Saturday 24 May 2014

A blast from the past

Yesterday I wanted to make a meat loaf with some pork mince I had in the freezer, so started to look for a recipe. I normally make one with beef so I roughly knew the ingredients but knew I had a recipe somewhere. Well, I was now on a mission to find one and an hour later with nothing found I went to a cupboard out in the garage and there in the deep dark depths of a long forgotten drawer FULL to capacity with old recipe books - I found this one covered in dust and in a very sorry state, dating back to 1980.



does anyone remember these M&S cook books? I used to collect them on a regular basis back in the day.




I served it with mustard mash (as all the tv cooks seem to do it this way) and fresh runner beans and gravy, as opposed to the barbecue sauce.  Mmmm it really was nice but I forgot to take a picture. So today we had the cold leftovers sliced with salad and this was equally as good.



Now my hubster is a serious hoarder, he won't throw anything away - storing stuff in the garage, loft space, boxes, cupboards - you name it, its there (although he hasn't realised yet that I am apt to sneak stuff out of the house in the direction of the local charity shop from time to time) - but that's neither here nor there. So bringing in this cook book was no mean feat I can tell you. I mean it was a case of Pot calling the kettle black! Anyway this book has got so many lovely recipes that I haven't cooked in years that I haven't the heart to put it outside again and it's now going to take pride of place on my kitchen shelf. 

I was going to type the recipe out but I guess if you tap on the picture it should enlarge. Enjoy.
Bye for nowx

20 comments:

  1. I love the way that the book was obviously published in that mid way between having metric and imperial measurements as it shows both! The recipe sounds really good though. Those M&S cookbooks always used to have really good things in them from what I remember, perhaps you better go and have another rootle round in the garage and see if you can find any more!! Glad that you enjoyed your meatloaf though and the experience of renewing your love for the book. xx

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  2. I remember my Mum and Aunt having M&S cook books, it must have been fun to find one and look through the recipes again. Sarah x

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  3. That looks delicious Patricia - I do like recipes that give meals for a few days - the cook deserves a rest especially at a Bank Holiday. I have that same kind of husband as you - throws nothing away, and is even reluctant to pull weeds out of the garden because they are living things. When I am on my last legs I know he will just keep me going on and on and on!!!

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  4. I love cookery books too and still use one of the m & s books all the time, I think I had 3 of the series but only have the one now.
    The meat loaf looks very tasty, I do love a meal which will stretch over two days!

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  5. I used to buy the M&S books too - you always see them on the shelves of the charity book shops. I don't have any on my shelves now though - your meat loaf looks yummy - maybe I ought to start collecting them again.

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  6. It looks and sounds delicious Patricia, and I seem to remember making something very similar when my children were young, which would have been about the same time as you bought your book. Perhaps that recipe made it from the M&S book to some women's magazine in Australia!

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  7. As your first commenter, I was interested to see that the recipe gave measurements in imperial and metric, I dont think I've ever seen that before (usually they are just bracketed). The loaf looks really yummy, I must give it a try. (I'm the hoarder in our house, my hubby hoards nothing!!
    Joy x x

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  8. It looks well worth the search, Patricia and now you will probably find more lovely recipes within the book's pages to make again:)

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  9. I'm also married to a hoarder. Perhaps we should start an online support group. I have a couple of friends who would be interested in signing up as well. :-)

    That cookbook was a fun find, even if your husband will no doubt use it as a reason why it's important to never get rid of anything. One thing I do find when I look at old cookbooks though is how much things have changed over the last thirty or so years in terms of ingredients. Recipes used to be much more basic in many ways.

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  10. I do remember those cookbooks from M&S and think I had one. I have a few old cookbooks which I love to flick through especially one that my mum gave me that she bought from the milkman when he used to deliver door to door.

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  11. I love old cookbooks. This one looks interesting but I didn't think it was as old as you've said, it seems newer than that. Maybe I need to read newer cookbooks myself then. :)

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  12. Sometimes it's good to dig out those old recipe books and follow a tried and tested recipe or try a new one. Your meat loaf sounds good either served hot or cold, especially with this changeable weather when one wants a comforting dish served with vegetables or something lighter with a salad accompaniment!

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  13. I am never at a loss for a recipe, Patricia, having too many cookery books for my own good! That pork loaf looks great, we are quite fond of meals like that. Now then, do you think you could pop round to mine and get me started on the declutter and chucking out? I am a match for your husband, and mine has to do the sneaking out of the odd bits and pieces. It is getting me down, especially after clearing out my mum's home when she went onto a care home. I feel I should do mine NOW and not leave it for someone else to do!! Lx

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  14. sounds great. I'm afraid I recently donated a pile of these books to the charity shop ,wished I hadn't now .I like the changes you made, sounds much nicer than the barbeque sauce.

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  15. I am not a hoarder, but I have to say I have a box of cookbooks that I have been meaning to go through and organize since last summer, there are old recipes from my mom and lots of recipes cut out from magazines, and since my daughter has taken a keen interest in cooking and baking, I really do need to pull them all out and have a peek and organize them!
    I will be in London again soon and I Hope we will be able to meet up!
    Much love,
    Tammy

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  16. PS... Your loaf looks delicious!! I have never had a pork one, only beef!

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  17. I have many of those M&S cook books and still use them on a regular basis along with my many, many others

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  18. That meatloaf looks good,but not for me as i am vegetarian. However i make a great Dahl !!
    Thank you so much for your comment on my last post,i know just what you mean and am feeling the same. At least i have time to think about doing some thing else before enrolling at college in September if i still feel the need to do another course.
    Take Care.........xx

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  19. That does look so good and the 2nd time around with that yummy salad, even better. Your comment about your hubby made me smile, mine too is a hoarder and I too occasionally sneak a few things out. You should see inside of our garage, it's a crazy zone! x

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  20. That looks a goof recipe Patricia. I have one or two M&S cookery books and I am a bit of a hoarder too. (My husband would take out the 'bit'.!! I love going through recipe books though lately I have picked out one or two to cut up - I've been using the pages to make new books ;)

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