This week I am still dreaming about the past and cooking from my lovely old antiquated cookery books. The latest grand dame of the kitchen is Maura Laverty and her book ‘Full and Plenty’, which was fondly known as a doorstopper due to it’s hefty size and weight. This book was first published in 1960 and was the first ‘real’ Irish cookbook. Before that, the only cookbook Irish people owned, was the one you got free with the cooker! Maura was quite the character and her cook book is filled with funny little anecdotes. She was something of a Renaissance lady with a talent for writing and broadcasting as well as cookery. She was a woman before her time and if she was still around today she would most likely be a millionaire. Maura initially started writing pieces for the paper, and then progressed to writing novels (some of which were banned) and plays. Her cookbook came about from her love of food which was shaped by the time she spent in Spain working as a governess. Her first cookbook was commissioned by the government and its intention was to show Irish housewives how to make do with what little food they had at their disposal. Continue Reading…
