second helpings

Incredibly there is at least one HP Lovecraft/Cthulhu-themed cookbook on the market now. Has the world finally gone mad? What recipes can such a book contain? HPL was hardly a "foodie" and that goes double for his characters - gaunt, frail, monastic library-dwellers for the most part. Presumably it has fun (citation needed) with various fish and squid-based dishes. If Cthulhu does still lie sleeping it's for the best he remains ignorant of this insult. Perhaps there are some banana pudding recipes for any (white) apes of the Jermyn family line?

The plethora of Sherlock Holmes cookbooks at least makes sense. Aside from a wide variety of dishes actually set out in the saga itself these dishes themselves are often a part of the domestic Victorian scene which, now vanished, come alive in Watson's pages. One such cookbook purports to be written by Mrs Hudson herself. For kitchen-confident buffs of the great detective recreating an authentic 221b dinner table would be a rare challenge and a pleasing one. The proof, as was very nearly the case with the Blue Carbuncle, would be in the eating.

*

As for food in the canon my all-time favourite has to be the (to my mind bizarre sounding) breakfast laid out in 'The Naval Treaty' to lull poor old Percy Phelps into a false state of security - curried chicken. "Her idea of cuisine is limited," says Holmes of the great housekeeper - if that breakfast were prepared today one would be a bit piqued at being presented with the remnants of last night's Chinese takeaway.



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