even a butcher who specialises in Game. 2 Pheasants 4 oz lean Ham (diced) 2 Onions 2 oz Butter A bunch of Herbs Pepper and Sale Flour Rice. 1. Singe and draw two young pheasants, then cut them into neat joints. 2. Put the giblets on to boil with an onion, a bunch of herbs (bouquet?) pepper and salt and sufficient water to cover. 3.  Bring all to the boil then skim and boil gently. 4.  Melt the butter in a stew pan and put the pieces of pheasant, the other onion (sliced), the ham (diced) and a little pepper and salt. 5. Cover tightly and draw the pan to where its contents will cook gently in their own juices. (roughly translated let it simmer). 6. Turn the pieces two or three times during the cooking which should last 45 minutes. 7. Take the...

1 Large Onion 1 teaspoon oil 1 teaspoon sea salt 1.5 lb or 625g of cooked brown rice 0.75lb or 340g of cooked brown lentils 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley 1. Lightly saute or simmer the onion with a pinch of salt 2. Add the rice and the lentils and heat through 3. Garnish with parsley and serve with lightly cooked fresh greens and carrot slices.