Cooking is a Game You Can Eat w. Toad in the Hole, Bubble and Squeak, Gratie Taties & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: Cooking is a Game You Can Eat, Fay Maschler

Publication Details: Kestrel Books, 1975

The cookbook we are looking at today is a really cute British one, released in the 70s, that tries not to simply teach basic cooking techniques to kids but to make cooking seem fun -- which it is by the way!

We have looked at cookbooks of a similar type before in posts like The Ideals Junior Chef Cookbook w. Tuna Sports Cars, Texas Dean, a Football Party & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT or Mary Poppins in the Kitchen w. Dundee Cake, Welsh Rarebit, Yorkshire Pudding & more! -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Being from the UK this one has lots of British classics like Yorkshire Pudding and Bubble and Squeak. It also has truly charming illustrations by Malcolm Bird. 

(Click on scans to enlarge)

A Taste of London in Food and in Pictures w. Potted Cheese, Yorkshire Pudding, Chelsea Buns and more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: A Taste of London in Food and in Pictures, Theodora Fitzgibbon


Publication Details: Pan, 1976

A Taste of London in Food and in Pictures is as much a social history and vintage photography collection as it is a cookbook. This should, I suspect, make it rather appealing to many readers of The Left Chapter and it is well worth seeking out a used copy.

The book gives a variety of classic and traditional British recipes each of which is accompanied by a photo and text that either details the photo or provides background about the dish in question. Altogether it is fascinating culinary portrait of a London past. A London almost of fable as this is the London, good and bad, of Dickens and Sherlock Holmes.

There is much I had to leave out here, such as recipes for Bubble and Squeak, Crumpets, and Pigeon Pie. It was hard to pare it down but I chose some for their historic resonance such as Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding, and others for their novelty such as Stuffed Roast Veal with Anchovy Sauce.

You can look forward to some adaptations of lamb and beef recipes from this cookbook that we are not including here but will be sharing shortly.

(Click on images to enlarge)

 See also: The Pauper's Cookbook: A Cookbook for the People from the 1970's U.K.

See also: Mary Poppins in the Kitchen w. Dundee Cake, Welsh Rarebit, Yorkshire Pudding & more! -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Mary Poppins in the Kitchen w. Dundee Cake, Welsh Rarebit, Yorkshire Pudding & more! -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: Mary Poppins in the Kitchen - P.L. Travers and Maurice Moore-Betty with illustrations by Mary Shepard 


Publication Details: Dell Publishing, 1991

Mary Poppins in the Kitchen is a truly charming little cookbook that has a clever gimmick to hook you in with.

Billed as "A Cookery Book with a Story" it is, indeed, just that. The book begins with a series of little connected stories that feature Mary Poppins and the Banks children and that are ultimately centred around food.

After an introduction and a brief lead-in story, there are seven of these stories that begin with Monday and culminate with Sunday. Each day's story ends with that day's menu. It is all rather cute and is accompanied throughout with lots of lovely illustrations.

After the stories the book gives the recipes for all of the dishes that were in the daily menus. Somewhat unusually, though it makes sense in this context, they do this alphabetically as opposed to breaking them up by type.

These recipes are mostly very traditional English fare and many are real classics of that style of cuisine.

Here we are sharing a cross-section of some of these.

A really fun cookbook for kids of all ages that is well worth seeking out!

(Also, as a bonus, enjoy some classic Mary Poppins singing after the recipes.)

(Click on image to enlarge)

And for all you Mary Poppins fans out there:

See also: The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook w. Mrs Irving's Delicious Shortbread, Marilla's Plum Pudding & more: Vintage Cookbook TBT

See also: Pooh's Fireside Recipes: Comfort food for kids of all ages with Potato Pancakes & Honey Cake