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Comment on Drinka pinta milka day by myteacherisme

myteacherisme — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:59:57 +0000

Hi great post! I wonder if you ever mention to kids how unnatural it is to drink milk from a cow, I read an interesting article recently by T. Colin Campbell, a nutritional biochemist at Cornell University, who claims that milk is not only unnatural for human consumption, he believes it is outright dangerous. He claims that fats in dairy products not only can contribute to hardening of the arteries and heart disease, he warns that the cow’s exposure to pesticides, antibiotics, dioxins and bovine growth hormones may be getting passed on to humans through milk and milk products. I know soya milk is not free from criticisms, but it must be a whole lot better for us.

Comment on The first chapter by jennyridgwell

jennyridgwell — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:36:58 +0000

Thankyou Jane for this posting. Which school in Northamptonshire did you teach at?
I was forbidden from taking Domestic Science when I attended Northampton High School in the 60s – my head mistress said ‘You’ll never get any work or go to university if you take that subject.’ I took it anyway and she was wrong – there is always work for people that know about food!
Do you still have any of your textbooks or even exam papers? I look at the questions set them and they seem much more difficult than those beng set now.
Magueritte Patten was my bible when I was learning – some of the books that I had to teach from were just plain daft!
Thanks again and would love to hear more. Jenny

Comment on The first chapter by Jane

Jane — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:26:25 +0000

This is truly evocative of the times.
I took my Food and Nutrition A level in 1974 and started teaching Home Economics at my first school in Northants in 1978
We had no technician and I remember my half term going through the pan cupboard and doing a lot of washing up.

I think you mean to say decorating the brandy snaps when you say horns in the Governors tea section.

Also did we really have equal quantities of sugar and marg for the apple crumble?

For O level; we had cookery for schools and O level Cookery ? and maybe the Essex book of something or another. We made mock scotch eggs and I’d love to track that recipe down. For A level Cooking Explained was the bible and Advanced cooking is fun for added practical delights

I remember for O level making a boned breast of lamb which my mother ceremoniously gave to a neighbour as we “wouldn’t eat fatty stuff like that” my soused herrings were given away too :( We couldn’t waste stuff.

My own reminiscing is of teaching practices in the 70s as i only taught a few classes for food.

Comment on Teaching bread by jennyridgwell

jennyridgwell — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 09:59:49 +0000

Thankyou Rosemary – always good to have teachers check my writing – and I’m quite good at making bread now! Jenny

Comment on Teaching bread by Rosemary MacQueen

Rosemary MacQueen — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 09:45:09 +0000

Sorry Jenny but you do not crush grains of wheat to get ‘wheat’ You crush them to get flour. It’s the teacher coming out in me!

Comment on The Cheese tasting by jennyridgwell

jennyridgwell — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 08:37:58 +0000

Hello Lesley – I was teaching nearby – do you have any exam papers or books from the time – I need to check things for my research – I want that National Dairy Council red book with all those cheeses! Glad you like the blog -the Nutrition Program is taking so much of my time that I need to get writing the book again. Thanks for the encouragement. Jenny

Comment on The Cheese tasting by lesley

lesley — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:25:16 +0000

what a joy to read.i too started my teaching career in 70′s.this has brought back so many memories.thank you.

Comment on TVP – textured vegetable protein by Sue Johne

Sue Johne — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:01:47 +0000

I remember it all so well Jenny. look forward to the book for full nostalgia; teaching was fun!

Sxxxx

Comment on About the book by jennyridgwell

jennyridgwell — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 16:09:26 +0000

I would be really interested to learn what your questions were – if they were as daft as the ones I had to teach! If you find the flour book that would be fun too. All those baking skills for cakes, biscuits and pastries – who said those days were better!

Comment on About the book by jane wintersgill

jane wintersgill — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 16:15:03 +0000

I did Food and Nutrition A Level in 1974 – your description of the Cookery exams brings back memories! AM trying to locate a recipe book we used think it was by a flour manufacturer with 3 recipes a page with photos on the top and the recipes underneath. Seem to remember the photos were quite dark and moody