Fanny Cradock (1909–1994)

This book was written in the same year as 'Dining with Sherlock Holmes'. The similarity between these two publications is striking.
But, which came first?
It is hard to say. Although, 'Dining with Sherlock Holmes' can be traced back to the 1973 Sherlokian repast in New York; so, may have better provenance.

Fanny Cradock's book has a number of charming pen and ink sketches at the start of each chapter, whereas Julia Carlson Rosenblatt's book is text only.
Both books contain almost exactly the same amount of pages.

At the end of the day judgment should be left to the success of the recipes - none of which I have yet attempted.
Although it should be noted that Fanny Cradock's Welsh Rarebit contains Worcestershire sauce, whereas Rosenblatt swaps this ingredient for cayenne pepper (possibly a substitute for the harder to source UK ingredient in the US?).

I would guess that Fanny Cradock's book may therefore have the edge on authenticity. But if so, it is by a whisker.

I would say that both books have merit. And, I do not believe that it would be too ostentatious to own both, as I do.… (more)

This is the last book in the Lorme family saga, and it is the weakest of all the novels. Any effort to link the story to historical facts has been thrown out the window in favor of plot lines that rival the most egregious soap opera including but not limited to a surprise daughter-in-law (wife of the family black sheep) who is welcomed into the family no questions asked, and a gay cousin who is both cynical & selfish & his sister who marries his lover to give him protection from the country's sodomy laws. Really? A total waste of time & disappointing for a series that began with some promise.… (more)

This is book three in the series about the Lorme family. World War I sees a wing of the castle converted to a convalescent home for wounded officers (apparently this happened in every stately home in England?) run by the indomitable Lady Constance, the former radical suffragette. Right off the bat, the black sheep of the family, Stephen, is killed as is one of the family's footman, and Lord Aynthorp's nephew, Ralph is seriously wounded.

The war, however, does not take up much of the book. Much of it is devoted to the soap operish antics of the rest of the family. The wayward niece Rosalind who bolts from her ne'er-do-well Irish husband for an Italian count and to the rather incestuous relationship of brother & sister Lucy & Lucien. Then throw in some pregnancies, both of which result in difficult deliveries and the appearance, at the very end of the black sheep's heretofore unknown American wife & one wonders why this series was never made into a TV mini-series.

This book is no great shakes as literature, but it's a fun read.… (more)

If you're a fan of Downton Abbey, this is a fun trilogy to read. Sadly, I believe these books are out of print so you'll have to head for either the library or a used book store.

This is the saga of the Lorme family and this volume specifically covers the period from 1910 to the beginning of World War I in 1914. Thankfully a family tree plus a listing of all the family retainers is included at the beginning of the book. Otherwise it would be extremely difficult to keep up with all the characters.

Fanny Craddock knows her subject and tells her story with marvelous detail to the workings of one of England's great houses as well as the rather soap operatic goings on of a large and extended aristocratic family. The volume ends, predictably, with a cliff hanger making the reader want to rush out and read the next volume.… (more)