Food & drink takeaways – 26 September
The birth of a family mealtime favourite, the opening of a kitchen at the heart of a stately TV favourite and a great British judge’s hearty low-cost recipe.
Just some of the delights that 26 September brings to the food and drink table.
Click on the links for extra helpings.
A curated taster menu of every day’s food & drink associations
Food firsts
1955
Bird’s Eye fish fingers are launched across the UK. According to a Daily Mirror celebration of revolutionary household staple 50 years later: “Before its nationwide launch on September 26, 1955, inventor Clarence Birdseye had tested prototype products in two areas: "Herring savouries" in South Wales and "cod sticks" in Southampton.”
Food on screen
1968
TV cop series Hawaii Five-O debuts on US TV starring Jack Lord, James MacArthur, Kam Fong and island native Taylor Wily as Kamekona, whose many business interests include running a shrimp truck
2010
Stately home drama Downton Abbey premieres on ITV starring Hugh Bonneville, Phyllis Logan and Elizabeth McGovern.
The series has spawned an official cookbook and a host of blog sites and recipe inspiration, not least whole menus from Downton Abbey Cooks, Mrs Patmore's crepe suzette from Feast of Starlight and this summing up of the heart of the kitchen action from The Lone Girl in a Crowd:
“You can guess that the Crawleys entertain a lot, especially during special occasions like banquets, balls, parties, weddings, holidays, or when guests arrive. And when visitors and house guests arrive, you can expect Mrs. Patmore and her kitchen staff working into overdrive just to provide the most impressive and delicious meals.”
Food birthdays
1754
French chemist, he studied sugars that are present in sweet vegetables and fruits and demonstrated how sugar in grapes is identical to the sugar found in honey. This later became known as glucose
1774
Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman)
American pioneer nurseryman, introduced apples trees to many states and attached a symbolic importance to apples
1961
Irish restaurateur, founder of Peyton and Bryne Bakeries, cookbook author, The National Cookbook, British Baking and a former judge on the BBC series Great British Menu, during which time he offered this low-cost recipe for hearty pork-stuffed cabbage
Food art of the day
Bananas by Australian painter Elaine Alys Haxton, born on this day in 1909.
