It was delicious and we chatted as he cooked for me and as he likes to he talks about the past. Me as a little girl (I was his off-sider quite a bit in those days) and his childhood.
He was telling me how he makes his best mashed potato when he launched into telling me about a conversation he had with my Nan (his Mum). My uncle is a confirmed bachelor but he's had his fair share of romances - he's just not the 'settling down type' and my grandmother was quizzing him:
'What ever happened to that girl (insert name)? She was nice..' said my grandmother
"Yeah" responded my uncle :"It didn't work out but she made the best lamb curry, I still make it'.
'And what happened to what's-her-name... you know the one that lived in that house on the beach, she was nice...'
"oh yeah, she taught me how to make Beef wellington, top chick that one'
Eventually the story came around to the mashed potatoes which he credits another one of his former loves with imparting his favourite potato recipe to him.. and now to me.
And he said - although he's a bachelor, and there's no one in his life, he has the best lot of recipes from these women who have come in and out of his life - it wasn't wasted.
Interesting! And such a great philosophy!
So then I started to think about it - yes, I learned how to fry an egg properly from one of my ex-boyfriends and of course all the recipes I've learned from my Nan, Mum, Dad - even my mother in law...
And of course, I left him with a recipe of my own - my famous meatloaf!
Where have you picked up recipes along the way? Ex-boyfriends, girlfriends, flatmates, friends...?
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7 lovely comments:
I've only gotten them offline and a couple from the BF's mom.
I have a couple from my Mum and Nanna, one from an auntie, and a few from friends, but never from an ex-partner!
When myGreat grandnanna died I inherited her recipebook, which has recipes from HERd grandmother in it also. I love it. It is probably my most prized possesion.
Other than that, I'mgottena cheesecake recipe and a tuna casserole recipe off my mum and a coconut cookie recipeoff my best friend =]
I have several of my great grandmothers recipes that I have copied from a book that my nan has. I asked her if I could copy it, because it has notes from several other generations of in the side margins and such, but nan won't hand it over (understandably!) I asked her to leave it to me in her will, it's all I want! At least I have the boiled pudding recipe that is a couple of generations old.
I think the best recipes are those that you get from someone. Whenever you cook them it reminds you of them, so the food seems all the more special and delicious!
That's so fascinating! I love that he is a great cook and has a recipe to remind him of all the 'almost' mistakes he made.
Great story, and thanks for sharing ;) xx
I dont have any ex partners recipes, but like others the only thing I requested when my nan passed away was the family recipe book, and her 1930's art deco royal doulton dinner set (memories of so many chrismas dinners where it was used).
I love sitting there trying to read all the often used recipes, with the pages having gone clear in spots from splodges of butter while the recipe was being cooked.
Im in the process of trying to transcribe them all (even the very strange sounding ones) into a book to give to the members of our family.
My life is definitely a recipe book, I can relate things I have learned, and places I have been to amazing meals, and times spent with family in the kitchen.
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