Marguerite Patten’s recession recipes

Marguerite Patten is the patron saint of frugal cooking, says Carole Cadwalladr in the Observer.

The 93-year-old worked for the Ministry of Food during WWII, advising housewives on how to make the most of their rations.

Patten fashioned chocolate cake out of cocoa and potatoes, learnt how to cook whale meat ("If I talk about it I shall start to smell it. Ugh!"), and made fake cream out of cornflower and margarine. "It took about half an hour of whisking. But it was actually delicious, not unlike a light buttercream."

So she is quite unfazed by cooking in a recession. "The first lesson is: don't be defeated. Sit there as if you are planning a campaign. Have a look at what clever things you can do with the cheaper cuts of meat or offal. What about hearts? Have you had them? No? Well, that's because you're a modern person. But they're delicious. Stuff them with sage and onion and cook them very slowly so that they melt in your mouth. What about tender, young lamb's kidneys? Mmmmm. Wonderful!"