Scoff by Pen Vogler

 Apparently a romp of a book. We will be the judge of that. 

Scoff  !!!  We tried and tried to scoff this down quickly, but we were choking on the content.  Extension after extension found us nibbling away on bite sized pieces which we found more manageable and more digestible.  

Scoff was looking like the perfect choice during lockdown.  A chance to thoroughly investigate the history, social aspect, tradition, trends, etiquette and culture through food from every angle possible.  It touches on every food and the journey of the food through popularity, social class and snobbery.  So in-depth looking at health, changing of laws or simply smiling whilst reminiscing about the favourite snacks of our youth.  Old fashioned recipes still alive today and others buried in the past never to be seen again.  But, sadly it proved  too much of a mouthful for the book group ladies having to dive into another book alongside Scoff to ease the burden.

A little indication and example to show the thoroughness of each topic in this book was the journey of Gin.  Gin has a lengthy journey up and down the social ladder.  Juniper came over from Holland with William of Orange in 1688.  Landowners were encouraged to dump their excess corn on the ever growing numbers of distilleries.  Gin drinking became a duty and pushed aside French Brandy.  But, what turned out to be a social drink also turned out to be a social blight as everyone was self medicating cheaply causing lower classes to lose their jobs, their health and their children.  Even a series of Gin laws couldn’t stop the rot.  Gin was revived in the war periods thanks to the cocktail culture arriving from the U.S  and only very recently Gin is enjoying another revival with hand crafted gins becoming ever more popular still being made in the old copper stills with the marketing and reviving of  all those botanicals aimed at a new young crowd.  It seems to have cast off the old name of ‘Mother’s Ruin’ only to be replaced with the trendy gin bars in 2021 which are now back up and running with gusto after the easing of the Covid Lockdown. 

It is worth a read and makes you think about food during other period books you may be reading.  But, and it’s a big but, it needs to be in small bite sized chunks and possibly in book form, not on a kindle.  Definitely not a summertime read so be warned  ……

With lockdown lifting, at long last, we were able to meet up in one our favourite haunts, The Rat Inn.  Limited menu and table service made for a lovely relaxing night.  We had a lovely starter of Serrano Ham, Fresh Peaches and a drizzle of Olive Oil, followed by an old favourite of Confit of Duck. So lovely not having to cook at home or do the washing up.  

The book we read alongside the never-ending Scoff was The Kings General by Daphne Du Maurier which will be reviewed very soon.  

 

The next read to be reviewed in early September is Golden Hill by Francis Stufford.  

Both books will make you think about the food aspects after reading Scoff.  

Happy Reading

26.07.2021