Marguerite Patten dies: Cookery writer has passed away - People - News - The Independent. Marguerite Patten, the cookery writer who taught austerity-hit Britain how to survive on baked Alaska and quiche, has died aged 99. The queen of “scrimp and save”, who was the first British chef to find fame on television, helped to educate Britons on how to make the most of meagre rations during the Second World War. The most prolific cookery writer ever, with more than 170 books to her name and worldwide sales of 17 million, Patten was awarded an OBE in 1991 and a CBE in 2010. After a brief stint as an actress, she became a wartime adviser to the Ministry of Food, teaching families how to eat well during rationing. Her advice on how to feed a family with a can of Spam and a ration book proved invaluable to housewives. Her wartime recipes included the creation of “mock duck” from cooking apples and sausage meat. She pushed the limits of rationing by encouraging such fare as potato floddies, pea-pod soup and eggless fruit cake.
Cooking time: 1 and ¼ hours. Anywhen - Put the past in the picture. How to be a Retronaut. Vintage Ventriloquist Dummies. Killing the American Buffalo.