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Margaret Blatch

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Margaret Blatch
M.C.A.[note 1]
Cover of One Hundred and One Practical Non-Flesh Recipes, 1917.
Born
Margaret Kelleher

1886
Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England
Died1963 (aged 75)
Islington, London, England
Other namesMargaret Kelcher[note 2]
Occupations
  • Chef
  • restaurateur
  • cookbook writer
Years active1900s–1963
Known forVegetarian cookery
Notable work
  • One Hundred and One Practical Non-Flesh Recipes (1916)
  • Household Non-Flesh Cookery (1936)
Spouse
Joseph Francis G. Blatch
​
​
(m. 1906; died 1921)​
AwardsThree gold, six silver, and four bronze medals (Food and Cookery Exhibitions)

Margaret Blatch (née Kelleher; 1886–1963) was an English vegetarian chef, restaurateur, and cookbook writer. She and her husband became vegetarian around 1907 and focused on developing new vegetarian recipes, earning several awards for their work in the field of vegetarian cookery. She served as the principal of the Eustace Miles School of Cookery and published cookbooks, including One Hundred and One Practical Non-Flesh Recipes, in 1916, and Household Non-Flesh Cookery, in 1936. Blatch also managed the vegetarian restaurant Shearns in London from 1923 until its closure in 1962.

Biography

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Early and personal life

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Margaret Kelleher was born in the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, in the second quarter of 1886.[3] She married Joseph Francis G. Blatch in 1906 at Marylebone;[2][4] he died in 1921, at the age of 41.[5]

Career

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Blatch, along with her husband, became vegetarian around 1907. For the next nine years, they dedicated their time to developing new combinations of vegetarian foods, focusing on nutrition, digestibility, flavour, and presentation. Their work was recognised with multiple awards, including three gold, six silver, and four bronze medals, as well as numerous diplomas for vegetarian cookery at the Food and Cookery Exhibitions held at the Royal Horticultural Hall. Their culinary expertise was judged by some of the world's leading chefs. In addition to their achievements in competitions, they catered to the public at Blatch's Restaurant, located at 50 Cannon Street, London, and other venues.[6]

For four years, Blatch worked as the principle of the Eustace Miles School of Cookery and was frequently requested by her pupils to create a recipe book.[6] In 1916, she self-published this as One Hundred and One Practical Non-Flesh Recipes.[7]: 819 [note 3] This was followed by an expanded 92-page second edition in 1917, published by Longmans, Green & Co.[7]: 823  A third edition was published in both 1917 and 1918.[7]: 828 

In the 1920s, Blatch published a pamphlet titled Conservative Cookery as part of the London Vegetarian Society's Humane Diet Leaflets series.[9] This was followed by Household Non-Flesh Cookery in 1936.[10]

In 1935, four people died after consuming nut meat brawn, with three cases attributed to botulism, prompting an inquest. Blatch, who had supervised the product's manufacture for 29 years, testified that there had never been a previous complaint. Her evidence supported the jury's verdict that there was no negligence by the manufacturers, as the germ itself was not present in the food at the time of preparation, though a toxin had developed before consumption. Experts affirmed that while botulism was a theoretical risk, British canning methods were considered safe. The coroner acknowledged the rarity of the disease and recommended additional precautions in future production.[11]

In 1940, Blatch was described in the Daily Mirror as "London's famous vegetarian chef". She was quoted in the article discussing the growing demand for mock meats.[12] She worked as the manager of the London vegetarian restaurant Shearns from 1923 to its closure in 1962. The restaurant served around 500 vegetarian meals per day, with customers including George Bernard Shaw, the Countess of Warwick, and a number of suffragettes.[13]

Death

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Blatch died in Islington in the third quarter of 1963, aged 75.[14]

Legacy

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One Hundred and One Practical Non-Flesh Recipes is included in the Southern Adventist University's "Foodies' Guide to Vegetarian Cookery in 19th Century America".[15]

Vegetarian cookbook writer Rose Elliot learned to cook by reading Household Non-Flesh Cookery.[16] Elliot's 1972 book Simply Delicious is dedicated to Blatch.[17]

Publications

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Notes

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  1. ^ Member of the Cookery Association.[1]
  2. ^ Her maiden name was recorded as Kelcher on her marriage record.[2]
  3. ^ The term "vegetarian" was well-established by the 1840s, but in the early 20th century, it was often associated with religious or ethical abstinence, and "non-flesh" or "flesh-abstainer" were preferred as less provocative alternatives.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Haycraft, Frank W. (1948). The Degrees and Hoods of the World's Universities and Colleges. Cheshunt Press. p. 106 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ a b "Marriages Dec 1906". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  3. ^ "Births Jun 1886". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  4. ^ "Marriages Dec 1906". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  5. ^ "Deaths Jun 1921". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b Blatch, Margaret (1917). "Preface". One Hundred and One Practical Non-Flesh Recipes (2nd ed.). London; New York: Longmans, Green, and Co.
  7. ^ a b c Aoyagi, Akiko; Shurtleff, William (7 March 2022). History of Vegetarianism and Veganism Worldwide (1430 BCE to 1969): Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook. Soyinfo Center. ISBN 978-1-948436-73-1.
  8. ^ "Food Fight Club Round 2: Vegetable Curry v. Ragout of Squirrel". History of Medicine and Public Health. New York Academy of Medicine. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  9. ^ "Conservative cookery / by Margaret Blatch". Wellcome Collection. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  10. ^ "IVU Online Library - Bibliography". International Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  11. ^ "Deaths Due to Botulism". Evening Sentinel. 23 August 1935. p. 7. Retrieved 19 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Mock Meats If You Like". Daily Mirror. 9 March 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 19 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Hard on vegetarians". The Guardian. 2 March 1962. p. 10. Retrieved 19 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Deaths Sep 1963". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  15. ^ "'One Hundred and One Practical Non-Flesh Recipes' by Margaret Blatch". Southern Adventist University. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  16. ^ Stelfox, Hilarie (13 September 1994). "Her finger on the Pulse". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. p. 11. Retrieved 19 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Elliot, Rose (1972). "Dedication". Simply Delicious. Liss: The White Eagle Publishing Trust. ISBN 978-0-85487-008-0 – via Internet Archive.
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