It’s my story of teaching cookery in east London – I’m a piece of living social history – there are few of us left!
What’s the talk about?
Based on stories from Cream Horns and Vol au Vents, published 2026, about teaching cooking in an East London comprehensive in the 1970s.
Prue Leith said – ‘An accurate, and sometimes very funny, account of the trials of a young food teacher in the 70’s.’
Reviews
‘Excellent laugh out loud book, a must for any foodie or food teacher.’
The 1970s was a time of great change in our food choices yet I had to teach old fashioned ideas like starching a tray cloth and deciding which doyley to use. Boys could learn to cook for the first time, yet the textbooks were about being a good housewife. How could food education be so undervalued?
Who remembers Salad Cream, Stork margarine, Angel Delight, Birds Custard? I’ll tell you stories of their invention and read about my Awful Offal lesson and how Delia taught me to cheat at mince pies.
My books – with 5* reviews – can be found on Amazon and other details are on my website.
Contact me for more info
Jenny Ridgwell 
Thanks for reading