I love old cookbooks. Maybe even a little bit more than new ones. Not that I don’t love the latest culinary trends, but there is such comfort in many vintage and classic recipes. Sometimes the best ones are from obscure old books of family recipes, or recipes someone gathered on world travels. I search out such books at antique stores and book sales. I found this book at an antique store many years ago and started cooking from it again this past weekend.
As you can see, it was very well used and loved. The spiral edge is coming loose, it’s very stained inside and out, and the title is actually A World of Good Eating, not A World of Good Eat.
In the forward, the “New England Housewife” is introduced as Heloise Frost, a busy mother of three who would love to venture out into the world “to eat at the strange and exotic restaurants that serve the dishes of foreign lands,” but with youngsters and a limited budget, it was not possible for her. Instead, she decided to compile her own book “for the enjoyment of others who have a way with a saucepan and who like to try new and unusual things.” Heloise gathered recipes and made chapters from the British Isles, China, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Scandinavia, and America. Each chapter has a full color and beautiful illustration, and other whimsical illustrations are throughout the book, drawn by Ellen A. Nelson, who made figurines and greeting cards in addition to contributing the Scandinavian recipes. (Note: I wrote about this cookbook when I first started writing my blog over five years ago, and if you follow this link, I have the covers of all the other chapters. I love this book so much, I did it twice! I do that sometimes…)
The Scottish Pancakes are in the British Isles chapter. I had never seen pancakes that were sprinkled with sugar and drizzled with lemon juice before, so of course I had to try them. Oh, my goodness. They are heavenly. The batter is more like cake batter, and the pancakes taste almost like flat donuts!
So good. We loved them. Since they tasted so much like a donut, I had another idea. Why not add a dollop of jam in the middle after sugaring it and drizzling with the lemon juice and make it like a jelly donut?
Sorry, I get carried away playing with my various napkins!
Anyway, it was great with the dab of jelly, but have to say I loved it best with just the sugar and lemon juice. Try it and see what you think!
- 1 egg
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup milk
- Granulated sugar for sprinkling on top of pancakes
- Lemon juice for drizzling on top of pancakes
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg, powdered sugar, and melted butter. Sift together the dry ingredients and add them alternately with the milk to the egg mixture. Whisk until well combined.
- Lightly oil a griddle pan and heat until hot. Scoop on batter and cook until pancakes start to bubble on top and are golden underneath. Flip over and cook until done. Repeat.
- While still very hot, sprinkle a generous spoonful of granulated sugar on top of each pancake and spread out with the spoon to cover the entire top. Drizzle with some lemon juice and serve immediately. Add a dab of jam, if desired.
Most of my pancake recipes originally came from a British cookbook, which definitely said to serve them with a squeeze from a lemon and a sprinkle of sugar. I agree that this is quite delicious!
Just wondering: did the book have a date on it? Not clear which era it’s from.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thank you for the info in your British cookbook. I had no idea sugar and lemon was the thing to put on pancakes! It’s so good. Sorry I forgot to put the publishing date on the blog cookbook – it’s from 1951.
Yum! Enjoyed the story about your special cookbook and all the delicious pancake pictures with your selection of lovely napkins. Very nicely done!
Thanks, Kim! Many of the napkins are from Grandma Vanni.
Made these at the mountain house this weekend for our Sunday morning breakfast – excellent! Mine weren’t as pretty as yours but they tasted great – the lemon juice was a nice touch. Thanks for sharing.
So happy you liked them, Janice! Bill has already asked me to make them again. He loves the crunchiness of the granulated sugar on top. I think that’s what reminded him of a donut rolled in sugar. I agree about the lemon juice; a very nice touch. I don’t think they would be the same without it.
I have always hated maple flavored anything. I have always put granulated sugar on my pancakes. Most look on with disgust. Now I can tell them that pancakes are eaten that way in the British Isles. Thanks for the info.
Marcia, If you love a sugared topping, I think you will love these pancakes! I’m glad you wrote because sometimes I forget my older blogs and it reminds me to make something again.
Aftre reading your blog, I purchased a copy of this cookbook on Ebay. What a beautiful book! I think you choose a wonderful assortment of recipes to feature on your blog, and especially like when you share the source. Your comments always add enjoyment to the recipe as well.
Thank you!
P.S. Since reading your features, I’ve also purchased several copies of Sphere magazine. They bring back so many memories of growing up in the seventies!
Denise, you made my day! I’m so glad you are enjoying the cookbook, and thrilled that you found some Sphere issues to order. Isn’t it just the best? Thank you so much for writing!
Heavenly!!! Made these this morning. My batter came out pretty thick so I added a little more milk but other than that followed instructions exactly. Used just the lemon and sugar. Thank you for a keeper!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Terri! Thanks for writing.
I have this book too! Love it! Thanks for posting
I’m so glad I posted this recipe, as this charming book was lost in a flood. I miss it!
This looks so good! What a fun way to try an well-known favorite!
We love these. A little different and so good!
Thanks for sharing! DO they reheat well?
Not sure Vanessa, as we never have any left to see if they reheat!
This takes me back! I grew up in London and Mum often made pancakes at the weekend. We always sprinkled them with sugar and squeezed lemon juice on them. It wasn’t till I moved to the US that I even heard of pouring maple syrup on them. That took some getting used to!
Rhiannon, I can’t tell you how much I love your memory. I hadn’t looked at this post for a long time, and I’m so glad I wrote it and included the incredible Scottish pancake recipe. I loved this beautiful cookbook so much, but sadly it was lost in a flood. All I have left is the blog post and this recipe. This proves the beauty of sharing recipes and memories of foods we love. They carry on the legacy for generations. Thank you for sharing your memory.
Absolutely delicious a keeper for sure
My new healthier pancakes
Thank you so much for sharing
So glad you like them, April!
In Northern England everyone eats ordinary pancakes (thin pancakes) with lemon juice and sugar, however scotch pancakes which are smaller and thicker as in your photos are always eaten buttered, never with lemon etc.
Thank you for your input, Ann.
This lovely cookbook is still out there and available should you want it back in your collection!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1123820632/vintage-1950s-a-world-of-good-eating?ref=share_v4_lx
Thank you, Sandra- I do!