David Emile Joseph de Noter (1818-1892), A Maid In The Kitchen
I managed to resist a whole ten minutes… my guest won’t really want a whole dozen after all… eleven will do…
I may have mentioned that I have a bit of a thing for mince pies. Especially home-made ones. Especially mine.
I know, I know… but I do make good pastry…
My great grandmother was the first one to teach me to bake so my skills date back to her… and through her to her mother. Great Granny was born in 1892 … her mother in 1869… and their Victorian, and more importantly, Yorkshire culinary skills were passed to me.
Great granny taught her own child and granddaughter to bake and they taught me too. So generations of knowledge came down to ‘keep your hands cold and handle it as little as possible’ as far as pastry was concerned. Of course, there is more to it than that…there is the ‘feel’ of it. Not just the dough, but the connection both in love and memory to this matriarchal line.
I managed, once upon a time, to trace the family tree back a few centuries. Reading the records of men and women who went before is not only fascinating but gives a real sense of belonging to a family line. But there is something in the line of women… women who have lived essentially the same life as I, falling in love, raising and caring for children… teaching them to bake…
Baking bread, perhaps, is where I feel it the most, a process that has remained unchanged since the first loaf rose. It is a very special feeling somehow to know that rooted connection. It is earthy and warm. When I am elbow deep in flour I can feel them in my fingers.
I taught my children to bake when they were young. I doubt they remember most of the skills they learned then, but both can cook and cook well. I, of course, have no daughter. The line of women stops with me… or pauses, for I have a granddaughter and perhaps, one day, she will knead bread with me or learn the secrets of light, crumbly, crispy pastry and how to make extras from the leftover scraps and whatever happens to be in the cupboard.
It is a long time since I last baked properly with the boys no longer at home but tonight the skills taught when I was very young remembered themselves in my fingers as if touching the pulse of a family’s heart.
There is more to a mince pie than just pastry…
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
This is just lovely. It so resonates with me, this baking and memories of those long gone but with us still in this legacy of love and food. When I make biscuits (the southern bread, not “cookies”) I make them in the same bread bowl as my grandmother and in the same manner as she was taught by her grandmother. This is a beautiful post. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
LikeLike
It is that feeling of continuity that gets to me when I bake, Kanzen.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on kanzen sakura and commented:
This is a beautiful post and especially at this time of year when thoughts of our beloved who are gone, but certainly remembered. I hope it resonates with you all as well. Please go visit Sue and her lovely small dog Ani. You will Bo so glad you did!,
LikeLike
Thank you Kanzen.
LikeLike
Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Simply lovely, Sue; that earth connection is so important to us. Hands-on experiences teach us lessons we are not even aware of at the time – and, as you say, connect us to the many generations of women who have been before. Wonderful post. xxx
LikeLike
Thanks Ali… right back to Eve, I suppose that connection goes… to the first woman to be self aware. xxx
LikeLike
Reblogged this on SOCIAL BRIDGE and commented:
This is a Christmas post that resonates deeply with me through a shared love of mince pies and family tradition and connections. Heartwarming to the core.
LikeLike
Gorgeous post, Sue. Simply had to Reblog it.
LikeLike
Thank you, Jean x
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a great baking legacy! Pass it on down 🙂
LikeLike
Doing my best, Andy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A beautifully interwoven tale of food, women and roots. I found myself slowing down as I read it, like waiting for dough to rise, not wanting to force out the magic by reading too fast. And I do love a good mince pie 🙂 Hugs and blessings, Harula xxx
LikeLike
The mince pies are going down rapidly, Harula 🙂 xxx
LikeLike
I guess I can see why your mince pies are so good, each one being baked under the touch of generations of love.
LikeLike
Thank you Trent… that is, I think, exactly it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful post, Sue. Now I know the history behind your mincemeat recipe, which makes it all the more special. I have recipes from my grandmother, who came to the US in 1892, and I think of her every time I use them.
LikeLike
The year my great grandmother was born…
I still use her recipes too.
LikeLike
what a great tale, sue – i love the history and the food
LikeLike
Very close to my heart today, Beth
LikeLiked by 1 person
So true , so many memories!!
LikeLike
Indeed… very many memories
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a nice tale of love and connection. I was transported back to the kitchens of your ancestors, how amazing that you can trace your lineage so far back. Americans often have broken ties because of migration and records were poorly kept or lost. I envy you that!
LikeLike
I was surprised how clear the trail of records are here with so little effort really, Eliza. A nation of paperwork 🙂
LikeLike
and a long history of social order! 🙂
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike