Gypsy Creams

“cooking” Tag

My Kind of Cleaning

Woman's Weekly / 7th May 1965

Hell, yeah. Hence why I’m still in my dressing gown in the late afternoon.

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Cook Electric

Woman's Weekly / 25th June 1965

Let me be clear. There are many domestic tasks that appliances have made easier. However, this ad is promising far, far more than the reality can deliver. Nice electric spit, though.

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Because you’re worth it…

Woman's Weekly / 25th April 1969

Never mind about putting your feet up with some chocs, or flying off on holiday, REAL indulgence is, erm, a new cooker. The High Speed Gas people ARE being good to us!

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Cookeen

Woman's Realm / 18th March 1967

*David Attenborough voice* “Now, here we have a marvellous example of a traditional housewife in the wild: a Llandovery farmhouse, to be precise. Watch her nimble fingers at work as she bakes countless pies for her family, and lovingly lines their arteries with Cookeen.”

Ahem. Cookeen is still around, of course, and appears to have made a comeback, due to cookery programmes encouraging us to get our mixing bowls out. Nowadays, Cookeen is owned by Princes, who are based in the Liver Building in Liverpool, rather than in Kildare House in London. The reason why I bothered looking this up was because the company I work for now occupy Kildare House as one of their many London offices, oddly enough.

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Creda

Woman's Realm / 18th March 1967

Hasn’t she got her face a bit too close to that grill?

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Cooking on Gas…

Woman's Weekly / 18th April 1967

Now, this is an interesting one. The ‘gas main’ the ad refers to may well mean the local supply of natural gas, which was being implemented across Britain at this time. Indeed, my own father was employed to convert households to ‘North Sea Gas’ for a while. Nowadays, Calor propane gas is rarely used for household purposes, and I must admit that my first thought on seeing the canisters outside was ‘Uh-oh!’. Clearly my work fire training sunk in…

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Smiths Crisps

Woman and Home / 1st January 1962

This is interesting, as crisp manufacturers have moved away from trying to sell us the product as a cookery aid. Certainly, I don’t see the appeal of them as casserole toppings, or as part of pastry, but if anyone has discovered a new taste sensation this way, let me know!
The more familiar image for modern audiences, of course, is the crisp as something to put in dips, although I think crisps as a base for canapes probably died a quick death. The emphasis for ads in the ’60s seems to have been to introduce crisps to new audiences through different ways of eating them, whilst nowadays, because of the firmly entrenched role they have in the British palate, the emphasis has been on crisp manufacturers seeking to minimise their responsibility by making the product ‘healthier’. It makes the 60s look like a more innocent time…

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Atora

Woman and Home / 1st January 1962

Great ad: shame that it’s for suet. If you don’t know what suet is, here’s the Wikipedia entry. Blegh. Also, I have NEVER heard of ‘hard sauce’, and was fascinated by the ‘Robin Hood Roll’ being called ‘Quorn Roll’ when Quorn is now a well-known meat substitute.

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Noel’s Christmas Presents

Many, MANY thanks for Pleasant Fieldmouse on NOTBBC for posting this YouTube link to a ’70s British Gas ad (note to foreign readers: British Gas was, at this time, a nationalised concern, and there were many showrooms across the UK, where the regional divisions of British Gas would sell their products. British Gas was in competition with the state-owned electricity boards for consumer energy needs.)

The appearance of the then Radio One Breakfast Show host Noel Edmonds is a treat, and the discogoers singing the ‘Cookability’ jingle just tops it off, frankly. Merry Christmas!

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Huh?

Woman's Own / 29th September 1967

My only comment is: in those days, they actually had to make the effort to haul the cooker on there.

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