The Blossoms Cookery Book
Adelaide, Hunkin, Ellis & King, 1931. Drummond, Mrs A A (ed & comp). The Blossoms Cookery Book. [FIRST EDITION] Hunkin, Ellis & King: Adelaide, 1931. 8vo (215x140mm) illust printed cream cloth bds, stapled fp,160pp.
Second-hand hardcover
DRUMMOND, Mrs A A (editor & compiler).
The Blossoms Cookery Book.
Adelaide : Hunkin, Ellis & King, printers, [for the Whitfield Institue and the Hindmarsh Congregational Church], 1931. First and only edition.
Octavo (215x140mm) illustrated, blue printed cream cloth boards, staple binding, frontispiece tipped in,160pp. One out-of-text leaf with two monochrome photographs of the children benefited by the Whitfield Institute; twenty nine in-text pages of advertisements for Adelaide business, several illustrated; further advertisements to the rear paste-down and boards. Boards faintly scuffed, edges discretely fraying; top edge lightly soiled, small damp stain to margin pages 150-160; small closed bottom edge tear, p.81; rear hinge slightly mis-glued; a few small signs of kitchen use but generally crisp and clean
¶ A scarce South Australian cookery book produce to raise funds to support the Whitfield’s Institute's mission to the Adelaide poor during the Great Depression. Adelaide was the worst affected city in Australia with over 200 factories closing, unemployment reaching over 35%, and significant food and housing shortages. And Port Adelaide and Hindmarsh were the worst affected suburbs leading to significant homelessness, food riots and general unrest, particularly when the government removed beef from the ration. The Institute was established in 1927 by Rev. Wilfred J. Magor, minister of the Congregational Church in the industrial suburb of Hindmarsh and was supported by the Governor-General of South Australia, Sir Hore-Ruthven. The Institute's hall and kitchen were used to provide hot meals, particularly to children. The photograph opposite p.64 notes that "approximately 100,000 dinners have already been supplied"
Approximately 350 contributed (but not attributed) recipes, indexed, written mostly longhand for: Meat; Fish; Vegetables; Soup; Fruit Preserving; Jam Making, Sauce, etc; Puddings, Pastry, etc; Scones etc; Cakes; Invalid Cookery; and, Miscellaneous (which appear to be recipes that arrived too late to be included in their correct section. The dishes are generally Australian/British and fairly economical. Some recipes, for example "Oatmeal Biscuits" (or as more commonly known 'ANZAC's) contain no method, just a list of ingredients and variants, presumably because the method was widely known. Between the recipes and the index there is an unusual six page essay by E M Waddy "Physical Culture and Breathing Exercises".
Rare. An excellent insight into a worthy attempt to address the problems of the Great Depression in South Australia at its height.
§ OCLC records only one holding in Australia, Deakin University and none elsewhere. Trove records only six holdings in Australia, and none elsewhere
§ Hoyle 458.
Item #11138
Price: $300.00 AUD