The Novel Bakers Present Beatrix Potter Week

The Novel Bakers present 

Beatrix Potter Week.

At Home with Beatrix Potter
It's almost Easter, a time when porcelain bunnies appear on mantels. I myself have a modest collection of figurines, including Peter Rabbit.

I also collect books about Beatrix Potter, the literary genius behind Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter.

Beatrix Potter grew up sketching the world outside of her nursery window in London. She led a structured, somewhat isolated existence (very common with upper class Victorian children) and learned to entertain herself. However, each summer, art and imagination ignited when her family traveled around the UK. In the Lake District, Beatrix honed her keen interest in nature, and she painted pictures of animals, insects, and flowers.

At Home with Beatrix Potter
By the turn of the century, Beatrice had become a skilled artist. Peter Rabbit came into existence when she mailed "picture letters" to a friend's chronically ill son. Around this time, children's picture books had become popular, and Beatrice decided to write about Peter's adventures. But The Tales of Peter Rabbit was rejected by numerous publishers, and Beatrix decided to privately print the book. The charming stories were accompanied by gorgeous, lifelike pen-and-ink illustrations, and the copies sold briskly. A publishing company presented her with a contract.
The rest is history.

All these years later, the Peter Rabbit series is still in print--and books are written about Beatrix's garden, home, and the stories behind her famous tales. I'm constantly discovering new titles. When Jain told me about Country Cooking, I bought it (and Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life) immediately.

I could cook meals all year from this book--and I might. Many recipes are accompanied by anecdotes: 

Cucumber and Strawberry Salad

When Beatrix Potter first bought Hill Top, her farm in the Lakeland village of Near Sawrey, she discovered the house was overrun with rats. She wrote to Millie Warne, of the publishing family, about her battle with the vermin. 'The rats have come back in great force, two big ones were trapped in the shed here, raising babies in the cucumber frame.'

The Tale of Samuel Whiskers was based upon the imaginary adventures of a pair of Hill Top rats.

Cucumber and Strawberry Salad
2 American Cucumbers
12 oz large strawberries
Salt and freshly milled pepper
pinch of caster sugar
3 tablespoons dry white whine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
A few borage flowers for garnish
(I added mint, too)

Peel cucumbers. Cap berries and slice thickly.
Arrange berries and cucumbers in alternating circles.
Season with salt, pepper, sugar. Spoon the wine over the salad
and sprinkle with tarragon.  Chill. Before serving,
garnish with a few blue borage flowers. (I used pansies.)

Serves: 6

Visit  Jain (...a quiet life) and  Mary (Home Is Where the Boat Is) for

springtime magic--recipes, tablescaping, and more.  You're invited to follow our adventures during Beatrix Potter Week on Pinterest.

Thanks for stopping by today. 

The Novel Bakers will return Tuesday.

Favorites from my Bookshelf: 
Beatrix Potter: At Home in the Lake District by Susan Denyer, Frances-Lincoln Limited, London.
Beatrix Potter's Country Cooking by Sara Paston-Williams; photography by Ian O'Leary, F. Warne and Company (Beatrice's original publisher).


I'm participating in the following parties:
Metamorphosis Monday
Inspire Me Tuesday
Wow Us Wednesdays
Seasonal Sundays

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