Cookery Days

A Memory of Holbeach.

As Christmas 2012 approaches, once more I have baked my family Christmas cake using the same recipe, from the same book, all those memorable years ago. Attending Holbeach Bank School at that time, just pre George Farmer, we girls would bus into Holbeach each week to be taught how to cook a variety of food.
I trust my attempt at poetry will explain....
COOKERY DAYS 1957
I was taught to cook at school, the lessons took all day. We travelled on a bus together, several miles away. And there with well packed baskets containing all required ingredients, we schoolgirls learned our culinary techniques via a lady of great experience. We baked biscuits, chocolate sponge or maybe fairy cakes.
It just depended whatever, our patient cookery teacher dictates.
The room in which we used was an old Community Hall with dingy antique ovens but we didn't mind at all. Working on trestle tables that had to be well scrubbed, hygiene was most important to do a proper job. During our return journey at the end of the day, hungry schoolboys would come begging to sample what we had made. On our arrival home our parents would expect and anticipate but often there were only a few crumbs to show our efforts left on the plate! Now, when I serve a golden Yorkshire Pud and my husband gives me praise, I give thanks to Mrs Larrington for those happy cookery days.

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