Hale and hearty is not an adjective commonly used, especially when you're only ten years away from becoming a fairly exclusive member of the centurian club.
Mark Lawson this evening interviewed Marguerite Patten, and as I'm a bit of a foody, have been inspired by her books and just by her name; Mark fielded all these questions and she replied with the mental agility of a person half her age. Near the end, he said:"This interview has been long and tiring for me, so what do you put your longevity done to?" She retorted, " diet. . . ."
What an amazing lady - not because of her wartime endeavours, but she is an individual who's had to overcome "hurdles". Her early life wasn't easy, her father passed away, and her mother (part-time teacher) had to endure hardships synonymous with the inter-depressive years that was the 1930s. She kept referring her success was down to luck; how she first trod the boards at RADA, then getting a "filler" job as a rep for Frigidaire in 1938.
I won't bore you any longer, but suffice to say she inspired most of the TV chefs today: Fanny Craddock through to Jamie Oliver, Gary Rhodes, Anslie Harriet....
I know a lot about her position at the Ministry of Food during the 40s, but either side of the war she had demonstrated what a determined, versatile and robust - and a very nice - lady she is. Sadly, these other professional and private attributes has been omitted from public domain.
To describe Marguerite Patten in a word? Easy: Institution.
This has been one of the most interesting interviews I've seen in ages.
Mark Lawson this evening interviewed Marguerite Patten, and as I'm a bit of a foody, have been inspired by her books and just by her name; Mark fielded all these questions and she replied with the mental agility of a person half her age. Near the end, he said:"This interview has been long and tiring for me, so what do you put your longevity done to?" She retorted, " diet. . . ."
What an amazing lady - not because of her wartime endeavours, but she is an individual who's had to overcome "hurdles". Her early life wasn't easy, her father passed away, and her mother (part-time teacher) had to endure hardships synonymous with the inter-depressive years that was the 1930s. She kept referring her success was down to luck; how she first trod the boards at RADA, then getting a "filler" job as a rep for Frigidaire in 1938.
I won't bore you any longer, but suffice to say she inspired most of the TV chefs today: Fanny Craddock through to Jamie Oliver, Gary Rhodes, Anslie Harriet....
I know a lot about her position at the Ministry of Food during the 40s, but either side of the war she had demonstrated what a determined, versatile and robust - and a very nice - lady she is. Sadly, these other professional and private attributes has been omitted from public domain.
To describe Marguerite Patten in a word? Easy: Institution.
This has been one of the most interesting interviews I've seen in ages.
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