The first major author to influence the cooking of the nation was by a woman, Isabella Beeton. Isabella was the original Domestic Goddess, her book, Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management, was first published in 1861. An instant bestseller; the 76 chapter volume was a compendium of household tips and duties for the staff with a substantial cookery section. She exalted the merits of cooking seasonal and local food, a message that resonates today and particularly is a mantra for me and my business Room Forty. Most of her recipes, though tested by Mrs B, had in fact been purloined from a host of other writers - albeit that they too were all female. The influence of this book however cannot be understated. Incredibly, I50 odd years later, the book remains in print.

Fast forward 60 years and although ‘King of Chefs’, Auguste Escoffier was undoubtedly a culinary genius, King Edward VII, preferred the ‘Queen of Cooks’, Rosa Lewis. The brilliant Rosa cooked in the French style; lighter and less stodgy fayre than the Victorian cooking of Isabella Beeton. She was appointed as Edward’s personal chef, a role she looked after for 20 years. Rosa was formerly the chef to the Churchill family and a favourite of Kaiser Wilhelm II too. By the age of 35 this talented and clever woman had moved on. She bought the Cavendish Hotel which she transformed into one of the most fashionable hotels of the era frequented by the glitterati of the day.

1939 saw the start of World War II and the necessity for frugality. Marguerite Patten was appointed by the Ministry of Food to guide the nation through rationing. She wrote recipes and hosted a radio broadcast called The Kitchen Front designed to make the most of what was available. By 1947 she had become Britain’s first TV cook (although she was always insistent to her death that she was NOT a cook but a Home Economist). Still revered by contemporary chefs, it was Marguerite to whom Jamie Oliver turned for advice when working on his school dinner campaign as to how to make meals on a budget. In her remarkable 99 year lifetime she wrote an incredible 170 cookery books including one that I possess, The Everyday Cook Book in Colour, which went on to sell over 17 million copies. Tried, tested and trusted it remains a faultless reference.

Eccentric, slightly bonkers and so perfect for TV, Fanny Cradock hit British TV screens in 1955. The advent of colour TV in the late 1960’s brought technicolour to her odd make up and bizzare culinary creations such as garishly colour dyed piped mashed potato and odd things suspended in bowls of yellow aspic. Whilst she may have reigned on TV and been of huge entertainment value her legacy has not stood the test of time. Meanwhile Elizabeth David, was creating a revolution in food.

Elizabeth had toured around the Med and lived in Greece and France. As enthralled and excited as she was by the Mediterranean diet she was as equally appalled with the bland, grey, boring British diet that greeted her on her return to live in austerity London in 1946.. Her book A Book of Mediterranean Food published in 1950, was transformational. It introduced austerity Britain to the vibrancy and colour of the Med diet; garlic, pasta, lemons, fresh herbs, brie, cous cous, peppers, olive oil… along with recipes for such exotic delights as moules marinières and spanakopita, bouillabaisse and brandade, boeuf en daube and dolmades. She became a revered and go-to spark of inspiration for chefs. Her journalistic skills brought the pages to life and she followed her initial book success with a series of similar acclaimed, inspirational titles.

Her friend and contemporary was fellow journalist Jane Grigson who wrote classics about British and French food; Fish Cookery (1973), English Food (1974), The Mushroom Feast (1975), Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book (1978) and Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book (1982). An early critic of battery farming, she cared passionately about such things as provenance too; things that resonate very strongly with my personal ethos.

About this time Nigella Lawson’s mentor Anna Del Conte was making her mark. Having moved to the UK from Italy after the War she too found the British diet dull and wrote the classics Portrait of Pasta (1976), followed by Classic Italian Cookbook (1984) for a British readership and The Gastronomy of Italy (1984).

In 1960, the amazing Pru Leith moved to London from South Africa, attended the Cordon Bleu Cookery School and soon set up Leith's Good Food, a party and event catering business. In 1969, she opened Leith's restaurant which won her a Michelin star at a time when Britain held but a handful. By1975, she had founded Leith's School of Food and Wine which became the UK equivalent of the Cordon Bleu, training professional chefs and amateur cooks. In 1993 she sold the school which by then had grown to have a turnover of £15 million. As a business woman and cook Pru is incredible. Little wonder she was named Veuve Cliquot Business Woman of the Year in 1990, has been awarded 13 Honorary University Degrees an OBE and CBE.

The fabulous Mary Berry mustn’t and couldn’t be left from this list. She has published over 70 books following her first, The Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook, published in 1970. She is an  inspiration to millions with her foolproof recipe’s with clear instructions and a regular on TV.
The names Delia and Nigella have become Mononymous, ie, Delia Smith and Nigella Lawson have both become so successful that you don’t even need to mention their second name.

Delia’s recipes are to this day, delicious, failsafe classics. Delia was omniprescent in magazines, through her books and on our TV screens from the late seventies up until her last book in 2009. The ‘Delia Effect’, was one of a trust so powerful that when she started using coiled mini whisks they sold out the next day. When her BBC How to Cook programme was first aired in 1998, supermarkets recorded an increase in sales of 1.3 million eggs the next day. Elizabeth David and Anna Del Conte may have introduced us to the concept of the likes of balsamic vinegar, but when Delia used it, it flew off the shelves. Another very clever business woman, Delia co-founded Sainsbury’s magazine and has the majority shareholding in her beloved Norwich City FC.
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Nigella, Domestic Goddess, took over Delia’s culinary mantle, first appearing on TV in 1998. Her vampish profile belies her phenomenal, achievable recipes and she currently still reigns supreme. Think the vogue for spiced baked cauliflower is new? Check out Nigella Bites, she was championing it in her first book back in 1991.  Her journalistic skill empowers her with a descriptive writing style that is as delicious and luminary as her recipe’s.
 
All of these women are inspirational, quite brilliant and clever. In this celebratory, centenary year of women having won the fight to get the right to vote I would argue that rather than being enslaved by the kitchen it has been a forum in which women have for over 160 years, shown themselves to lead, enlighten, inspire and excel.
 
Ask most male chefs who was their cooking inspiration and, certainly in the case of Raymond Blanc, James Martin and Marco Pierre White, it was their mother or grandmother. For me, I am delighted to say it was my mum as she always cooked amazing food and taught me the basics to build from. 
Who feeds your inspiration?  
 
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​The 1920’s provides a fabulous theme for a fantastically glamourous party, and will be the party everyone remembers forever!

Set the scene
To create the intimate setting of a salubrious speakeasy, cover furniture and 21st Century items in dark velvet, faux fur and luxurious fabrics.  Subdue the lighting using small table lamps and (fake) candles in old liquour bottles.  Gather small tables to sit around and play silent black and white movies on the TV.

If it is at home fill your bath with ice and store your drinks in it – instant ‘bathtub gin’.
Hide cocktail menus inside old books and serve all your drinks in crystal glasses and tea cups.  Silver and glass platters should be used for canapes, and dress bartenders in uniform.
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Plan the arrival
To begin, the entrance to your venue needs to be subtle. Use a side entrance or a flag to show where the party is. A gruff bouncer on the door would add authenticity, but the most important part of arrival is a secret code to gain entry.  Often guests would arrive with a book so if the authorities turned up they could pretend it was a book club with their tea cups!

Don’t forget to add any secret entry codes to the invitations – which should be black and white art deco, with instructions for the dress code too.
 
Food and drinks
Most of today’s cocktails were invented in the 1920’s, mixed to hide the awful taste of bathtub gin and moonshine, so anything goes.  Preferable are those with raunchy names like between the sheets! 
The important thing is to serve them in secret – you could be raided at any time. Fill those teapots and vases with ice!

Canapes are the perfect party food for an evening speakeasy, as most people will have had dinner before they come.  How about bagels for later to soak up the moonshine!

Music
The 1920s saw the height of New Orleans and Chicago styles of jazz, sandwiched between the Dixieland sound of the 1900s and the Swing era of the 1930s. Fill your playlist with authentic 1920’s sounds: pianist and bandleader Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, pianist Earl Hines, pianist James P. Johnson, and saxophonist-clarinetist Sidney Bechet.
If you have the budget, the sound of a live upbeat jazz band will add a wonderful energy to your evening! A pianist, with a singing Sheba, is also rather swanky.

Dress to impress
The 1920’s was a significant period of change for women, in fashion and role. They drank, smoked danced and voted. Think glamourous beauty, sequins and tassels, heavy makeup, feather boas and pearls.

Some speakeasies were used as homes and offices by gangsters, who adopted an extravagant lifestyle. Successful gangsters could be identified by their fashionable silk suits, expensive jewellery, and guns, hidden in violin cases! Men – you can’t put on any old ragsthink Jay Gatsby in Tuxedo’s and spats, or baggy trousers and braces.

Dancing
Why, the Charleston of course Darling!

For tea cups, props, canapes and waitressing for your speakeasy party contact Room Forty Afternoon Teas on 01925 357940  www.roomforty.co.uk  hello@roomforty.co.uk

The history, in a very little nutshell.
In January 1920 the US government banned the manufacture and sale of alcohol. Driving production and consumption underground, and giving rise to gangsters such as the notorious Al Capone.  The problem was, America’s boundaries are so big and gangsters so powerful, that their success in out manoeuvring the few prohibition enforcement officers became notorious.
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In 1929 the government realised that prohibition was not working and in 1933 Congress repealed the law in the 21st Amendment.

Did you know that its National Picnic week starting today? [18 June] It’s one of my favourite weeks in the foodie  celebration calendar. Even the word ‘picnic’ still evokes the same rush of excitement in me as it did when I was a child. A picnic is an adventure and conjures up romantic, fantasy images of The Famous Five, gingham napkins, sunshine, sandwiches, fizzy pop, cakes, flasks of tea, picnic blankets and Tupperware. Who else remembers picnics on the beach and the crunch of sandwiches with real sand that had somehow found its way into all of them - eughhh.


The picnic is synonymous with summer, although I’ve enjoyed them even in the depths of winter albeit snuggled up in the car, and sunshine (but who hasn’t had to sprint to the car dragging and dropping plates, cups and food when the heavens have opened!) 

I like to think that afternoon tea is a slightly more genteel, indoor version of a picnic. Again it’s a celebration event with loved ones with refined sandwiches, cakes and tea. All the fun only without rain and wind, swatting wasps and having real sand in the sandwiches!

This weekend the weather is set to sizzle, so get your hamper and blanket and get out and about in the beautiful Cheshire countryside. Sand optional.

​If you would like a picnic style afternoon tea this summer, let us know, we would be happy to cater for it.  Jen, 01925 357940 www.roomforty.co.uk hello@roomforty.co.uk

 
Happy International Women’s Day from Room Forty Afternoon Tea! This year’s focus is on ‘purposeful collaboration to help women advance and unleash the limitless potential offered to economies the world over.’
But how does this translate in Warrington and is it actually possible to collaborate and succeed in the current economic climate, with Brexit and uncertainty looming on the horizon, or is everyone watching their own back?
How much are we prepared to promote others, and risk our customers placing their order with the person we’re working with rather than us, and is it a risk worth taking?
My own experience with Room Forty is that of a fabulous collaborative culture in existence in Warrington. I can’t count the number of people, male and female who have given me advice, support and encouragement for no benefit to themselves, just to help a green shoot grow and flourish.
The generosity of strangers as I took my first nervous steps into networking has been enormously encouraging, and boosted my confidence to explore and begin collaborating with businesses to help them grow too. 
 
It is with this rather gung-ho and positive, ‘let’s share the opportunities’ that I take all my business opportunities, and I’m delighted that in response several businesses have asked me to be involved in their projects, or have recommended Room Forty to their friends and customers, and the snowball effect is incredible.
 
One such business, is Sewing Bee Sanctuary, who approached me following my Artisan Feel Good Fayre in Lymm in December. Rebecca loved the Room Forty concept and is passionate about teaching people to learn to sew. We got together for a cup of tea and, within an hour had planned a fantastic craft-ernoon tea on 2 April (11am, 1pm and 3pm) l, where guests will enjoy a two hour sewing lesson, taking their fully lined home made bag home, followed by afternoon tea with bubbles!
What followed next was an introduction by Rebecca to Barbara at her gorgeous new shop in Lymm, Laurel House Interiors and Gifts.  With three heads now collaborating we were all fired up for how sharing our businesses together could benefit all of us and the village of Lymm, keeping footfall strong. The open evening last week where we all showed our businesses was a great success and we hope to repeat it again in the coming months.
 
And so it goes on, and there’s so many more women that have encouraged me to #beboldforchange; from the friends who call on a Tuesday (the day when I generally feel overwhelmed!) to those that spark new ideas and share their talents.
My next collaboration will be amazing, and really fits with International Women’s Day! Kirsty James from Colony Networking approached me to help launch her first female run, female led network for, you guessed it, women only, Colony Women. It’s not that I don’t think that mixed networking is great – I do, and I have made a lot of new male and female connections and friends through it.  But because this network will focus solely on women, it hosts inspirational speakers who aim to inspire, motivate and propel women in business with great key note speakers such as Jo Howarth from the Happiness Club.  My involvement? Well, Kirsty is planning a creative and interactive twist on each of the events. The first is called tea with a twist, so there’s your hint!
Tea with a Twist will take place on the afternoon of 30 March at The Base, opposite central station. Tickets are available from www.colonynetworking.co.uk
 
 
Having the courage to be bold, open up, share, support and encourage fellow women in business has been empowering. I’ll certainly be continuing to #BeBoldForChange and champion collaboration and the rewards and friendship it brings. 
 
How will you #BeBoldForChange today?
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​We're not food snobs, if you want a box of perfectly uniform Mr Kiplings that's fine, we've got some fabulous crockery you can hire to serve it on.

​But, for us, afternoon tea is about decadence, luxury and a few elements of surprise. A chance to sit back, forget about shopping and washing up, and allowing someone else to take the strain - knowing that everything has been taken care of, and the food has taken thought, time and love to produce.

​At Room Forty our menu includes sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam and then three further cakes, with nothing taken out of a packet and no preservatives in sight. If you would like fruit skewers to replace one of your three cakes we can do that, it is all about indulging you and treating your guests to a, well a treat!

All our sandwiches and cakes are home-made by me, Jen, with your party in mind. We use great, locally sourced ingredients, supporting other local businesses where we can, such as our lovely butchers (Rowles). With such a personal service we can adapt the menu to suit your tastes. So if you only want brown bread rather than a mixture of brown and white, please ask, or if you would prefer to have the chutney on the side, no problem at all.  

Similarly, if there is an ingredient you don’t like, such as cinnamon, almonds or chocolate we will avoid it - that is the beauty of a bespoke menu, made just for you.
 
All our chutneys are home made in our kitchen and we make several of the jams too, with many of the fruits picked by ourselves or by wonderful friends and customers who are kind enough to bring their surplus to us.

We couldn't get fresher and we cant do enough for you. So if you are planning a treat, make it a decent one and put your feet up!

o

Blimey, is that the time already? Room Forty is seven months old, Christmas is but a jingle bell away and 2017 is knocking on the door.
It’s seven months since I left the cosy nest of my familiar, sensible, relatively safe, reasonably well paid job as a marketing and PR consultant and stepped out into the world of being self-employed and baking for a living. I blanche when I think of myself as a professional baker, but that is what I suppose I now am! 

It’s busy, very. And I’m loving it, and from the feedback I have been receiving our guests do too!

Living the dream is a cliché, but here I am. Room Forty was my dream and it is now real and thankfully very live. ‘Routine’ is a distant memory, every day is a unique adventure, everything (except doing the books of course!) is an opportunity and much of it an adrenaline rush.

Room Forty has developed in so many ways that I had never predicted, but it’s a thrill exploring the avenues which open up. I’ve developed and grown not only as a baker but also as a business woman. Much of the time I’m so engrossed in the task ahead that it’s difficult to reflect back, but, I’m proud and really pleased at where Room Forty is at. Without exception every customer has been delighted and that thrills me. I set out to create a product that was extra-ordinary, exceeded expectations and resonated ‘quality’ and Room Forty is meeting those standards.

The core business of Room Forty will always be providing afternoon tea’s, but, I’m now supplying selected outlets with biscuits, cakes, tea and preserves, hiring out and selling vintage china and also running Room Forty events; I’ve organised baking classes, a successful pop up in July, the Artisan feel-good Fayre in Lymm in November and am running another pop up version of Room Forty at the Croxteth Artisan Fayre over the weekend of 10/11 December (do come along!).

Enquiries are ever increasing and the diary is filling up, with bookings already made for March and July!Other opportunities continue to appear and it is all looking very exciting. 2017 will also see Room Forty’s sister business Forty Communications taking a leap forward, - more about that in a future blog!

I have learned so much in the past seven months, and while I have way to go,  I am pleased with how it has gone. Thanks to everyone for your support and enthusiasm; customers, friends and, especially, my lovely family who I must also thank for their patience as well (weekends are now spent working, as well as most evenings and alas, meal times are often erratic).

My only enemy in this venture has been time, or rather lack of it. There never seems to be enough time to crush everything I have to do into the hours available. So here’s hoping that Santa brings me an eight day week on 25 December!
Jen
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As a busy working mum I know just how easy it is to find yourself caught in the thick of Christmas mayhem before you have had chance to sit down, put your feet up and mull over your to-do list.  This artisan fayre and pamper day will provide a sense of space to seek inspiration and get ahead of the game, especially for those hard to buy for family members!  I’ve found some amazing and creative new business women (and one man) who put so much love into their products including handmade cards and crafts, amazing vintage gifts, artisan foods, photography and incredibly relaxing pampering treatments, there will be something for everyone!”

Get spoilt rotten with cake, pampering and shopping in the heart of Lymm on Saturday 12 November 2016 11.30am  – 4.30pm Lymm Parish Hall, Pepper Street, Lymm WA13 0JB

As well as our afternoon tea (advance bookings  only please to avoid food waste) I will be serving delicious Cheshire Tea in beautiful fine china, with cakes and cream scones I may even add my rapidly becoming famous brownie to the menu!

To whet your appetite, I have teamed up with Rachel at Kinney holistics to bring you a special offer!  It’s a cream tea (tea plus scone with jam & Cream)  and a holistic treatment of your choice for just £12.00. This offer is limited to the number of bookings our two therapists can fit in, so book in advance if you can rather than wait till the day.

Gift vouchers for pampering treatments and afternoon tea are available.
Contact hello@roomforty.co.uk  01925 357940  www.roomforty.co.uk

​So, who will be there?

Room Forty Afternoon Tea’s I (Jen!) will be running a vintage style tea room with an array of cakes and award winning Cheshire Tea in beautiful china cups and saucers.  For those who love afternoon tea you can book in advance and have sandwiches, scones with jam and cream and several little cakes all for £16.50.

Room Forty will also be selling packets of tea, home-made jams and chutneys and some of their vintage china on the day, perfect quality little gifts for secret Santa’s!
Kinney Holistic Therapy, Rachel and Jacquie will take your stresses away with relaxing treatments in a quiet room next to main hall. You’ll enjoy a choice of reflexology, massage or mini facials for the special discounted rate of £10 for 20 minutes, or put 2 together for a full 40 minute relax!
Cards and Creations   Sandra has been making her beautiful cards, paper art, calendars and magical fairy items for six years as a hobby, but has now taken up crafting full time and is loving it!
Stella and Dot  Mhari will be bringing a range of stunning quality jewellery and accessories, perfect for the party season!
She said ‘I’m passionate about helping other women to feel great in what they wear – and I think that accessories can really transform an outfit, they finish your look and create a wow factor.
The Vintage Bureau  Jane set up the vintage bureau a few years ago. She sells beautiful brooches, vintage linens, hand stitched journals, needlework cases…you will never find anything the same items elsewhere!
The Handmade Corner  Claire is a teaching assistant by day and a crafter by night, She creates stunning homewares and gifts including log tea light holders and decorations, wooden decorations and decoupaged items
The Little Nut Tree  Sam opened the Little Nut Tree in Lymm village (near the wedding shop) just 7 months ago. A family run business, Sam, her mum and brother make and sell beautiful bespoke gifts and homewares.
Buddha Beauty  100% vegan and cruelty free products. The candles are made with natural essential oils and once melted are pure enough to be massaged into the skin. They also offer a full body range including scrubs, butters, oils and hand creams as well as a full range of facial products.
Andrew Collier Photography  Andrew uses his intuition and years of experience to capture your emotions and turn them into images that really get to the heart of who you are.
He told me “I’d never suggest that you pose awkwardly in a harshly lit studio. Instead, I photograph with natural light, because I use the environment around you to convey more about your individual personality”.
Amanda’s Art  Amanda has been studying and exploring art and painting all her life, and doing private commissions for several years. This will be her first exhibition and public sale. I am sure you will love it!
Forever Living  Hannah and Charlotte are both local mums building extraordinary lifestyles for their families and helping likeminded individuals do the same. They are both hard working, passionate and Aloe obsessed!  They will be bringing lots of ideas for the perfect Christmas gift.
Jolly Nice Handmade Amy and Claire will be bringing with them an array of cheerful and unique gifts that can be personalised, including framed handmade fabric collages, and personalised Christmas tree decorations in classic Scandinavian style.
Jigsaw Hampers Minnie specialises in finding the perfect gift for new mums and babies. She creates beautiful parent and baby hampers and bouquets, wooden hearts, towels, cushions that can be personalised for you, great for more unusual spellings of names!