Jane Grigson
Encyclopedia
Jane Grigson was a notable English cookery writer.
, then went on to Newnham College, Cambridge University
, where she read English. On graduating from university in 1949, she spent three months in Florence
.
After working in art galleries, Grigson went into publishing, joining George Rainbird's company in 1953 as a picture researcher for the encyclopedic People, Places, Things and Ideas. The editor of the book was poet and critic Geoffrey Grigson
(1905-85), whom she later married, becoming his third wife.
Grigson subsequently worked as a translator, winning the John Florio prize in 1966 for her work with Father Kenelm Foster on the translation of Cesare Beccaria's On Crimes and Punishments (1966).
Grigson's growing interest in food and cooking led to the writing of her first book, Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery (1967), which was accorded the unusual honour for an English food writer of being translated into French. She subsequently became food columnist for The Observer
, from 1968 until her death in 1990. Her long-lasting association with the newspaper produced some of her most successful books, such as Good Things (1971), Food With the Famous (1979), The Observer Guide to British Cookery (1984) and The Observer Guide to European Cookery (1983).
Jane Grigson died in Broad Town
, Wiltshire
, on the eve of her 62nd birthday. Her daughter Sophie Grigson
(b. 1959) is also a cookery writer and broadcaster.
(IACP) has created the Jane Grigson Award
in her honour.
Her personal collection of books on food and cooking forms the core of the Jane Grigson Library, housed at Oxford Brookes University
.
It is alleged that it was Grigson who first popularised the idea that if a mussel's shell does not open during cooking, it is in some way unhealthy, and should not be eaten. However, this is now held to be a misconception, albeit an extremely popular one: after the fact was published in a book of Grigson's in the 1970's, it was mentioned in 90% of all cookery books by 1990. It is now thought that the opposite is in fact true, and that if a shell remains closed after the cooking process, a mussel has less chance of being 'off' than if it opens.
Life and writings
Jane Grigson was born in Gloucester, England and brought up in Sunderland, where her father George Shipley McIntire was town clerk. She attended Sunderland Church High School and Casterton School, WestmorlandWestmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
, then went on to Newnham College, Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where she read English. On graduating from university in 1949, she spent three months in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
After working in art galleries, Grigson went into publishing, joining George Rainbird's company in 1953 as a picture researcher for the encyclopedic People, Places, Things and Ideas. The editor of the book was poet and critic Geoffrey Grigson
Geoffrey Grigson
Geoffrey Edward Harvey Grigson was a British writer. He was born in Pelynt, a village near Looe in Cornwall.-Life:...
(1905-85), whom she later married, becoming his third wife.
Grigson subsequently worked as a translator, winning the John Florio prize in 1966 for her work with Father Kenelm Foster on the translation of Cesare Beccaria's On Crimes and Punishments (1966).
Grigson's growing interest in food and cooking led to the writing of her first book, Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery (1967), which was accorded the unusual honour for an English food writer of being translated into French. She subsequently became food columnist for The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, from 1968 until her death in 1990. Her long-lasting association with the newspaper produced some of her most successful books, such as Good Things (1971), Food With the Famous (1979), The Observer Guide to British Cookery (1984) and The Observer Guide to European Cookery (1983).
Jane Grigson died in Broad Town
Broad Town
Broad Town is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, 8 miles south-west of Swindon. According to the 2001 census its population is 584.The parish has an active social club that is open on a Friday evening from 8pm located in the village hall...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, on the eve of her 62nd birthday. Her daughter Sophie Grigson
Sophie Grigson
Hester Sophia Frances Grigson is an English cookery writer and celebrity chef known as Sophie Grigson. She has followed the same path and career as her mother, Jane Grigson. Her father was the poet and writer Geoffrey Grigson.-Life:...
(b. 1959) is also a cookery writer and broadcaster.
Legacy
The International Association of Culinary ProfessionalsInternational Association of Culinary Professionals
The International Association of Culinary Professionals is a United States based not-for-profit professional association whose members work in culinary education, communication, or the preparation of food and beverage....
(IACP) has created the Jane Grigson Award
Jane Grigson Award
The Jane Grigson Award is an award issued by the International Association of Culinary Professionals . It honours distinguished scholarship and depth of research in cookbooks and is named in honour of the British cookery writer Jane Grigson....
in her honour.
Her personal collection of books on food and cooking forms the core of the Jane Grigson Library, housed at Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row...
.
It is alleged that it was Grigson who first popularised the idea that if a mussel's shell does not open during cooking, it is in some way unhealthy, and should not be eaten. However, this is now held to be a misconception, albeit an extremely popular one: after the fact was published in a book of Grigson's in the 1970's, it was mentioned in 90% of all cookery books by 1990. It is now thought that the opposite is in fact true, and that if a shell remains closed after the cooking process, a mussel has less chance of being 'off' than if it opens.
Books
- Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery (1967)
- Good Things (1971)
- Fish Cookery (1973)
- English Food (London: Macmillan, 1974; with illustrations by Gillian Zeiner; an anthology of English and Welsh recipes of all periods chosen by Jane Grigson, for which she was voted Cookery Writer of the Year. A revised and enlarged edition was published in 1979 (ISBN 0 33326866 0), and later editions were issued by Ebury Press with a foreword by Sophie Grigson)
- The Mushroom Feast: A Celebration of All Edible Fungi With Over 250 Recipes (1975)
- The Vegetable Book (1978) (for which she received the Glenfiddich Writer of the Year Award)
- Food with the Famous (1979; Grub Street, 1991; vignettes of 11 historical figures - John Evelyn, Jane Austen, Marcel Proust and others - with recipes for their favourite dishes)
- The Fruit Book (1982) (awarded the André Simon Memorial Fund Book Award)
Other books
- The Best of Jane Grigson's British Cookery
- The Best of Jane Grigson's Desserts
- The Best of Jane Grigson's Soups
- Book of European Cooking, Jane Grigson's
- Cooking Spinach
- Cooking with Exotic Fruits and Vegetables
- Dishes From the Mediterranean
- The Elle Cookbook
- The Enjoyment of Food (an anthology)
- The Fruit, Herbs and Vegetables of Italy
- In Celebration of Chives
- The International Wine and Food Society's Guide to Fish Cookery
- The Observer Guide to British Cookery
- The Observer Guide to European Cookery
- The World Atlas of Food
- Preface to An English Flavour by Patricia Hegarty
External links
- Penguin UK page for Jane Grigson
- Page for the Jane Grigson Trust, an educational charity in the memory of Jane Grigson (shows photo of Jane Grigson)
- Review of Jane Grigson's British Cookery, a book of recipes and travelogue of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland
- Jane Grigson Collection at Oxford Brookes University Library