The North Yorkshire Cook Book Second He
lpings
compiled by Emma Toogood, written by Katie Fisher and Kate Reeves-Brown
This was a Christmas gift from my sister, and made for a nice, but bitter-sweet read. Why? Unlike most cook books, this one is not divided into chapters by dish, such as starters, soups, mains, salads and desserts. Instead, it moves from one restaurant, farm shop or café to the next, one chapter for each of the 26 places in alphabetical order. One page introduces the venue, often with a bit of history of how the owners came about to run it, how long it has been in the family and so on. There are photographs of the team and of the place. One or more of their recipes follow.
The writing about the pub/bar/tea room is full of optimism, the owners and/or chefs describing what they do with passion and dedication - all of it was put together in 2019, pre-corona.
None of them knew or was able to foresee what 2020 would bring, what the lockdown was going to mean for them, their families, their business. But by now, things will have changed more or less dramatically for all of them. I imagine that some have adapted better than others, maybe offering pick-up and delivery service, while others may have had to shut their doors forever.
That, reading about how positive they were all going about their work, and knowing how the situation has changed since then, made me sad, hence the bitter-sweetness.
It is a lovely book, advertising not only the places that (used to?) serve great food and drink in North Yorkshire, but also giving the reader a chance to recreate some of their recipes and experience for themselves the great variety of locally sourced and influenced dishes.
Some of the places I know from visiting (The Wensleydale Creamery) or having read about them elsewhere (Jervaulx Abbey Tearoom, Roots York, Vale of Mowbray). Many of the recipes appeal to me, and I am tempted to try a few myself. Writing and editing are good, instructions clear, pictures appetising.
The book is part of the "Get Stuck In" series, which covers Bristol, Lancashire, Cornwall, Derbyshire, Edinburgh and other places. A great gift for someone who has a particular affinity to a city or region, which is of course why my sister gave me this one. You can find out more at www.mezepublishing.co.uk.
Can imagine how sad it was to know that many of the places in the book simply don't exist in their previous form--if at all. I find myself being jarred by that thinking even when reading modern day novels or memoirs where people might have met at parties or weddings--where children were excited about their first day of school (our schools will be virtual until at least January)--such a different universe than currently exists. And somewhat of a blank vision about what things will look like in the future. Disconcerting, to say the least.
ReplyDeleteMary, I have been thinking about how this will impact books and films, the arts in general, in the future. Are new books and films going to depict our "new normal", people in the streets and on buses etc. wearing masks, people not hugging or shaking hands when they meet, or will things still look as "before"? I guess we'll find out.
DeleteThank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome.
DeleteThis sounds like a great present for you, but I can easily understand why it feels so bittersweet now. These are sad times, but I don't believe they will last forever. But for small businesses the impact may be forever.
ReplyDeleteIt is a great present for me, my sister just knows me so well!
DeleteSome of the larger businesses are struggling, too; they may have a bigger turnover but also spend a lot more on staff, site maintenance and so on, and some of them have invested a lot of money in renovations that will now never pay off.
Very sad how some of these eating places are suffering at the moment. There is a government scheme where you can eat for half price on Mon - Wed. I love the free sample cheese cubes at the Wensleydale Creamery!
ReplyDeleteLinda, I loved the free samples there, too! If it had not been for us travelling home on one of the next days following our visit, I would have bought half the shop... but exporting dairy products from the UK and importing them to Germany is so highly regulated, we stopped ourselves.
DeleteWhat a nice and very interesting book, but I do understand the bittersweet side of it due to the pandemic. A couple of the places I even recognize from being mentioned in some blogs I follow. It was a great gift from your sister. I hope that next year you and your sister will be able to take your usual Yorkshire holiday.
ReplyDeleteWe very much hope that, too, Bonnie. I truly miss being there, seeing my friends and family and the places I like so much.
DeleteNot that I do not love being with family and friends here, but once a year it "has to be" Yorkshire.