About the Authors
Introduction
KITCHEN KNOW-HOW: The heart of the home
CLEANING & CONFIGURING YOUR HOME: Spit & polish
LAUNDRY & WARDROBE WISDOM: Grasp the nettle
GARDENING & FLOWERS: Green fingers
HOSTING & ADDING THE EXTRA TOUCHES: Worth doing well
Appendix
Acknowledgements
Picture Credits
Follow Penguin
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is complete and accurate. The naming of any product or company in this book does not imply endorsement by the publisher or authors and the omission of any such names does not indicate disapproval. Neither the publisher nor the authors can accept any responsibility for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information, advice or suggestion in this book.
I’ve had a lot of time to gather tips and hints about cooking and how to run a house. When I was nineteen, I took a two-year course in Institutional Management at Bath College of Domestic Science. The focus was on catering, but they also taught us housewifery, as it was referred to then. Our principal, Miss Neilson, used to sit us down and teach us the basics: laying the table, making beds and cleaning loos, among other things. They might all sound like common sense but I am very grateful to her for the knowledge she shared!
My mother was very frugal, something that was especially important living through the war, and I learnt a lot from her. Even with rationing, we would have pudding on Saturdays – this was only because my mother had said, ‘No puddings unless you give up sugar in your tea.’ My focus may have been on cooking, but it has always been centred on the home. In my books and TV programmes I am always very keen on sharing tips for preparing ahead or just making a recipe easier – I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve written or spoken about warming lemons to make them easier to juice! This book is a natural follow-on, though it isn’t just made up of my mother’s tips, or mine. It’s a collection of what I’ve learnt over the years along with all the helpful hints that friends and family have imparted to us. People are always only too pleased to pass on a little tip – ‘Did you know that a cut onion absorbs the smell of fresh paint,’ they might say – and I am always only too delighted to benefit from their wisdom.
This book is about helping you with life and guiding you through chores – not about creating more work, or telling you what you should do. Some of the tips may not mean anything to you, because everybody’s needs are different, but anything I suggest is included on the basis that it might make life easier.
Life isn’t all about stress, and if you’re in a panic, sit down with a pencil and some paper and think about how you can sort it out. I find writing things down a tremendous help. Every night I create a list of things to think about the next day, because then I can get up and know what I’m doing straight away. I’ve learnt this from the number of times I haven’t looked at my diary first thing on a Monday morning, then suddenly remembered there’s somewhere I should have been …
What follows are my tips for the home, gleaned from years of practical experience. I hope this will be a helping hand.
