Rhubarb Fluff

A recipe from 1969, hotel ephemera, and a nice wall

Good afternoon from behind the kitchen sofa. I’m currently photographing books for Candlestick’s new webshop and the best light in the house happens to be behind the sofa on this particular wall. I’ve pulled everything out and it is, quite frankly, a mess. My son came home from school and shouted, mama, what have you done? So I guess it really does look that bad!

It’s a lovely wall!!!

I’m so excited to have a properly functioning website but I truly underestimated the amount of work an overhaul of this size entails. I suppose it’s my fault; every product is having its own little photoshoot. Being a photographer is a blessing and a curse. So please ignore me while I quietly have a smol breakdown.

It’s still rhubarb season somewhere

I know we have probably reached Peak Rhubarb but last week my mum gave me some rhubarb from her allotment and this week my neighbour was giving out bunches of the stuff and it reminded me of a recipe I’d earmarked for Rhubarb Fluff that I’d been meaning to share.

From a cookbook from 1969 I bought for the title alone: Miss Read’s Country Cooking or To Cut a Cabbage-leaf. How does one cut a cabbage-leaf? The book’s blurb describes Miss Read’s recipes as ‘fascinating and reliable’, which I think perfectly sums up Rhubarb Fluff.

Rhubarb Fluff

There is usually plenty of forced rhubarb about in the early months of the year. Plain stewed is rather dreary, but this simple recipe makes the most of its tart freshness.

• 2 lb forced rhubarb

• 5-6 oz caster sugar (preferably vanilla-flavoured)

• 1/3 pint double cream

Chop the rhubarb into short pieces and simmer until soft with the sugar and 3 tabs. of water. Whisk to a purée or put into the electric blender.

Whip the cream, not too stiffly, fold into the rhubarb, and serve very cold.

Vanilla sugar is best for this recipe, and in fact for most sweet recipes. Keep a large screw-top jar filled with caster sugar (mine is an outsize Maxwell House coffee jar). Tucked into the sugar should be one or two vanilla pods which you can buy, in a long glass tube, from any reputable grocer. These pods flavour the sugar beautifully, and will not need to be replaced - although the sugar will, of course, as you use it - for a year or more.

Ephemera

A recipe for a spiced loaf written on Adelphi Hotel stationary and found squashed in the back pages of Miss Read’s Country Cooking¹ A quick search shows the Adelphi was once Liverpool’s grandest hotel: during the early 20th century, the Adelphi served as the most popular hotel in the city for wealthy passengers before they embarked on their journey to North America. The RMS Titanic was registered in Liverpool (though it never visited the port), and the Sefton Suite is said to be an exact replica of the ill-fated liner's First Class Smoking Lounge. ²

However, time has not been kind to the Adelphi, now ranked the worst in Liverpool. That’s showbiz for you

To take a break from working on the new website I spent a delightful hour cutting up magazines³ and making little pieces of fruit. I originally planned to use them as dividers for this newsletter but now my husband is saying they’re better suited for the new website. What do you think?

There’s currently 20% off everything over at Candlestick Books while I move everything over to the new site (not sure I’ve mentioned it?). So now is your chance to grab a bargain

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Thanks for reading!

1. If you buy a book for me I will always leave whatever ephemera has been left between the pages. I think it’s part of the book’s history

2. From Wikipedia, of course

3. We have somehow accumulated several years worths of How To Spend Its