Comments on: Len Deighton’s “Action Cookbook”

By: Chris Barrus

Chris Barrus — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:30:10 +0000

There’s a great documentary called “The Truth About Len Deighton” which gets into his life and his books. Best thing is that Deighton shows you how to make an omelet.

By: Kate Monckton

Kate Monckton — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:45:54 +0000

I’ve just stumbled across this website and read that Rob Brennan from the FT would like to own the Len Deighton Action Cookbook. I have a 1st edition copy sitting on my desk in front of me now. If you’re really interested in purchasing the book, let me know!

By: Paul I

Paul I — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:07:32 +0000

I have this book! It’s as good as it looks. With drawings, too! Sadly I’m in Canada, and the book is in England, otherwise I’d scan it.

By: wichita lineman

wichita lineman — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:25:57 +0000

First published by Jonathan Cape in 1965, hot on the heels of the ‘tinned mushroom’ incident!

I certainly remember the first supermarket (Sainsburys) opening in Redhill, Surrey. Prob ‘69 or ‘70. One of those ‘I am ancient’ facts that shocks people who aren’t that much younger than me.

By: a logged-out pˆnk s lord whatnot

a logged-out pˆnk s lord whatnot — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:42:24 +0000

(the first safeway opened in SHREWSBURY hurrah, in 1967 or 68 iirc)

By: a logged-out pˆnk s lord whatnot

a logged-out pˆnk s lord whatnot — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:41:34 +0000

the fault-line this teases is interesting i think: what date is the book exactly? the full-on middle-classification of “proper” cooking didn’t really take off till the mid-70s — cookery as a DIY art* was exotic enough for ALL classes in the UK in the late 50s and early 60s, when british food was very largely heroically dreadful EVERYWHERE, that it looks like it was genuinely up for grabs classwise and genderwise** (i’m slightly assuming deighton is same class background as harry palmer, obviously — if not it was an easy pose for him to get away with)

*by which i mean knowing about non-standard ingredients (where to get em and what to do with em), the cuisine of other (non-british) cultures***
**elizabeth david’s “peasant cooking” crusade started a lot earlier, but it was aimed at a bohemian fringe, really; the “good food guide” was a similarly crankish crusade, in the teeth of middling convention
***”takeaway culture” is still tiny in the 60s, indian and chinese restaurants far and few between, at least outside london and the western ports — e.david spends several pages in one of her books explaining how to get chinese spices BY POST from some long-vanished shop in gerrard street; ditto “deli culture”, which i think safeway introduced to brit supermarkets (the first safeway opened in SHREWSBURY hurrah)

By: wichita lineman

wichita lineman — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:09:11 +0000

Don’t have the sexy copy of Action Cookbook - mine has a revolver on the cover with a sprig of parsley sticking out the barrel! Lots of great illustrations inside, all by Len himself.

The recipes are extremely meat heavy and seem very male bachelor. There’s a chapter called Gird Your Loins. Len also informs us that “brains are a very good constituent for a souffle. They are delicious fried, or in any of the piquant wine sauces” Maybe so, but I’d start to fret about remaining a bachelor if my dinner date asked which ingredient had made my sauce quite so piquant.

By: a logged-out pˆnk s lord whatnot

a logged-out pˆnk s lord whatnot — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:21:09 +0000

in the film of the ipcress files, m.caine beds the girlie AND unnerves his boss via his awesome bachelor cookin (inc.pepper-choppin) skeez — he bumps into the latter in a supermarket aisle, where boss is already discomboulated by “this american style of shopping”: caine proves his classiness by buying omg TINNED CHAMPIGNONS how fancy is THAT!????

(caine went on to be world’s most boring actor after connery and nicholson but he is grebt in ipcress)

By: Drucius

Drucius — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:52:25 +0000

We were rolling about too, did you know the recommended number of alcholic units per week in 1979 was something like 47? They knew how to party in them days.

By: Alan

Alan — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:40:20 +0000

larfed like an drain at this on the telly last night - it was all about the amount recommended to have in stock for a party.

By: Mark G

Mark G — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:30:59 +0000

This was on that “Supersizers do the seventies” last night, wasn’t it?

Giles and Perkins were measuring out the ‘minimum drinks for the night” amounts. Dangerous stuff!

By: Rob Brennan

Rob Brennan — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:22:17 +0000

“The Blender is a set of whirling knives in a heat-proof glass goblet.”

I want this book so much.