This week I am interviewing Lesley Ellis from the hit TV show Back in Time for Tea, based around a northern working family through the the decades after the war. I loved watching the episodes again before speaking to Lesley, click HERE to check it out!
What is Back In Time For Tea?
Back In Time For Tea was broadcasted at the start of 2018 and was aired on BBC. Lesley and her family lived in Bradford and moved into a caravan for 2 weeks prior to filming, then moved back into their house for 8 days. The house had been decorated to follow a certain era and they were then separated from the outside world. The family had to live and breathe that era for the whole 8 days. After 8 days, they moved back into the caravan while the house was decorated for the next era. This went on for about 9 weeks.
Recipes
Whilst appearing on the show, Lesley and her family had to eat many different foods. Tripe, was something that she remembered well as it smelt so strongly throughout the house. Lesley loves to cook and tried to add ingredients to the recipes but was stopped by the production team. This meant that when Lesley could eventually use different ingredients and add different flavours, she appreciated it more.
The family’s worst recipe was one that they heard on the wireless and it was like dog food! The recipe was made with meat, breadcrumbs and onions which were boiled and was very disappointing.
Difficult decades
Lesley said that the 1960’s was an unexpectedly difficult era to “live through” because she sat at home alone a lot of the time, she did not have a job, and felt very isolated. By contrast the rest of her family were out working or and enjoying this decade, but due to the status of the time, Lesley was expected to stay at home.
Food wise, Lesley said that the most difficult era was 1918-1939. The family were plunged into poverty and felt very deprived. They mainly ate carbs with fats, there were no vegetables in sight as houses did not have gardens and vegetables were expensive. The foods made Lesley poorly at one point as the diet was so unhealthy and was not what she was used to.
The best eras
Lesley said that the post war years were the best as they had a variety of ingredients. It was still stodgy but they were not exposed to convenience foods. This made them cook meals using fresh ingredients.
The later eras felt a lot easier and more fair to Lesley. Her husband helped with all of the household chores, whereas in earlier eras, Lesley had done all of this by herself.
Lesley now
Lesley tries to make a conscious effort to cook well and use good ingredients. She makes decisions to question what is in the food that she cooks and eats.
Whilst it was difficult at times, the show has brought the family closer together. They played games, they sang together and cherished the bonding that naturally occurred.
Quick fire questions
- What food reminds you of childhood? Bread on the table at dinner time.
- What is your favourite food? Tapas as it is nice to try bits of everything.
- What have you got for tea? Chicken kievs with salad and a homemade dressing.
Links
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