Wednesday 2 April 2014

Savoury Balls


Look at these merry flappers laughing at a pie. They are laughing because the pie is rank and they are about to serve it to someone they hate.







These 1920s Jack Monroes (We heart Jack Monroe) have compiled a selection of 'thrifty' recipes for the harried housewife. (The definition of thrifty, like bully, awful, and villain has changed over the years and originally meant 'evil'.) My favourite was a tempting mixture of salt, suet and white flour with the evocative name of 'Savoury Balls'. But then I read about the exquisite combination of wet toast, veal, egg and lemon rind that is 'Veal Moulded'. Eventually, I decided I admired the straight forward approach of the vegetable section most:

Boil stuff. For ages.

Why not treat your other half with a plate of boiled onions tonight?







I am also filled with jealousy for the recipients of this special dinner served in 1899 at the Kirkwall Free Church. The menu begins with 'Brown Soup', continues with non-specific 'fowl' and yummy tapioca pudding all followed by a mound of raisins washed down with some delicious water. MMmmmmmmmmm....



Orkney Archive Reference D133/5

9 comments:

  1. I like the unflappable flappers - do you mind if I put the image on Pinterest?

    Probably the less said about brown soup and fowl (bet it was herring gull) the better!

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  2. Hi Peeriemoot, Thanks for the comment. Yes you can use the image on Pinterest as long as you acknowledge the Orkney Library & Archive.

    Honestly, I leave Archiver alone for 5 minutes and she's making everyone sick! Although I do remember getting brown soup for school dinners...

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  3. I've just put my sprouts on for Christmas dinner.

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  4. Tsk... quite late aren't you?

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  5. Oh, but the water served at the church dinner is aerated! that makes it extra-special! ^_^

    (Sorry my commentary is so delayed. Sometimes I get distracted by Real Life and don't manage to read your lovely posts as frequently as I'd like.)

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  6. What??? You mean you do not sleep by your computer awaiting our very irregular posts? Shame on you!

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  7. ^_^ I'm not allowed to sleep next to the computer for fear I may commit some kind of mayhem on it.

    (It has been not-quite-one-month-to-the-day since your reply, so see, I do come back and check.)

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  8. Have to confess that I actually (genuinely) love boiled onions in white sauce. Suspect the savoury balls might be a step too far even for me though!

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  9. It's all sounding increasingly more palatable as the afternoon wears on... stupid single sandwich for lunch.

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