I have a bit of a thing for old cookbooks. I love all the penny-pinching ones from the 1970s with their lurid pictures and heavy use of aspic, but my true love is anything older than 1950.
Whilst I wouldn’t necessarily cook a three course meal directly from one (the English weren’t renowned for their culinary skills in times of old) they are a fascinating insight into where many of our kitchen habits come from.
Of course, the true value for me of pre 1950 cookbooks is in growing my own animals for meat. I have found all kinds of odd recipes that use all kinds of odd cuts and bits of meat. Bits that are thrown away today or at best fed to the dogs.
Royal favourites
One day, one of these old cookbooks pages were opened and out fluttered this little scrap of newspaper boasting the recipe for Royal Barley Water as made in the Queen’s kitchen.
Someone, somewhen had ripped it out and stuffed inside this cookbook for me to find. How could I refuse such an invite?
It has been many years since I tasted barley water made from concentrate, so it’s hard to tell you how it tastes in comparison. It feels nourishing along with being tasty, and as you get to sweeten it to your taste, you can make it just how you like it.
- 1 teacup pearl barley
- 4 pints boiling water
- 2 lemons
- 6 oranges
- Demerara sugar to taste
- Put barley in a large sauce pan, add boiling water, simmer over a low heat with the lid on for one hour.
- Strain water from the barley, adding the rind of one lemon and three oranges.
- Allow to stand until cold.
- Strain off the rinds and add the orange and lemon juice.
- Keep in a refridgerator.
Shared with Inheritance Recipes at Pebble Soup and Coffee & Vanilla.
Glamorous Glutton says
I love those fluttering bits of paper, they often hold such gems. It looks like this one has too. GG
Jane Sarchet says
I agree GG and to think someone left it in that book for me to find goodness knows how many years later. Magical :)
Janie x
Ness (@jibberjabberuk) says
I honestly didn’t know barley water was made from pearl barley and it’s such a simple process. My cookbooks are full of scribbles and scraps of paper plus the odd quotation and poem!
Jane Sarchet says
I know, I had no idea either Ness!
Janie x
Simone says
Oooo what great fun Janie! You know I have a thing for really old cookbooks too and have quite a few now of around the 1930s. In fact I am thinking of starting maybe a series of recreating some of those dishes and redoing the photos. The food photography in those days was hilarious, if existing at all and I am dying to do something fun with those…:) This one would fit right in!
Jane Sarchet says
Oh I’m in! Let me know when you start & I’ll do some too – what a giggle!
Janie x
Solange says
What a lovely old recipe which put a whole new light on pearl barley. I love ald recipes books too and I can assure you that the French ones are not any better. Most recipes contain enough fat to kill a bull in one setting and the rest are so outrageously pompous that they make you throw up just by reading them.
Thank you so much for entering this in Inheritance Recipes
Jane Sarchet says
Thanks Solange :)
Janie x
Margot @ Coffee & Vanilla says
Sounds amazing!! Thank you for entering out #InheritanceRecipes challenge :)
Jane Sarchet says
Thanks Margot :)
Janie x
David says
Thanks remember that recipe appearing in the Sunday Express in about 1981. Supposedly shops all over the country sold out of pearl barley in the wake of it.
Jane Sarchet says
No way! David that is hilarious, thanks so much for taking the time to share it!
Janie x
David says
No thank you for publishing it, made some , amazingly whole family like it (My family are hard to please)
Jane Sarchet says
Blimey, I feel honoured!!!
Enjoy your summer David, and thanks again for taking the time to comment :)
Janie x
Chelsea Ouellet says
So cool! Thanks for sharing
Jane Sarchet says
My pleasure Chelsea :)
Jane x
Rachael says
And seems as if you should be able to eat the barley as well. No? I’ve been searching all over for this recipe and I’m definitely going to try it. Thank you!
Jane Sarchet says
That’s so cool Rachel and I’m so glad you found what you were looking for!
I never thought about using the barley afterwards, would you keep me updated on how this experiment goes? Thanks so much :)
Jane x
Niki says
Thanks for sharing this. My grandmother used to make this for me 50+ years ago. Still love it but, have to confess to buying it and never having made it from scratch. Will definitely be making it now. As to using the barley, l’m certain it wouldn’t have been wasted, at the very least it would have been fed to household poultry. There’s probably not a lot of nutrients left but, as it’s only been boiled in water, there is no reason it couldn’t still be added to soup. At the very least it would add welcome bulk and carbohydrate.
Jane Sarchet says
That’s a great point Niki, and I love that you have fond memories of having this with your Grandmother :)
Jane x