Victory in the kitchen : the life of Churchill's cook

In a suburban house in 1977 an elderly lady burnt her memoirs. Her life, she felt, was not one people would want to read about. The life of a woman, born into the working class, brought up to go into service, who had married, had a daughter, and gone back to work after her husband died, was so like that of many others, that there could be little there worth saving. This is the story of a woman who was, indeed, like many other people: not a royal, not rich, not famous, simply someone who worked hard and enjoyed her life. Beginning in 1882, she ranged through life in the country, life in the town, life in her own house, and in that of others. She travelled, married, had children and a highly successful career. For while Georgina Landemare saw herself as ordinary, her accomplishments, and the life she lived, were anything but. She started her career as a nursemaid, and ended it cooking for one of the best-known figures in British history, a man to whom food was central, not only as a pleasure by itself, but as a diplomatic tool in a time when the world was embroiled in a worldwide war. Churchill's Cook is a culinary biography: a life lived through food ranging from rural Berkshire to wartime London, via Belle Epoque Paris and prohibition-era New York. Through one eager eater, and one skilled cook, Annie Gray tells the story of the way Victorian tastes changed and 20th century food developed, taking a look into the kitchens of the time complete with evolving technology and attitudes towards domestic service. Recipes include Georgina's German Kougelhof, Curried Brains, macaroons, Boodles Orange, Mousse de Maple and 'Chocolat Cake Good' This is the story of a woman who was not a royal, not rich, not famous, simply someone who worked hard and enjoyed her life. Beginning in 1882, she ranged through life in the country, life in the town, life in her own house, and in that of others. She travelled, married, had children and a highly successful career. For while Georgina Landemare saw herself as ordinary, her accomplishments, and the life she lived, were anything but. She started her career as a nursemaid, and ended it cooking for one of the best-known figures in British history, Winston Churchill, a man to whom food was central, not only as a pleasure by itself, but as a diplomatic tool in a time when the world was embroiled in a worldwide war. Victory in the Kitchen is a culinary biography: a life lived through food, ranging from rural Berkshire to wartime London, via Belle Epoque Paris and prohibition-era New York. Through one eager eater, and one skilled cook, Annie Gray contextualises twentieth century food through two figures who were both intimately involved with it. Recipes include Georgina's German Kougelhof, Curried Brains, macaroons, Boodles Orange, Mousse de Maple and 'Chocolat Cake Good' This Is The Story Of A Woman Who Was Not A Royal, Not Rich, Not Famous; Someone Who Simply Worked Hard And Enjoyed Her Life. But While Georgina Landemare Saw Herself As Ordinary, Her Accomplishments Were Anything But. Georgina Started Her Career As A Nursemaid And Ended It Cooking For One Of The Best-known Figures In British History: Winston Churchill. To Him, Food Was Central, Not Only As A Pleasure But As A Diplomatic Tool At A Time When The World Was Embroiled In War. With This Eager Eater And His Skilled Cook, Ranging From Rural Berkshire To Wartime London, Via Belle Epoque Paris And Prohibition-era New York, Annie Gray Shows How Life In Service - And Food - Changed During The Huge Upheavals Of The Twentieth Century. The story of the twentieth century through one woman's life and the food she cooked for our most famous Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.