Opinions were divided about The Pleasure of English Food - Alan Davidson - Meriel felt it was more of a list of foods rather than an engaging bedtime read (like many, she loves a good book to unwind with at the end of busy day). As a vegetarian, the meat heavy cuisine was hard to read about, however she did enjoy finding out more about some of the pioneers of food writing ie Mrs Beeton, who she knew very little about other than having heard her name.
To complement the contents of the book, our picnic contained a tiny taste of some traditional treats like pork pie, eccles cake, treacle tart, apricot frangipani, Bakewell tart, apples, sponge cake and salad.
Meriel thought Some Country Houses and Their Owners - James Lees-Milne was a far more interesting bedtime read as the book is based on the gossipy yet engaging diaries of James Lees-Milne who described his encounters with the owners of country houses just as their world of privilege and entitlement seemed to be ending forever. The book gives an insiders view of eccentric lords, oil millionaires and raffish socialists, all made as Lees-Milne travelled over England saving properties for the National Trust. It also describes the damage and rough treatment such houses received at the hands of soldiers billeted in them during the war and how painful it was for people to contemplate losing their ancestral homes. Many buildings were lost after the war as owners could no longer afford their upkeep. It shows the National Trust and James lees-Milnne's attempts to persuade people to give their properties over to the care of the Trust instead of letting them fall into ruin and decay.
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