Part works (partworks?)

gracesmum I still make and enjoy an Almond and Cherry cake courtesy of Supercook

DH has The Knack diy know how series from 70's 80's Some of the decor is amusing but some is back in fashion.

I loved my Supercook collection! When we were decluttering the garage before we moved, I sat and had a look at them, and then, reluctantly, sent them to the charity shop. I used to yearn for the cookware offers on the back page, but could never afford them...

I have looked for both series on eBay - Supercook and the knitting/sewing one which might have been Golden Hands - would you believe about £50!!! In my next life I will never declutter, just wait a bit and sell it on eBay!

Oooh of to see what The Knack is fetching

£7.50 for the complete set with binders. ah well

I worked on Supercook from somewhere in the middle of the alphabet onwards and wrote quite a few articles for The Knack. I still have a full set of Supercook and quite often make some of my old favourites e.g. Ginger and Pineapple Cheesecake Volume 3, Page 832.

I made quite a few garments from Golden Hands and improved my knowledge of dressmaking at the same time.(Couldn't be bothered at school) I made a beautiful pair of wide legged linen trousers from one of their patterns but, sadly, I ripped great holes in the knees rushing to stop my toddler falling in a pond. As it was the 70's I patched them with a flowery fabric - but they were never the same

I have some super cook aswell and knitted a mohair monkey out of Goldenhands

I subscribed to something which was cards, sent every month, with various heading such as 'starters', 'desserts', 'cakes', 'biscuits' etc. You could buy, at what seemed to be a huge amount of money, a file box in which to keep them. No idea what happened to that.

I had that Kitty but only made a couple of the recipes, what a waste of money!
Everyone loved the hugely time consuming pineapple cheesecake. I kept that card when the box and the rest of the collection went to a charity shop!

I seem to have tapped into a seam of nostalgia (to mix my metaphors!) It was a thing of that period though wasn't it?

Ogm - the only thing I kept was a complicated chocolate mouse thing that involved melting marshmallows, chocolate, beating egg white and using raw egg yolks. It was my first 'showy offy' pudding, I think. I just can't bring myself to throw it away although I haven't used it for years. Haven't things changed!

Did anyone else have something called 3,4,5 for their children. I think it came once a month with a record, some cut out things and some things to do with the children. Sort of playschool at home. I thought it was really good but I think it must have folded as I appear to have been the only person who subscribed.

My mother bought all the Golden Hands magazines and gave them to me, along with Graham Kerr's cookery and someone else whose name I have forgotten. I made loads of things, and still have many of them. Unfortunately I no longer have the magazines.

Yes kittylester, I did buy 345 for my daughter. It must have been in the very late 80s, she loved it. It got passed on down through her cousins. It was a wonderful way to pass the time on the days when she didn't go to playgroup. I think it was probably a bit expensive for the time.

I also had all the Supercook mags. When I moved 12 years ago I took them to the charity shop. However, I kept one copy which had a recipe in it for Bitkis. My daughters loved this dish. And I still make the recipe today.

My DD2 is coming to lunch on Sunday with her husband and two children (expecting No.3) and when I asked her what she wanted for lunch - Bitkis!!

What are Bitkis, please?? (Recipe hint....).

grace according to google they are Russian meatballs (I'd never heard of them either!)

jane, I bought mine for DS1 who was 42 a couple of weeks ago so that would have been about 1974/5.

Well, at least two of us bought them.

I think I must have had 345 for my daughter. I know we had something that arrived every month with various things to do. Very useful as we were right out in the country with no playgroup. I also subscribed to the Early Learning Centre when they first started as a mail order service. Every month we got nice wooden toys that were played with for ages.

We bought 'A History of the 20th Century' , 8 Volumes, the OG cannot bear to part with them. Needless to say they stopped in 1965 so what happened to the rest of the century remains a mystery .
We also bought a series on Science, long since moved on!
But I do still have my Maud Jepson, her biological drawings got me a good mark in my 'O' level Biology exam !!!!!!!

That's three of us buying 345 then.

I started making most of my own clothes when I was 12, [urely because I like to, so the golden hands magazines were wonderful, I could hardly wait for them to arrive. Years later I used to buy Prima magazine, which used to have excellent knitting and sewing patterns in it. Now it seems to think that it is enough to put a couple of rows of velcro on a teatowel and turn it into a cushion cover, the following week will be 'how to attach a bow to a coathanger'.

I think the recipe cards were Merguerite Patern (or something like that,) I too collected those, but don't think I ever attempted too many of the recipes. I also had a complete collection of Golden Hands, but found quite often that when I wanted a pattern for something I had to browse through them all, and got lost in all the lovely things I could do if only I was able. I disposed of all these when we down-sized. I did start like you janerowena getting Prima, but found it had less and less useful things to do. I really find it quite difficult these days to get a decent magazine which interest me on a regular basis.

I've just found my recipe card for pots au cholcolate - it was printed in 1967 by Paul Hamlyn. I doubt it was Marguerite Patten as I would have thought myself too trendy for that.

I also found one, that must have gone in a folder, called 'The Working Woman's Cookbook' from Hamlyn dated 1987. The recipe I saved was for Stilton and Onion Soup and I remember it being delicious.

Yes.... Hamlyn!
Can't believe I 'shelled out' so much dosh when we were so hard up!
I think Hamlyn did an 'All Colour Cookbook' which had a picture per recipe, quite unusual at the time.