The Good Life
Sung, though not honoured
Pamela Vandyke Price
During the darker of my schooldays I would try and hope that the grown-up world wasn't whollY dominated by f . . fools and ih . . . oafs and that love, happiness and success were not in direct ratio to one's ability to hit, kick, whack or hurl a ball. FortunatelY it isn't (though I consider it significant that many of those court" tries that are suffering less than ourselves in the current bad shoW are those in which grey matter takes precedence of games). But any Martian contemplating the latest Honours List might well suppose that the majority of the British neither read nor write, but shower rewards on those provi& ing the circuses while ignoring any contributions to the supply of bread. (Although I think that there is no cause to give special favour to anybody for bestriding the horse, either, at least this creature may, at need, be eaten and very good it can be.) Actually, some of my bestf friends do play games, several 0, them for the wholly practical purpose of counteracting their gastronomic researches. The whole thing can, in several ways, become circular, because you need good food to keep fit to play the games which give you the appetite requiring the good food, so if I thought that our beloved leaders admitted gastronomy even to the thoughts, I would bear them n° grudge. But we are what we eat and my vision of all of them is Spectator Qpectator January 12, 1974 obfuscated by the sliced nonbread, everlasting unmilk, plastic peat and amorphous veg. that I fear — I do fear it — they consume. (The wine merchants suPplying several reassure me that their customers actually do take in the blood of the grape but even Politicians cannot live by ferMented liquors alone.)' I happen to have been allowed 1.9 see both the Cabinet Room at `,4.0. 10 and the room in what was °Ir Robert Walpole's town house, Where the first cabinet meeting t°01t place — in the days, note, When Britain was great as regards gastronomy along with addenda such as armies, navies and emP,ires. The one room, spacious, D 'n'egarit, creates an atmosphere of ;10hvivia1ity, willingness to get 'lungs done and benevolence; one cannot imagine the presence of ,sheets of processed cheese Detween kapok rolls, bottled beer antld coke therein. Whereas can ",ne envisage choice viands, velectable desserts, discussable Wines enjoyed in that cheerless cllamber in Downing Street? One at least this one — cannot. It 1:;_ould be instantly evocative of thud
Upper fourth table and "Keep
Lc'ur elbows in!" from the prefect the end, so cramped are the 11clitions; everything, from the
guts to the generous impulses,
/vDc'uld inevitably contract in such Place. And how could even the thSt modest decanter circulate on e dossier-cluttered table? „ No Wonder our leaders want to et out and honour the batters :rig bailers — they so envy their "j.tivities. And so those who, quite lite!) in time for which they are e(3t Paid, attempt to get masses to clisensibly, more to eat rscriminatingly and a few to revel the magnificence of gastronomy go? unhonoured. Some of us scribes s. nosh, however, will continue to :g their praises and a very nice Ole New Year ditty proceeds 111 the pen of Delia Smith, who, Oecipes from Country Inns & ii:staurants (Ebury Press, £2.95) eqs recorded the achievements of r,4iting places both modest and endid. In most instances a first h°Urse, main course and pudding 44ve been given, although, as the eitlit!lor practically explains, the t2ice has been from the specialiIV of the eating-places, and 'refore the recipes do not 11).ide a specific menu. ne restaurateurs, from the oftind bonnet Master Kenneth Bell Thornbury Castle to the more Decently established and young C1od cooks, are described and t1,93, credited and the recipes, orill,lke those in the endless stream 8t,I3oeuf en croute from the five h,711. restaurants of four continents' c'"ooks, are truly intended for the ftl°k to achieve at home, without less. The book is illustrated by aarlt photographs of the es41. 4shment5 concerned and is adkilrably laid out, so that it would thee an appreciated present to N visitor from abroad, who (If ght, from experiencing the sort gratIdghsome cuisine of the medium to„-u,e hostelries to which so many
Msts are subjected, otherwise elude that we eat so badly that we deserve all our misfortunes.
And before the next honours list, could somebody intimate to our beloved leaders that, before they start lavishing knight and damehoods upon the artificers of pokerwork and petit point, those who ascend Everest on rollerskates or are champions of the flea circus trotting races, that there might be some little thought of those who enhance everyday life by their achievements in the worlds of food and wine? There are even some who write about these things who might suggest names — if our rulers really have as little time to read as they have to eat.
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