Savoury tarts and other delights..

I love the idea of cookbooks as social history, a snapshot of the hopes and dreams of previous generations, the window into a long ago kitchen brought to life by notes scribbled in the margins, the way the spine has broken so the book falls instantly open to a favoured recipe and the occaisonal splatter of what, even after 40 years, still smells faintly of mushroom soup.
However, my copy of ''Better Home Cookery Parties and Entertaing' by Myra Street, published in 1968, is still in almost entirely pristine condition, conjuring up images of a newly wed staring blankly at the pages as 'mothers little helper' plays in the background, a bottle of gin close to hand before bursting in to tears, cursing her in laws and consigning the whole idea to hell before running off with the hippy from the commune down the road.
And i wouldn't blame her in the slightest.
When you're faced with recipes for 'cottage cheese dip', 'pampered beef steaks' and the exotic 'pizza', which is a savoury tart with a bread base in case you were wondering, it is incredibly easy to subcome to an attack of the vapours even before you reach the 'snacks by the yard' on a baked bean 'base'. An idea so simple yet so strangely evil....
The pictures are amazing. Pretty much a perfect example of early food photography, they glisten!, they gleam!, the jacket potato picture is easily confused with the chocolate pudding picture!
They also weirdly look like paintings, especially the 'Noodle Pork Supper', which makes sense in a way since i refuse to believe it's a real dish.
You can also tell this book is 40 odd years old since the 'name cookies' for toddlers have 'Bob' and 'Sue' in swirly icing across the top of them, names now associated with, er, 40 year olds.... it's also suggested you serve them 'meat pie'. Meat pie for toddlers. Yes, they'll love that.
I've just realised i was overcharged for this, i paid £1.50 and it has 70p pencilled on the front page. Bastards.
I have never cooked for this book and unless i'm begged to produce something for a 60's theme party i never will.
I can't bring myself to.