This week, we have another old book, and what a wonderful thing it is. Cooking with Elizabeth Craig is a very good book indeed, and one of my favourites. I can’t quite remember where I got it—perhaps my dad, but I’m not sure. It was a bestseller in its time, and I understand Elizabeth was very popular. It’s concise, well laid out, and was first published in 1932—almost 100 years ago. 

It begins with a guide to shopping and storing food, from a time before fridges. One line I particularly like reads: "to store meat, examine to see that there is no sign of fly, if there is, cut off part tainted and wipe remainder with a clean cloth dipped in equal quantity of warm water and vinegar." Brilliant advice! There’s also a note that you shouldn’t serve red wine with fish unless it’s salmon à la Parisienne.

The book contains about a thousand recipes, and it’s always exciting to open it and discover a dish you’ve never seen before. There’s a fantastic bread sauce recipe that I use, a brilliant pickled herring recipe, game dishes, and even instructions on how to cook capercaillie—though that's probably illegal now! There’s also a good haggis recipe, braised ox tongue, and a simple Scotch curry. With directions on how to prepare and cook almost anything, it remains a great 'go to' book.

Hailing from Kirriemuir, Elizabeth only spent a short time at cookery school but went on to publish many books in her lifetime, as well as becoming a great teacher. There’s a recipe for Glasgow gingerbread that I’m keen to try, which includes ground almonds and Barbados sugar—it sounds delicious. 

You can pick up a copy of this book for just a few pounds, but I think it’s worth far more. A great addition to any bookshelf.