17 DECEMBER 1937, Page 32

COOKING AND CURING By Oriana Haynes

Described as a " Testament of Food," this is a personal anthology of recipes from soup to savoury. It is neither a standard cookery book nor a collection of curiosities, but something agreeably between the two. Even in the present glut of books on cooking, it will be found useful for introducing variety into the stereotyped menu both for everyday family meals and for more polite occa- sions. Housewives with a limited budget need not be deterred by the dedication : "To all Those Honourable Persons as are such whose generous cost never weighs the Expense. . . ." There are plenty of unextravagant recipes in the book. They have been collected by. Mrs. Haynes's forebears since the eighteenth century, and in many ex- cellent cases by herself and her daughter. The great majority are English in origin (Miss Florence White and the English Folk Cookery Association must look to their cullenders), with a few stragglers from Finland and the remoter parts of Europe. The directions to the cook are admirably clear and definite. Mr. E. S. P. Haynes contributes a nimble epilogue, vouching for the excellence of dishes which he has eaten with impunity for thirty-two years. Cooking and Cur- ing (Duckworth. 6s.) can be recom- mended as a Christmas present for iudicious eaters.