What's for tea Mam?
What's for me tea Mam? That was the cry from children in my childhood in the late 1940s and early 1950s, playing out until Mother's would shout in a singy-songy voice “Come in for your te-ee-y", in those days there was no debate what mothers put on the table was what you had, no argument nor could there be, money was so tight that a 'finicky eater ' was a luxury that that couldn't be afforded.
Budgeting was a job most mothers were adept at. Sunday Dinner, I almost said Lunch, but it was dinner at our house, and I think the vast majority in Wigan in those days. However, back to the 'grub', dinner (Lunch for southern cousins) would be a roast, usually beef or lamb, seldom chicken, which seemed a luxury; today chicken is so much cheaper than beef and lamb, not so in those days.
The leftovers potatoes and vegetables from Sunday were Monday's tea, warmed up in a frying pan, some called it resurrection or more usually bubble and squeak, the name came from the sounds the dish makes while cooking. So that was a meal, for almost for nothing.
Tuesdays might be Lobbies, another thrifty meal usually made from any meat leftover from Sunday, sliced potatoes and any veg that might be looking for a home. Again, a good wholesome meal for gratis or as we might have said 'nowt'. When I say meal in the singular I of course mean plural, however many there were in the family all had the same dish, As I said earlier there was no 'I'll have this or I'll have that' , it was a case of take it or leave it, given that choice, Hobsons Choice you might say, you took it!
Wednesday in our house was ' Scotch Scollops 'one of my favourites - thinly sliced potatoes, onions, and bacon, some would use minced beef, but it was always bacon at number 48, my mouth is salivating as I write. I won't go over the menu for the rest of the week at 48 McCormick St. it may be boring (I hope it hasn't been already), but just to give a flavour of the ' Fare' on offer in those now seemingly long ago days. One dish I ought to mention, never heard of today, Milk Pobs, which your Mother would give when you were ill, bread broken in small pieces covered with hot milk and sprinkling of sugar , they sound disgusting and I can assure you they were . I could however, manage OXO Pobs - just about.
The only takeaway food was from 'the chippy' or the confectioners which everybody called ' the pie shop' ( I can't think why ! ) Pizzas were something we'd never heard of, may I give an example, in Dean Martins 1953 hit - That's Amore -in the lyrics, the line, 'When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore', almost everybody including me thought he was singing ' 'piece of pie'! Why wouldn't you?
Chinese restaurants hadn't yet made an appearance on Wigan's Streets and Indian restaurants were much later. People seldom if ever, dined out' in those days, but things changed dramatically in the late 1950s and early 1960s, inhibitions prevalent in the generations before the WW2 vanished . Many pubs started to offer Chicken in the Basket, and quite a few sit down meals, in the 'dining room' reluctant to say they were restaurants as they thought it sounded pretentious and a little too "posh",
Gastronomically speaking, the opening of The Turnkey Restaurant on King Street was a revelation. Opened by Roger Doxey, it was the first that seemed to be like an eatery you would find in big cities or even in London, no less. The menu seemed extensive in those days, certainly not by today’s standards. Favourite meal would be, starters, prawn cocktail (not for me thank you very much), I've never eaten a prawn in my life, I can't say why, probably because they were not available to me in my childhood, did I day something about ' finicky eaters'!, so it was soup for me followed by steak, and you've guessed, Black Forest Gateau, which seemed the ultimate sophistication. Not to be outdone, a bottle of ' Blue Nun', will this sophistication never end!
I remember going there when I was courting (that's a word you don't hear today) my wife. T-bone steak was 19/6d (97p) including the salad bar, if you don't mind.
Nevertheless people enjoyed the experience just as much, if not more, than in my opinion the deluded people who today pay hundreds of pounds each, often in establishments described as 'Restaurants with an extensive menu and dining experience often called fine dining restaurants, establishments known for the upscale ambience high-quality food meticulous service and focus on creating a sophisticated and memorable experience''.
I've taken that blurb from a so-called guide to fine dining. Not for me, I'm afraid I would choke on the second bite, but as they say, to each to his own. I go by an old saying my Auntie Maggie often quoted, 'a fool and his /her money are soon parted'
Today's equivalent to the Turnkey will do me very nicely, or on special occasions I'll push the boat out, which to me means Miller and Carter, and an upgrade from Blue Nun probably to the house wine! On a very special anniversary or birthday, maybe Prosecco.
To be perfectly honest I'd rather have a pint of bitter anytime, how common that must sound to the gourmet aficionado, enough to have my "silver cutlery" removed, my napkin ripped from its place tucked into my collar, where it shouldn't be, very bad form, don't you know!, against all rules of dining etiquette. T
he ultimate punishment, to be banned from Fine Dining Restaurants for life; I can almost hear the gossip above the tinkling of cut glass goblets charged of course by the sommelier, "This is what happens when you lower standards! A pint of bitter indeed, and in all likelihood, steak well done!
I know some people will say not wanting to go fine dining and having a palate for the finest wines is very unsophisticated and a tad common, I like to think it's looking for value for money, I couldn't justify paying hundreds of pounds for a meal, not even if I won the top prize in the lottery twice over. You see, I'm my Mam's son after all! Thanks Mam.
Tom Walsh