Miss Oldfield From Subiaco Recipes And Household Hints...(1915).
This blog post is a continuation of previous blog posts about The Sunday Times recipe and household hints competition.
In 1915, The Sunday Times ran a recipe and household hints competition offering prizes each week to women readers who shared their recipes and household hints. Nearly 100 recipes and household hints from the women (and men) of Subiaco were published during the year.
From 1914 to 1917 a Miss Oldfield from 234 Mueller Road, Subiaco (later Roberts Road) entered recipes and household hints into The Sunday Times newspaper competition. She won a number of prizes and received honourable mentions which were published in the newspaper. As there is not an initial identifying what the Christian name is with entries it is difficult to determine whether these entries are the work of one person or a number of women in the household.
The entries provided by Miss Oldfield provide a wonderful insight into what was being cooked by this family in Subiaco during the war years affected by rationing and food shortages. The recipes provided used resources like rabbits, offal, apples, dried fruit, prunes, sago and tinned pineapple. She was creative in solving a range of household problems ranging from growing parsley to cleaning bronze and keeping cheese moist.
From the previous blogs about The Sunday Times competition
"...The recipes could be taken from any cookery book or newspaper. Readers were encouraged to share original recipes. Competitors were required to fill out a coupon to make sure they were a genuine reader and enter as many entries as they wanted to. Women were also able to request and respond to requests for recipes and household hints.
Women, both single and married entered throughout the state, from interstate and even overseas shared recipes and household hints that won prizes and received honourable mentions. The letters were published in newspaper.
The women of Subiaco entered and shared recipes and household hints which won prizes and received honourable mentions. They shared recipes for meat, puddings, cakes, preserves and sauces and even vegetarian dishes like spinach tarts, celery soup and swiss cutlets. The women of Western Australia and Subiaco showed to be creative homemakers sharing a variety of recipes and household hints. Some of those recipes from earlier years have been shared on previous blog posts.
By July 1914 World War One had been declared. Australian men were volunteering for the services and leaving to go overseas. There were food shortages as food was redirected to troops and labour shortages. Women experienced rationing at home and were encouraged to be self sufficient and have chickens and grow fruit trees and vegetables in the backyard..."
The articles are from Trove the databased of the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended.
The Sunday Times, 10 January 1915.
Household Hints.
Honorable Mentions.
Parsley. Lift a root of your, garden parsley and place in a flower pot kept in the kitchen window. You will have a supply of parsley for cooking throughout the winter. This saves pennies. Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco.
The Sunday Times, 31 January 1915.
Household Hints.
Honorable Mentions.
Suet in Hot Weather. To keep suet in hot weather remove the membrane or skin from it while it is quite fresh, then sprinkle thoroughly with salt, tie in a bag, and hang in a cool place. Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco.
The Sunday Times, 13 March 1915.
Household Hints.
Honorable Mentions.
To Remove Rust from Curtain Hooks. Put them in a bowl, cover with cloudy ammonia, and leave soaking for half an hour. Then stir round with a stick, pour off the ammonia, and dry the hook. They will be as good as new. Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller road, Subiaco.
The Sunday Times, 18 April 1915.
Third Prize
Third prize is awarded to Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco, for
SCOTCH CREAM.
Two eggs, 1/4 oz. of gelatine, 2 1/4 oz. of sugar, one teacup of water, six drops of vanilla. Separate whites from yolks, beat each well with half quantity of sugar in each; mix together, and add flavoring and gelatine dissolved in water. Pour into a glass or silver dish, and when set spread with apricot jam and put whipped cream on top.
The Sunday Times, 23 May 1915.
Household Hints.
Hint Supplied.
Cleaning Preparation for Dresses. A mixture that is excellent for cleaning serge or other woollen dresses, coats, or even felt hats, is made as follows: Dissolve 1 oz. of gum camphor and 1 oz. of borax in one quart of boiling water. When cool add one quart of alcohol, put in a bottle, and keep well corked. Before using shake well. Apply with a sponge. Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco.
The Sunday Times, 30 May 1915.
Second Prize.
Second prize is awarded to Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco, for hint
TO KEEP CHEESE MOIST.
Wrap cheese in a cloth wrung out of vinegar. Place in a paper bag and hang in a cool place.
The Sunday Times, 19 August 1915.
Honorable Mention.
Cheese Gingerbread. Two cupfuls of flour, half a cup of sugar, half a of flour, pinch of salt, and one teaspoonful of salt, three-quarter cup of warm water. Rub the cheese and sugar together, add the treacle ; mix and sift the dry ingredients, and add them to the cheese mixture alternately with the water. Bake in a moderate oven one hour. Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco.
The Sunday Times, 22 August 1915.
Honourable Mentions.
Prune Jelly. One pint packet of lemon jelly and 1 lb. of prunes. Wash the prunes thoroughly, and then stew them until soft, but not shapeless, with sugar to taste. Take, out the stones, crack a few of them, and remove the kernels. Fill a quart mould with prunes and kernels rather loosely, and fill up with melted lemon jelly. Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco.
The Sunday Times, 5 September 1915.
Honorable Mention
Cheap Fruit Loaf - Cream together 1/2 lb. of dripping; and 1/2 lb. of sugar, then add two well-beaten eggs. Stir in gradually 1 1/2 lb. of flour, add one-quarter of a pint of milk, i lb. of currants, 1/2 lb. sultanas, 3/4 lb. of mixed peel and chopped and grated rind of a lemon. Lastly stir in two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and bake for 45 or 60 minutes. Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco.
The Sunday Times, 16 January 1916.
Household Hints.
Honorable Mentions.
To Clean Bronze - dust carefully with a fine camel-hair brush and a soft cloth, then dip a cloth in sweet oil and wipe over the entire surface, after which polish carefully with a soft chamois leather. Miss Oldfield, Gooseberry Hill via Kalamunda.
The Sunday Times, 23 January 1916.
Third Prize.
Third prize is awarded to Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco, for
AFTERNOON TEA SCONES.
One pound of self-raising flour, 1 oz. of butter, pinch of salt, 1 oz. of sultanans, half a pint of milk. Rub the butter into the flour, add the fruit, pinch of salt. Mix to a soft dough with the milk; turn on to a floured board, and knead lightly; roll out into a round about half an inch in thickness, cut across diagonally from top to bottom, and from left to right. Divide these sections again to the size, required, and bake in a hot oven from eight to ten minutes.
The Sunday Times, 9 July 1916.
Third Prize.
Third prize is awarded to Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco, for recipe for
RABBIT JELLY.
Take one rabbit, 1/4 lb. ham, 1 oz. gelatine, 1 gill water, 2 cloves, pepper and salt to taste. Wash and joint the rabbit and put it on to boil with just chough water to cover it. Add the ham and cloves and sprinkle a little salt over it. Cook gently till the meat leaves the bone easily, then rub through a colander. Add the gelatine to the mixture, and dissolve over the fire. Pour into melted moulds, and stand in a cool place till set.
The Sunday Times, 15 August 1916.
THE PRIZE HINTS.
First Prize.
First prize is awarded to Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco, for hint
TO KEEP NEEDLEWORK CLEAN. The way professional needleworkers keep a bit of choice embroidery perfectly clean may prove helpful to other workers in this art. A piece of thin muslin is basted over the right side of the material to toe embroidered. It is then fitted into the frame or hoop and the muslin cut away from the part that is to be immediately worked. Thus the muslin keeps the hands from coming in contact with the rest of the material when manipulating the needle and holding the hoops.
The Sunday Times, 12 December 1915.
Household Hints.
Honorable Mention.
Washing Sateens. If when washing sateens a little borax is added to the rinsing water will give that satin-like gloss the material has when new. Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco.
The Sunday Times, 12 December 1915.
Household Hints.
Honorable Mention.
Blackening Brown Shoes. Dissolve in boiling water a lump of washing soda, the size of a walnut, and when cold rub well over and into the brown leather. This will darken them, and if they are then polished with shoe-makers' ink (two coats being applied) they will be a good black, and will take additional polishes as easy as any other black shoe. Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco.
The Sunday Times, 16 May 1916.
First Prize
First prize is awarded to Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco, for recipe
APPLES IN RED JELLY.
Ingredients: Six apples, 1oz. sheet gelatine, one lemon, six cloves, 1/2 lb. sugar, whipped cream. Method: Pare and core apples, fill with sugar, put a clove in each, squeeze lemon juice over, sprinkle more sugar, half-pint of water, and bake in moderate oven until soft. Strain the liquid, then add the lemon rind, one pint of water and the gelatine (soaked). Boil up, sweeten, color a pale pink, strain round the apples. When set, serve a little whipped cream on each.
The Sunday Times, 11 June 1916.
First Prize.
First prize is awarded to Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road, Subiaco, for recipe
JELLIED APPLES.
Pare and core large firm apples, fill the holes with red currant jelly; sprinkle all over with lemon juice, and dust with granulated sugar. Put a little water in the pan around the apples and let them bake in the oven till candied, but not long enough to break up.
The Sunday Times, 3 September 1916.
Household hints.
Honorable Mention.
Sago Jelly. Ingredients: 5 oz. of sago, 2oz. castor sugar, 11/2 pints water, raspberry jam. Method : Soak the sago in the water over night, then cook it till quite clear and tender and add sugar and jam to taste. Add a few drops of cochineal and pour into a mould. Turn out when cold and serve with custard. Miss Oldfield 243 Mueller-road Subiaco.
The Sunday Times,
Household Hints.
Honorable Mentions.
A Pineapple Recipe: A most delicious pineapple pie can be made as follows:-Take a small tin of pineapple, drain off the juice, and reserve it; cut the pineapple rounds into tiny squares, and add to them two large peeled cored, and sliced apples. Have ready a pint of custard, put the apple and chopped pineapple in a pie dish, pour the custard over them, pour the pine-apple syrup on top, cover with a short crust, and bake till done. It is equal good hot or cold. Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road Subiaco.
The Sunday Times, 19 November 1916.
Honourable Mentions.
Saute Kidneys. 2 kidneys, 1 oz. butter, cayenne and salt, minced parsley, 4 squares of fried bread, lemon juice. Skin, slice and fry the kidneys in the butter, tossing them in it till cooked, season them with parsley, lemon juice, cayenne, and salt. Serve on fried bread. Miss Oldfield, 243 Mueller-road. Subiaco.
The Sunday Times, 31 December, 1916.
Honourable Mentions.
Parkin. Take two cupfuls plain flour, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, one cupful (small) of sugar, one cup of treacle, half cup of milk, 1/2 lb. of lard, 1/2 lb butter, two eggs mixed. Bake one hour in a slow oven. Miss Oldfield, 243 Roberts-road, Subiaco.
The Sunday Times, 7 January 1917.
Honorable Mention
English Mincemeat. Take 3 lb. of good pudding raisins, 2 lb. of sultana raisins, 2 lb. of currants, 1 lb. of mixed citrons and lemon peel, 1 lb. of good beef suet, 3 lb. apples (weighed after being peeled and cored), 2 lb. sugar, 1 packet of mixed spice, 1 dessertspoonful of salt, half a pint of brandy. Chop separately and finely each ingredient, then mix all together and chop well till all are blended. Then put all in a large basin, add the sugar, spice, salt and brandy. Put into glass jars and paste down securely. Miss Oldfield, 243 Roberts-road, Subiaco.
The Sunday Times, 17 March 1917.
Honourable Mentions.
Apple Pancakes. Beat three eggs (whites and yolks separately), pare and core and quarter two tart apples, add the yolks to them, and beat again. Then while beating four tablespoonfuls of flour and a half teaspoonful of cinnamon stir in the whites of eggs carefully with a spoon. Bake in small cakes on a greased girdle, roll and serve hot dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Miss Oldfield, 243 Roberts-road, Subiaco.
From the Western Mail, 2 May 1935.
