***** Good Things In England, by Florence White, A Persephone Book

The Tradition of the British Savoury Pie.

This is a butchers shop in Southwold a traditional English seaside town on the Suffolk coast.  The reason I wanted to feature this was to show some of the wonderful Savoury Pies that have a long British history.  I'm sure they're very popular at the seaside, to pick up a pie, with some tomatoes and salad, there you have a take out al fresco picnic.

Meat pie and mushy peas is traditional grub fare.

When I was at Persephone books in London I bought one book and it was Good Things In England, by Florence White.

Originally published in 1932 it says:

A Practical Cookery Book For Everyday Use

Containing Traditional and

Regional Recipes suited to

Modern Tastes contributed by

English Men and Women between

1399 and 1932 and edited by

Florence White

I think Americans would like this book as it has all USA measurements and makes some wonderful 1932 comparisons of cooking culture.  For instance she says:

In a new and vast country far from Europe they have been able to preserve the integrity of their own kitchen far better than we have, and to develop it on individual lines.  If we want to learn to improve our own cookery - and we should want to do this - it is to American we should turn, not to France.

She also writes:

We can learn from the Commonwealth countries.  They have the same advantage as America of developing the cookery of the Homeland in a new setting.

Florence White says a whole book should be written on The Pies of Old England.  To be sure though the heritage of the local savoury pie has a long history in the UK.  I will share one recipe with you from Bungay, Suffolk; which seems appropriate:

I would give this Persephone Book a Five Star rating *****

Christy

NANOWRIMO National Novel Writing Month, 1st to 30th November

nanowrimo  What is nanowrimo, you may well ask.  I was in my library last week and saw that they had a writers meeting every Monday evening through out the month of November, I attended, having not any idea what the itinerary or format was.  But as I have always been interested in writing I thought that I would go.

After sitting there with one other person for a while, he worked at the library and had started doing some writing before, in comes another person.  Eventually our fearless leader appeared somewhat late, well half and hour late.  She did begin to explain why we were all meeting through out the month of November.  Eventually there were seven people there including myself.  One other person was in the same position as me not having a clue as to what it was about, but he was ahead of me because he had started a novel.

Well it seems that during the month of November one aims to write 50,000 words, that is an average of 1,667 words per day.  Now since I attended on the 5th, the first meeting had been scheduled for the 29th October, but of course Hurricane Sandy cancelled that meeting out, I was already behind if I wanted to join in.

National Novel Writing Month is a world wide event.  It seems that you can sign up in your region or any where in the world chat or be encouraged to write.

Here are some published nanowrimo noveliests

So take a look at these links and see what you think.

Christy