Pewsey Parish Councillor and SSAFA (the armed forces charity) volunteer, Gillian Sharpe, has published a book of Wiltshire tea-time recipes from the last 70 years to help raise awareness of the work that SSAFA do. The book is entitled, ‘Everything Stops for Tea’ and the recipes, sweet and savoury, come from a 1958 archive notebook that records what was served at a SSAFA Bazaar in Salisbury Guildhall as well as from contributions from many Wiltshire residents. The book is now on sale at The White Horse Book Shop in Marlborough, the Equilibrium Clinic in Woodborough, and by contacting Gill Sharpe on gill.sharpe@wiltshire.ssafa.org.uk. Price £16 (plus £3.50 p+ p if posted).
Gill, who is Publicity and Awareness Co-ordinator for SSAFA Wiltshire and an ex-army officer, told Marlborough.news, “I wanted a way of raising more awareness of the work of SSAFA, the Armed Forces Charity, so I came up with this idea, inspired by a wonderful memoire from 1958. Dotted around the wonderful teatime recipe pages are nuggets of information about the work of SSAFA. There is a huge military presence in the county, both serving and veteran, and as times get harder it is really important that those in need know SSAFA is there and can help in very many ways.
The recipes include those served in the 1950’s such as tomatoes in aspic, anchovy whirls, bridge rolls filled with haddock cream. This was the period when rationing had just ended and the SSAFA Bazaar was trying to raise money. My book also includes echoes from the past, reproduced from the notebook, such as Lady X sending her chauffeur to collect cups and saucers for the bazaar, and Lord Folkestone supplying the milk.
The title of the book, ‘Everything stops for Tea’, harps back to the old music hall song. I’m aiming for the book to be something of a cross between, ‘The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady’ and ‘The Great British Bake-Off’.”
Gillian is grateful to all those who have helped with the publication of the book : Tesco blue disc scheme for financing the publication; Wootton Rivers’ artist, Anne Swift, who designed the front cover and other illustrations and the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Sir Andrew Gregory, who wrote the Foreword.
The Merchant’s House – a visit by Danny Kruger and family
