Eat Fat and Grow Slim Cookery - Joy Barnett

[Celeriac]

Elsewhere, I reviewed ' Eat Fat and Grow Slim' by Dr Richard Mackarness MB BS DPM. On the back of the dust jacket there was a blurb for ' Eat Fat and Grow Slim Cookery' (1960) by Joy Barnett, with foreword by Dr Mackarness so snapped it up via Amazon.

I was all set to write a review here and discovered that my husband had run off with it. When he gives it back, I'll write a review.

I can tell you, from the brief glimpse that I got, that the recipes don't have helpful lists of ingredients at the beginning, you have to read through the recipe to get them. This may not make any difference to people like my mother who reads cookery books in bed.

 

[carol43]

You must have got the last copy as there's none for sale on Amazon.

 

[Celeriac]

It looks like I did ! Dr Mackarness' book is going for silly money now as well. They may be available via second-hand bookshops online though. Someone very helpfully posted a PDF of Dr Mackarness' book on the review thread so everyone can read that, at least.

 

[Celeriac]

Wrested the book back from OH !

In his foreword, Dr Mackarness mentions that Lord Hailsham (1907-2001) had much success with this method, which has been widely publicised.

Joy Barnett lists the following as Enemies:

Arrowroot, pearl barley, biscuits, bread, crispbreads, breakfast cereals, crisps, flour, macaroni and other pasta, puddings and pies, rice, sago, semolina, tapioca, cakes and buns of all kinds, dried vegetables (e.g. peas, beans, lentils), dried fruits (e.g. prunes, figs), canned fruits in heavy syrup, sugar, chocolate and confectionery of all kinds, jam, honey, marmalade, ice cream, malted milk and other bedtime drinks, soups and sauces thickened with flour, beer, sweet wines, sweet mineral waters, sweetened fruit squashes and colas.

Neutrals to be viewed with caution

Root vegetables (e.g. pars tips, potatoes, beetroot, swede, broad beans, bananas, chestnuts, apples, sausages with bread or cereal content.

Friends

Meat of all kinds, including offal, bacon, ham. Fish of all kinds especially herring, sardines, salmon. Vegetables of all kinds .it previously listed. Salad greens and fruit not previously listed. Dairy products especially cheese, cream cheese, butter, single and double cream, milk. Eggs. Fats and oils including butter, the fat of meat, lard, dripping, olive oil and frying oils.

The recipes include things like ratatouille, whitebait (floured!), liver pate, croutons made from bacon, filet mignon, veal escalopes, navarin of lamb, langoustines, baked pheasant i.e. standard French-influenced Sixties classics.

There is a chapter on economical food, e.g. using up veal leftovers but I'm not at all sure that it's possible to buy pig's cheeks, pig's trotters or knuckle of veal any more.

The book does include some sauces made with unsweetened evaporated milk, which again, I don't recall seeing in supermarkets.

Puddings include jellies and a creme brulee made with sweeteners as well as an almond paste meringue which sounds dire.

It seems to me, that though the book has some decent recipes, some use things like potatoes and none of the feasible meat recipes is economical. It probably would be useful if you like to have friends round for dinner.