I suppose there's only one way to settle this-have Delia and Marguerite arm wrestle.
Honestly, I don't understand all the outrage people are expressing over Delia Smith's latest cookbook that (gasp) suggests the use of prepared items such as frozen mashed potatoes (the horrors). While I might (actually, I do) get slightly sickened at the thought of tinned mince (who knew such a thing existed?) I'm not one to insist that carrots require being freshly chopped before stewing them to death (as is the British way with vegetables). I'll bristle at the cost of purchasing prepared items, but that doesn't mean I don't have dried soup greens in my pantry, or tinned beans to be used in a pinch.
I find it somewhat amusing that Marguerite Patten's cooking is considered complicated by today's standards. How complicated is soaking cake in ungodly amounts of booze? I don't say that disparagingly-I love ungodly amounts of booze, and Marguerite Patten's Christmas cake recipe. That said it isn't particularly difficult or time-consuming cooking. In fact, I own a few of her cookbooks from the 1950's and I must tell you, they are considerably less complicated and fussy than some of the more recent publications I've seen. The recipes are more traditional, that is-the sort of thing good old Delia spent years trying to direct people away from-but not really all that difficult.
As for the decrease in the number of ingredients, I'm not sure that is an overall trend in all markets. I see a fair number of recipes specifying what sort of exotic salt to use, or for specific varieties of lemons. Marguerite Patten, to the best of my knowledge never suggested topping anything with Fleur de Sel (or any other odd ingredient of her day). Largely, her recipes were approachable. We seem to think every woman sat home watching the oven timer in the past and that's utter nonsense. Women may have been home more, but their time was just as occupied by other activities. My mother was home in the 1950's and 60's but I can assure you, she did not have the time to stand over the range preparing complicated dinners. For occasions-certainly, but our nightly dinner was usually simple fare. I hardly think the addition of mustard powder in a recipe is time consuming or exotic (though it is the magical ingredient that made my mothers macaroni and cheese the best thing she made) as suggested in the article. As for the pastry-I knew I'd achieved something when I could make from scratch a pastry crust faster than it took to defrost a purchased one from the freezer. Under fifteen minutes-sometimes ten. So much for time savings. I don't use suet, though I would if I could lay my hand on it.
My point is that this nonsense of berating people over how they prepare food is utterly pretentious. What Delia is doing is what she has always done-trying to help people put an actual "meal" on the table. Don't care for tinned mince or frozen mash? Fine, make your own, but for someone that hasn't the desire to learn the finer points of potato mashing, and is happy enough with the frozen variety-what business is it of ours to fault them? Honestly, you could eat much, much worse.
My sense is that this isn't so much a backlash against bad cooking as it is against modern women. In our make-believe memories where we all cleaned the house in dresses, crinolines and three inch heels (and our hair roller set) and had five course dinners on the table each evening we've somehow convinced ourselves that mother's Lancashire hot pot wasn't quite as revolting as it seemed at the time. Really, long hours of simmering didn't make it any more palatable. Besides, people still subject food to long periods of over-cooking they just use crock-pots instead. For what it's worth, my mother used to leave the oven on low and go out with dinner cooking away. I'd never dream of doing it, but we never had a fire either. Somehow, we've convinced ourselves of this delusion that a mile of ingredients and instructions combined with long periods of cooking produce a better result. Sometimes, yes. I don't believe most people care. I do believe that we like to dictate what women should do whether it is formula vs. breast-feeding children, staying at home vs. working outside, or any other opportunity we find to criticise. I realise these books are read by men as well, but largely the intended audience is female. Oh you naughty modern women what with your frozen mash and tinned mince and pre-cut carrots! Next, you're going to insist on having your own savings accounts and owning property. Better nip this "Cheating at Cooking" thing in the bud. Get 'em all back in the kitchen where they belong…but never really were.
I have a booklet from the 1950's promoting quick meals for "The Woman In A Hurry". Danny likes to look at it (he calls it the "Silly Mama Book") because it features a drawing of a woman in a hat and gloves, her handbag tossed onto a kitchen chair putting a roast in the oven. Danny finds it hilarious that she didn't take her hat off first ("why is she in such a hurry?") but you know, she was probably just getting home from work. Or chores. Or taking the kid to the doctor. Or arranging home repairs. Or going to the mechanic. Or any of the other things women did (and do) that we seem to selectively ignore.
Eat your frozen mash (or don't) and leave poor Delia alone. But do try the Marguerite Patten Christmas Cake-just don't light a match anywhere near.
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