Frugal Food

In the 1970s, a British cookbook author named Delia Smith published a book called Frugal Food. In a moment of divine inspiration, Smith (who is still very much on the scene and has published dozens of cookbooks since) decided to reissue her book, now that frugality is back on everyone's minds.

The original book had a lot of penny-pinching recipes that I feel safe in saying would have limited (or possibly no) appeal for an American audience. Kidney-stuffed onions anyone? How about herrings fried in oatmeal?

But the new book, which is due out in Britain at the end of October, has been updated for this century, starting with a neat looking cover. The revised edition will no doubt also reflect technological changes that have taken place in the past 30 years, like microwaves (which didn't exist at all) and freezers--which amazingly were in only 20% of British households back then.

I can only guess this is the beginning of the onslaught of such books, but Delia Smith can certainly claim to be one of the first ones on the block. To find out more about Delia (who in Britain enjoys the status that Martha Stewart does here), check out her website.

P.S. It's not clear when the new book--which is a hardcover and costs about $36--will make it to this country, but in the meantime, if you're curious, original 1976 book can still be had, often for just a few dollars from used book merchants.