Glasgow's Forgotten Recipes

Gabriella Bennett

First published in 1910, The Glasgow Cookery Book has been updated and re-released many times but still contains a plethora of classic recipes – alongside some slightly stranger ones.

Once used as a textbook for the city’s colleges, we’ll be bringing some of the weird and wonderful dishes we find in it back to life by recreating our favourite recipes....and applying a 21st century taste test!

First published in 1910, The Glasgow Cookery Book has been updated and re-released many times but still contains a plethora of classic recipes – alongside some slightly stranger ones.

Once used as a textbook for the city’s colleges, we’ll be bringing some of the weird and wonderful dishes we find in it back to life by recreating our favourite recipes....and applying a 21st century taste test!

Latest articles from Glasgow's Forgotten Recipes

Glasgow's Forgotten Recipes: Steamed fish pudding

I'm starting to get the impression that 100 years ago, snacking wasn't really 'a thing'. Of all my Forgotten Recipes, none have really been the quickest or the easiest to prepare in a hurry (and when I say hurry I mean when the midnight munchies kick in). There's also the small issue of the recipes not really looking too delicious, and this week's recipe, steamed fish pudding, definitely falls into that category.

Glasgow's Forgotten Recipes: Jam turnovers

As well all know, sometimes a pretty face can be deceptive. Sometimes a good-looking exterior is all that something has going for it, and that's a sentiment than can certainly be applied to eating. Style is all well and good when it comes to a beautifully presented plate but it's also important that there is enough food, and the flavours are and balanced and bold.

Glasgow's Forgotten Recipes: Fig tablet

Well, almost everyone. Having only spent half my life in Scotland (not my formative cooking-with-mother kind of years, either) I'd never tasted this sugary, teeth splintering comestible until a couple of years ago.

Glasgow's Forgotten Recipes: Coffee buns

The institution in question - City Bakeries, in Springburn - used to produce these cookie-like biscuits which were the snack of choice for our reader in his boyhood.

Glasgow's Forgotten Recipes: Cumberland Pie

Unfortunately, it was as if The Glasgow Cookery Book had caught wind of the latter and was punishing me for it, for some unknown reason. The fear itself was probably born of a culmination of factors: watching too many episodes of the Great British Bake Off (which is set to hit screens soon by the way - who's excited?) and Paul Hollywood's disapproving face when met with a soggy bottom, and the jam tarts of my youth: pallid, flabby, and a generally disappointing. Sounds like a couple of ex-boyfriends too, come to think of it.

Glasgow's Forgotten Recipes: Baking powder buns

After this week's escapades in cooking forgotten recipes, I'd go so far to say that this sentiment is one that can be extended to baking, too. OK, so baking powder buns don't contain any dust per se, but they are made up of a lot of dusty ingredients. An awful lot of dusty ingredients.

Glasgow's Forgotten Recipes: Cheese and Haddock custard

You see, I was at a crucial point in this week's forgotten recipe - my egg custard was looking ready to curdle, and the dish needed to go into the oven before it was ruined. Many people, upon hearing the term "fish custard", might argue that the recipe ruined before it was even begun. But surely: fish? Good. Custard? Good. What could go wrong...