George Black (7)

George Black was a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Public Health and Medical Officer at Keswick. He owned and managed a Vegetarian Home at Belstone in Dartmoor with the services of a manageress called Miss Isabel Densham "who displayed an unusual aptitude for cooking".

She developed her recipes, following the advise of the author who recommends them to the reader as better than any tasted at other vegetarian restaurants or hotels. The recipes are intended to appeal to meat eaters as well as show more vegetarians but they "do not correspond with the most advanced form of Vegetarian living". Neither are they "High-Class" or "Art" cookery which is described by the author as "one of the curses of humanity"

The author also wrote several household medical books, for the family and mothers. In the introduction to this book he talks of writing a book about vegetarianism through the different periods of life, but I have not been able to find reference to this.

The bulk of the book is made up of menus and associated recipes for the main meal of the day. There are altogether 44 menus, some simple, some rather more elaborate. Canned mock meat features often but so also do mostly vegetable meals and lentil dishes.

At the back is a menu of a grand dinner given to 50 people on 4 August 1902 at Dartmoor House, Belstone. And another for a Christmas dinner for 12 persons. That features a rather different recipe for Mock Goose than was popular at the time. Usually a vegetable marrow stuffed with mushrooms and breadcrumbs was referred to as a mock goose. George Black's recipe is a mould of brown haricot beans with tomatoes and breadcrumbs. Somewhat tastier and no doubt more 'goosey'.

The book also contains a number of advertisements for health food suppliers, vegetarian guest houses, and cooking devices. The advert for Marmite surprised me because it suggests three types; one for the table and two for the kitchen, one seasoned, one non-seasoned. Maybe someone else can inform further..

As usual, more pictures are on Flickr at http://flickr.com/photos/vegefoodie/sets/72157609451143966/ show less