Elizabeth Craig

Elizabeth Josephine Craig, MBE, FRSA (16 February 1883 – 7 June 1980) was a British food writer, Journalist, Home Economist and one of the most renowned British Celebrity chefs of the 20th Century, whose career lasted over 50 years.

Early Life and Marriage

Elizabeth Craig was born in Linlithgowshire (now West Lothian), Scotland to John Mitchell Craig (then a Student of Divinity) and Catherine Anne Craig (d. 3/2/29). In 1978, two years before her death, she declared that she had a "wonderful childhood in Scotland" [ [http://catalogue.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/LLV1837L BBC Archives - Elizabeth Craig's appearance on Parkinson] ]

In later life, she married American war correspondent Arthur Mann (d.9/6/73), yet retained her maiden name for the purpose of her books.

Family

Elizabeth Craig was one of eight children of John Mitchell Craig, a minister of the Church of Free Scotland. The family lived at the Manse in Memus, Kirriemuir, in Scotland.

After having her engagement announced in the times on the eleventh of August 1919, she married American war correspondant and broadcaster Arthur Mann of Washington, D.C.” [The Times: Forthcoming Marriages, 11/8/1919] , at St Martin In The Fields Church, Trafalgar Square. They had no children but lived with her niece (also called Elizabeth Jean Craig, and the daughter of her brother Ernest Craig), featuring her in many of her newspaper articles.

Her niece Elizabeth Jean Craig has four children: Susie Field (former advertising executive in Edinburgh), Louise Adorian (lives in Dorchester), Deborah Reilly (lives in Chard) and Julian Henry (PR executive in London).

Journalism

Elizabeth Craig's writing career began in Dundee where she studied journalism [The Times: "The Times Diary - Campari and pie with the chaps", 14/2/1973] .

She first published a cookery feature in the Daily Express in 1920, after 8 years in journalism, following comments from the Daily Mail’s then film editor who declared she was “the only woman in Fleet Street who could cook” [Eastern Evening News: "Kathleen Burke's View - Elizabeth Craig's new book", 5/6/1968] .

This talented writer was soon noticed by other newspapers and magazines who engaged her to write for them, and she published her first book in 1923. A successful career ensued, publications appearing in many national newspapers, and many more books being written. Craig, like many other food writers successfully managed to make a career from her love and passion for cooking [The Times: Obituaries, 11/6/1980] .

Craig was also a founding member of the International P.E.N., and at the request of the founder, Catharine Dawson Scott, attended the first meeting of the association at the Florence Restaurant in London where John Galsworthy was elected its first president [The Times, 25/6/1980]

Cooking

Elizabeth Craig’s love of cooking lasted her whole life. She started to cook when she was six and she started to collect recipes from the age of 12 [As note 2, above] . She declared that the only formal training she had in cookery was a “three months course in Dundee” [As note 1, above] .

Craig began publishing cookery books after the end of World War I and proceeded through World War II and into the 1980s. She began writing in times when food was scarce and rationing was heavily relied upon, and her career ended when the large majority of people had a fridge and an opportunity to access a much wider variety of foods : this can be observed in her writing as more diverse dishes appear in her later books.

Her contribution to English Culinary literature comprises a very large corpus of traditional British Recipes, although not only this: included are also a considerable collection of recipes from further afar which she liked to collect during visits abroad [Collins: "Cooking with Elizabeth Craig", ed. 1949] .

Commercial Endorsements

As well as publishing many books, Craig also capitalised on her celebrity status as a household name in other ways: she endorsed many food products, restaurants, kitchen apparatus and slimming aids both in newspaper advertisements and in promotional recipe books.

Awards

Apart from those listed above, Craig was also awarded at the Woman of the Year Awards at the Savoy Hotel in London in 1967.

Publications

Cookery Books

*"19??" The Woman's Journal Cookery Book
*"19??" Elizabeth Craig's Menus for a Year
*"19??" Elizabeth Craig's Springtime Cookery Book (The People's Friend)
*"1923" The Stage Favourites' Cook Book
*"1929" The New Cookery
*"1932" Cooking with Elizabeth Craig
*"1932" The Up-to-Date Cookery Book
*"1933" Madeira : Wine, Cakes and Sauce (In collaboration with André L. Simon)
*"1933" Entertaining with Elizabeth Craig
*"1934" The Vicomte In The Kitchen (In collaboration with Frances, Countess of Warwick)
*"1934" Elizabeth Craig's Standard Recipes
*"1934" Wine in the Kitchen
*"1934" Elizabeth Craig's Economical Cookery
*"1934" Elizabeth Craig's Simple Cooking
*"1935" Elizabeth Craig's Family Cookery
*"1935" Elizabeth Craig's Everyday Cooking
*"1936" Cookery Illustrated and Household Management
*"1936" Woman, Wine and a Saucepan
*"1936" Bubble and Squeak
*"1937" 278 Tested Recipes
*"1940" Cooking in War-Time
*"1940" Cookery : a Time-Saving Cook Book
*"1940" 1500 Everyday Menus
*"1950" Cooking for Today
*"1952" Elizabeth Craig's Practical Cooking
*"1953" Court Favourites; Recipes from Royal Kitchens
*"1955" Beer and Vittels
*"1956" The Scottish Cookery Book
*"1956" A Book of Mediterrean Food
*"1957" Instructions to Young Cooks
*"1957" Collins Family Cookery
*"1958" Scandinavian Cooking
*"1959" A Cook's Guide to Wine
*"1960" Cottage Cheese and Yogurt
*"1962" Banana Dishes
*"1965" What's Cooking in Scotland
*"1965" The Penguin Salad Book
*"1965" Cook Continentale
*"1969" The Art of Irish Cooking
*"1970" The Business Woman's Cookbook
*"1971" Collins Family Cookery
*"1978" Elizabeth Craig's Hotch Potch
*"1980" The Scottish Cookery Book

Promotional Recipe Books

*"19??" More Everyday Dishes (Tayte & Lyle Sugars & Syrups)
*"19??" Primula Presents Recipes By Elizabeth Craig
*"19??" The Kikkoman Book of Recipes
*"19??" 101 Recipes and Uses for Malt Vinegar (Malt Vinegar Brewers Association)
*"1930" 250 Recipes for use with Borwick's Baking Powder
*"1934" The Importance of Eating Potatoes (Potato Marketing Board)
*"1932" New Ways of using Custard (Foster Clark LTD)
*"1937" The Way to a Good Table: Electric Cookery (British Electrical Development Association)
*"19??" Cooking Made Easier (Foster Clark LTD - c. 1938)
*"1940" OXO Meat Cookery! The Oxo Way
*"1940" Slim While You Eat, A Calendar with over 100 Recipes
*"19??" Elizabeth Craig's Invalid Recipe Book (Benger’s Food Limited - c. 1949)
*"1949" Chicken in the Kitchen
*"1954" Waterless Cooking (Milbro Vapour Seal Waterless Cookers)

Books on Housekeeping and Gardening

*"1936" Elizabeth Craig's Simple Housekeeping
*"1936" The Housewives' Monthly Calendar
*"1936" Keeping House with Elizabeth Craig
*"1937" Elizabeth Craig's Household Library (1937 Onwards)
*"1938" Elizabeth's Craig's Simple Gardening
*"1940" Gardening with Elizabeth Craig (Gardening in Wartime)
*"1941" Elizabeth Craig's Needlecraft
*"1947" Housekeeping : A Book for the Single-Handed Housewife
*"1947" 1000 Household Hints
*"1950" Elizabeth Craig's Enquire Within
*"1952" Elizabeth Craig's Practical Gardening

Translations

*"1961" So kocht man in Skandinavien
*"1962" Und Alles mit Bier

Television appearances

*"1978" Parkinson (January 21st)

Radio Appearances

*"1930" Many dishes from 1 chicken (October 3rd)
*"1932" Breakfasts (January 18th)
*"1973" Today (February 15th)

Filmography

*"1956" Elizabeth Craig's Baking Secrets

References