This was originally published in December 2010, as part of our Item of the Month series.
Need some help with entertaining the in-laws this Christmas? Why not follow some of these tips from Rose Henniker Heaton’s ‘The Perfect Hostess’, published in 1934.
First of all, some advice for holding the family gathering at your house:
Scanned page decorated with a hand-drawn illustration of people sitting together and a second illustration of a woman wearing an apron and holding a flower in one hand and a tray of drinking glasses in the other. Text reads: The Family Gathering takes place at your House.
A scanned page with text reads:
Cocktails (absolutely essential).
A footnote reads:
This is a most difficult form of entertaining, "with home truths flying about like angry wasps". If at the end of the meal everyone is still speaking to everyone else, the hostess may congratulate herself on a successful party.
Or what about adding some nice welcoming touches for your guests?
Alcohol is always a good way to get the party moving.
Finally, don’t forget to reward your servants!
‘The Perfect Hostess’ by Rose Henniker Heaton (London, 1934) is one of the books in our Scottish Hotel School Cookery Collection. This collection of twentieth-century works on cookery and wine was originally owned by the Scottish Hotel School, which, from 1964-2009 was part of the University of Strathclyde. The collection is one of two originally owned by the Scottish Hotel School, the other being the Scottish Hotel School Antiquarian Collection, comprising eighteenth-century Scottish cookery books, works by Mrs Beeton and other popular writers, and books by nineteenth-century French chefs. We also hold the archives of the Scottish Hotel School. Please contact us for more information about any of these collections.
Victoria Peters, University Archivist