The Cook's Tale: The remarkable true story of life below stairs - Softcover

Quinn, Tom; Jackman, Nancy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1444735896 ISBN 13: 9781444735895

Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks, 2012

Synopsis

The must-read memoir from Nancy Jackman, a cook in interwar England. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs

An inspirational true story loved by readers:

'To read Nancy's story in her own words was an absolute joy. The history, the humour, a perfect read of times gone by.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW

'Touching, funny, nostalgic. This book opens a door into a world long ago and is a gem packed with social history. Could read about her life for hours and could not put this story down.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW

'A wonderful story of life as it was in domestic service; hard going, often tragic, yet not without its joys.' - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW

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Nancy Jackman was born in 1907 in a remote Norfolk village. Life was tough for her family: her father was a ploughman, her mother a former servant who struggled to make ends meet in a cottage so small that access to the single upstairs room was via a ladder.

The pace of life in that long-vanished world was dictated by the slow, heavy tread of the farm horse - and Nancy's earliest memories were of a green, sunny countryside still unspoiled by the motorcar. But she also knew at first hand the harshness of a world where the elderly were forced to break stones on the roads and where school children were regularly beaten.

Nancy left school at the age of twelve to work for a local farmer where the hardships continued, and then found positions working as a cook for Britain's wealthy families. Sustained by her determination to make a better life for herself, she continued working as a cook until the 1950s.

The Cook's Tale tells her story - the story of a now vanished era.

About this title

About the Author

Tom Quinn is the editor of the Country Landowner's Magazine. He has written several small books for small independent publishers. He has spent the last twenty years interviewing people who worked in domestic service, getting them to tell him their life stories.

Edition details

• Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1444735896
• ISBN 13: 9781444735895
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256