Agnes Jekyll (1860-1937) was the supreme hostess: her house was described as "the apogee of opulent comfort and order without grandeur, smelling of pot-pouri, furniture polish and wood smoke". Lady Jekyll, as she became, first published Kitchen Essays in The Times, "in which she was persuaded to pass on some of the wit and wisdom of her rare gift for clever and imaginative housekeeping". Helen Garlick reads a few of her favourite extracts...
"Le Mot Juste" in Food: Finding the appropriate dish at the right time for your guest, be he a jaded Cabinet Minister or a depressed financier, can be taxing. Agnes Jeykyll has just the recipe.
For the Too Thin: Advice and recipes for flesh-making dishes for those below weight–albeit for reasons of fashion, principle or as a result of influenza. Sardines à la Sackville and Potage Tapioca Mousseux may do the trick..
For the Too Fat: In the battle against avoirdupoids, Lady Jekyll tackles the insidious enemy soup and replaces it with a wonderfully delicate Consommé à l'Estragon. Other recipes and words of wit and wisdom follow.
Kitchen Essays is published by Persephone Books Ltd
For more readings from Kitchen Essays go to Kitchen Essays by Agnes Jekyll No. 2
