While we're in the mood, cold jelly and custard.”

- From Oliver!  

Written by Lionel Bart

ONE of my mother's most useful gifts to me when I was young was her copy of The Commonsense Cookery Book.

I think, considering the much-used condition of the book, that it was probably an original copy, which was published in 1914 by the Cookery Teachers Association.

It certainly was aimed at someone like me who could hardly boil water at that stage, and I relied heavily on it for quite some years.

One of the most memorable recipes was how to make toast, which began with the words “first light your fire.”

We appear to have come a long way from those simple days, judging by the plethora of mouth-watering recipe books in the shops and the prevalence of cooking shows on TV.

Restaurants and fast food outlets have become a big feature of our lives and it seems that far fewer people are cooking and eating at home.

In the days when “takeaway” meant fish and chips wrapped in newspaper, we were far less sophisticated in our tastes and, apart from the local  “Chinese” which we occasionally patronised, and the Greek cafes, which served very Australian meals anyway, we were completely unused to eating anything at all which could be classified as “foreign”. 

These were the days the oral history group brought to mind this month.

In those far-off times our mothers appear to have been always trying to fill us up.

When we came home from school, often after having walked a few miles, we tucked into bread and jam, like Stuart  Carney, or delicious bread and condensed milk as enjoyed by Dick Page.

Many remembered the “stodgy puddings” also aimed at keeping us full, like custard, junket, bread and butter pudding, rice and sago and the hated tapioca pudding.

“I really disliked suet pudding,” said John Bowler with a reminiscent shudder, echoed by most of the group.

“Chokos  could be cooked with many fruits, taking on their colour and adding bulk to the otherwise scanty meals,” remembered  Brian.

But it was fresh bread straight from the baker’s hands which really enthused us. Sometimes, carrying it  home, it became all too difficult and very often by the time it arrived, the middle had been scooped out and the soft doughy inside completely eaten.

Although we may have eaten healthy vegetables grown in our gardens, the way we cooked it was not always the most  satisfying.

“My mother spent her life preserving fruit,” said Kerrel Moor. “I suppose there was no other way to keep it without refrigeration, but it never tasted the same.”

Gillian Baxter agreed.

“My mother had to cook on a fuel stove but the vegetables were cooked almost forever and soda was added to the greens to improve the colour!”

“My mother was forever cooking,” said Joe Aboud, who is of Lebanese heritage. “Even when we were eating she was already preparing the next meal.”

Joe was also lucky enough to have a more varied and exotic diet than most of the group.

But it is the way we ate our meals that has probably changed the most.

“We always ate at 5.30 or 6pm and went to bed soon after because we had no electricity,” said Lynne.

However, most  of us remembered having a meal interrupted by calls from parents for complete silence during the 7pm radio broadcast, especially during the war.

Mick Fitzpatrick’s grandfather sternly directed children “to be seen and not heard”, and no child could leave the table without eating everything on the plate.

Once the meal was over though, without the distraction of television, John Bowler’s father would encourage his family to have robust discussions, which probable accounted for the success the children had later in school debating.

It also seems to have been a time for communication between generations, at least for some!

Meals were shared at table with members of the extended family and the days doings were discussed and future plans made.

Again, without other distractions, one could listen to the radio, play board games and cards and even read a good book.

“My mother was a keen card player and she taught me to play,” said Dick. “We also played  snakes and ladders, ludo  and draughts.”

Others were enthusiastic about monopoly and Chinese checkers and many listened to the radio.

“I loved Randy Stone in Night Beat,” confessed Leslye.

Most of the group could name at least one radio show of long ago. 

Dad and Dave, First Light Fraser, Foo Manchu and The Lux Radio Theatre were all favourites.

Then Gillian remembered the Argonauts Club to which she and quite a few others belonged.

It was something which probably wouldn’t appeal to today's generation and difficult to believe that children were encouraged to write stories, poems, draw pictures and compose music to be sent into the ABC to be judged worthy of winning points towards a Golden Fleece, towards which, of course, the Argonauts in the good ship Argo were rowing.

The food we ate, the way we ate it and the time we spent before bedtime have certainly changed.

But it is good to think about those times when we had to do without many of the wonders which entrance the children of today.