TUCKED away among my recipe books is a well-thumbed but treasured publication, once owned by my husband’s late step mother, who lived in Kenya for many years.
This fascinating little book, the Kenya Settlers’ Cookery Book and Household Guide, offers more than household hints and recipes. It is a window into the past, offering an ‘Out of Africa’ glimpse of what life must have been like in Kenya during the first half of the 20th century. Such a very different world to ours, it must have been.
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In a preface to their book, conveners Sheila E N Steel and Jean Herbert had this to say about it:
“The Church of Scotland Women’s Guild of St Andrew’s, Nairobi, has great pleasure in bringing out the 11th edition of the Kenya Settlers’ Cookery book and Household guide.
“The first edition of this book, published in 1928, was compiled with the hope that it would prove of some assistance to newcomers to the Colony, to young or inexperienced housekeepers and to bachelor settlers in Kenya.
“It has been encouraging to all who have given much time and care in compiling this book, with each edition trying to add to its usefulness, to know that it has really proved itself a welcome and valued friend to a large section of the community.
“It is now well known in every district of Kenya, has a regular sale in Uganda and is to be found as far away as Southern Rhodesia.”
The good Mrs Steel and Mrs Herbert go on to discuss improvements and changes made to the guide over the years, usually by the ‘sub-committee of six members of the guild’. More recipes were provided in the Schoolroom, Laundry and Invalid Cookery sections and a quite a few extra household hints were added to the original publication over the years.
“In this present edition a very useful article on the care of electric cookers and washing machines has been contributed by Miss Janet Evans.”
How modern and up to date that new section of the book must have seemed.
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And an advertisement on the page opposite the preface informs readers that the “East African Railways and Harbours offer good meals at moderate prices with courteous attention throughout the system”.
Ah, those were the days.
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