Delicious UK - (05)May 2020

Ilookedatmydiary
thismorningandit
feelslikereading
a novelfromanother
age.It isfilledwith
parties,dinners,meetings,flower
shows,festivals,holidays,trips
toexhibitions,plays,lectures,
birthdays,weekendsbythesea.
Theyarecrossedout,struck
through,theabandoned notes
fromanotherlife.
Astheworlddealswiththe
onslaughtofthecoronavirus,I am
madedizzybyhowswiftlyour
oldliveshavebeendismantled.
Already,thethoughtofsittingin
a caféwitha bookfeelsasexotic
assippingcocktailsonyourown
tropicalisland.Watchingtelevision,
it is strangelyshockingtosee
peopleonscreenshakinghands
andhugging.Mybrain
automaticallyscreamsTWO
METRESAPARTNOTOUCHING.
Normalsocialinteractionlooks
asalienasfootbinding.Mybest
friend,a keyworker,nowhas
a specialletterwhichallowsher
tousetheUnderground,yet
onlya fewweeksagowewere
celebratingherbirthdayinan
eastLondonpub,dancingand
singingkaraoke until our feet and
throats hurt.

THECOMFORTOFBOOKS
I’vebeenreadinga lot– perhaps
youhave,too– reachingfortheold,
familiarandcomfortingstories.
OneofthebooksI’vebeeninhaling
isMrsMiniver, byJanStruther,the
pennameofJoyceMaxtone
Graham,whowrotea columnfor
TheTimesinthelate1930s.Mrs
Miniverdescribestheexquisite
ordinarinessofeverydaylife:
buyinga newengagementbook
inJanuary,choosinga dollfor
herdaughter’sbirthday,family
walksonHampsteadHeath,
chrysanthemumsinOctober,and
then, as war loomed, acquiring

WHATTOREAD

SomeofmyfavouritesÉ

lHomeCookingbyLaurieColwinEssays

oncookingandlifebythelateAmericanwriter.

lTheDudAvocadobyElaineDundyA

youngwomanlookingforloveandadventure

in1950sParis.A fizzing,funny,touchingread.

lHeartburnbyNoraEphronFunny,stylish

andpoignantstoryofthedeathofa marriage,

plusrecipes.I readthisatleastoncea year.

lTheCazaletChroniclesbyElizabethJane

HowardCompellingnovelsaboutanupper

classEnglishfamilyduringWorldWarII.

lAnyoftheautobiographicalbooks by American writer Ruth Reichl,

formereditorofGourmetmagazine.

lAmericanWifebyCurtisSittenfeldUtterlyabsorbing bestseller about

thepoliticalmarriageofanAmericanFirstLady.

lMrsMiniverbyJanStruther,andJanStruther’sbiography,TheReal

MrsMiniver, writtenbyhergranddaughter,YsendaMaxtoneGraham.

lAnyofthenovelsorshortstoriesofElizabethTaylor, thenovelist not the

actress. No one writes better about a certain kind of English life.

gasmasksforheryoungfamily.

LastnightwhenI wassorting

laundryinmycellar,I noticedthe

airraidwarden’shelmethanging

onthehookonthefarwall.I found

it whenwemovedin 16 yearsago

and,forwantofknowing what

todowithit,

I justleftit

there.It must

havebelonged

totheman

wholived

hereduring

thewar,

a stonemason

whoworkedatthelocalcemetery.

I thinkofhimquiteoftenbecause

• uniquelyinourroad– ourgarden
  pathis marblecrazypaving.It is
  quitehideous,butI keepit because
  I liketothinkofhimcarryingsmall
  off-cutsofmarblehomefromwork
  andthenbusyingaway,probablyin
  a shirt and tie, to lay this truly

atrociouspathofwhichI am

inordinatelyfond.SoI feelquite

connectedtothismanI nevermet

who,onedayover 70 yearsago,

hunguphisARPwarden’shelmet

inmycellarforthelasttime.And

as I folded towelsandsheetsand

didtheordinary

thingsthatkeep

ourlivesticking

over,I thought

abouthowhe

mayhavefelt

backthen:

anxietyatwhat

mightcome

next;hopethatsomehowit would

allworkoutanda certaintythat,as

a nation,wewouldenterthis new

worldmuchchanged.

I turnbackagaintoMrsMiniver:

“Notthatshedidn’tenjoythe

holidays:butshealwaysfelt– and

it was,perhaps,themeasureofher

peculiar happiness – a little→

I’vebeenreading

a lot– perhapsyou

have,too– reachingfor

theold,familiarand

comforting stories

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 33

taking it easy.