Tea, scones and sofa

It is a wet and windy winter day, and not one for being outside unless strictly necessary.  Today is just the day for a good book, the sofa, baking and of course, tea. 

I started reading ‘Kitchen Essays’ by Agnes Jekyll this morning.  It is a brilliant collection of essays she wrote for ‘The Times’ during 1921-22 about food, combining recipes with anecdotes and witty writing.

‘Kitchen Essays’

I am hard pushed to pick some examples of her writing as there are so many delightful passages and sentences, but here is a sample: 

“For this same festive and hot week-end, capture a stately pineapple.  But do not waste it at dessert, when most guests will gladly exchange the heat and effort of the dining-room for the scented solitude à deux’ of the star-lit garden”

As to the recipes…well, there is one that begins ‘having removed the brains from half a calf’s head’ which I can’t see me trying soon, nor shall I attempt making ‘a quart of good lemon jelly in the approved way, preferably with calves’ feet, more probably with best leaf gelatine’.  Instead, I made some scones, a sample of which is pictured below.

Scones on a Saturday

Footnote for those of you interested – Agnes Jekyll was the sister-in-law of Gertrude Jekyll, the gardener.