5

with the kitchen to himself, lexington straight away began experimenting with dishes of his own

invention. the old favourites no longer interested him. he had a violent urge to create. there were

hundreds of fresh ideas in his head. ‘i will begin,’ he said, ‘by devising a chestnut soufflé.’ he

made it and served it up for supper that very night. it was terrific. ‘you are a genius!’ aunt

glosspan cried, leaping up from her chair and kissing him on both cheeks. ‘you will make

history!’

from then on, hardly a day went by without some new delectable creation being set upon the

table. there was brazilnut soup, hominy cutlets, vegetable ragout, dandelion omelette, cream-

cheese fritters, stuffed-cabbage surprise, stewed foggage, shallots à la bonne femme, beetroot

mousse piquant, prunes stroganoff, dutch rarebit, turnips on horseback, flaming spruce-needle

tarts, and many many other beautiful compositions. never before in her life. aunt glosspan

declared, had she tasted such food as this; and in the mornings, long before lunch was due, she

would go out on to the porch and sit there in her rocking-chair, speculating about the coming meal,

licking her chops, sniffing the aromas that came wafting out through the kitchen window.

‘what’s that you’re making in there today, boy?’ she would call out.

‘try to guess. aunt glosspan.’

‘smells like a bit of salsify fritters to me,’ she would say, sniffing vigorously.

then out he would come, this ten-year-old child, a little grin of triumph on his face, and in his

hands a big steaming pot of the most heavenly stew made entirely of parsnips and lovage.

‘you know what you ought to do,’ his aunt said to him, gobbling the stew. ‘you ought to set

yourself down this very minute with paper and pencil and write a cooking-book.’

he looked at her across the table, chewing his parsnips slowly.

‘why not?’ she cried. ‘i’ve taught you how to write and i’ve taught you how to cook and now

all you’ve got to do is put the two things together. you write a cooking-book, my darling, and it’ll

make you famous the whole world over.’

‘all right,’ he said. ‘i will.’

and that very day, lexington began writing the first page of that monumental work which was

to occupy him for the rest of his life. he called it eat good and healthy.