Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle – The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle and Toad in the Hole #fiction #cooking

The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle Picture caption: Cover of The Museum of Ordinary People showing people organising display items in a room against a yellow backgroundWhat Amazon says

Still reeling from the sudden death of her mother, Jess is about to do the hardest thing she’s ever done: empty her childhood home so that it can be sold.  As she sorts through a lifetime of memories, everything comes to a halt when she comes across something she just can’t part with: an old set of encyclopedias.  To the world, the books are outdated and ready to be recycled.  To Jess, they represent love and the future that her mother always wanted her to have. 

In the process of finding the books a new home, Jess discovers an unusual archive of letters, photographs, and curious housed in a warehouse and known as the Museum of Ordinary People.  Irresistibly drawn, she becomes the museum’s unofficial custodian, along with the warehouse’s mysterious owner.  As they delve into the history of objects in their care, they not only unravel heart-stirring stories that span generations and continents, but also unearth long-buried secrets that lie closer to home.

Inspired by an abandoned box of mementos, The Museum of Ordinary People is a poignant novel about memory and loss, the things we leave behind, and the future we create for ourselves.  

My review

Most people have items in their lives that are special to them. Items that may not hold a high numerical value but which represent a special time and/or memory in their lives. These are the things we all try to hold on to over the course of our lives. The things stored in a memory suitcase or box that we would save first in the event of a fire or disaster. These are the things that constitute the Museum of Ordinary People.

This book is an extraordinary idea that builds on the concept of beloved possessions with which we do not want to part when someone dies, but which we may not have the space or ability to keep. The author has built a heartfelt and brilliant story around the interesting idea of a museum where these special items from ordinary people can be housed and displayed.

Jess Baxter grow up in Northampton in a single parent family. Her mother is incredibly dear to her and when she dies unexpectedly, Jess is overwhelmed with grief. Jess is left with the dreadful job of going through her mother’s possessions and disposing of them in order to empty her home, ready for sale. With the help of her best friend, Luce, Jess manages to get this task completed, but she hangs on to a set of battered and well used encyclopedias from her childhood. She takes them home to the posh London flat she shares with her boyfriend, Guy, and stores them for a period to time. A year later, Guy decides they should formalise their relationship and purchase a house together. Jess is faced with having to get rid of the encyclopedias. A search uncovers the existence of The Museum of Ordinary People and Jess decides to take the encyclopedias there where they will be safely stored. When she arrives, she finds that the owner has recently died and his business, including the museum, have been inherited by a man called Alex. Alex has terrible scars which have impacted his whole life and turned him into an introvert. Alex doesn’t know what to do with the museum and Jess desperately wants to save it. She also sees the museum as an opportunity for her to act in the capacity of curator of her own museum, a position she has dreamed of. Jess persuades Alex to give her a chance to turn the museum into a money-making venture.

Jess is a lovely character. She is anxious and full of self doubt but she has an inner strength that comes out strongly over the course of the book. She has made some mistakes including her involvement with Guy who is stifling her creativity and preventing her from pursuing her dream. Jess has the strength of character to go against Guy’s wishes and follow her dream which I really enjoyed. She demonstrates determination, a great work ethic and ability to achieve success in difficult circumstances. As the novel progresses, Jess also gets a second chance at love.

A thoroughly entertaining read with a strong female main character.

You can purchase The Museum of Ordinary People here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1538740842

Toad in the Hole, a traditional British recipe

This recipe is available for free on line from Tin Eats here: https://www.recipetineats.com/toad-in-the-hole/

Ingredients (I made double of the Toad in the Hole)

16 pork sausages (pricked on both sides)

Olive oil for cooking the sausages

Yorkshire pudding batter

500 ml egg (I used 10 1/2 eggs) – you need to measure the egg

500 grams all purpose or plain flour

375 ml milk

125 ml cold water

2 Tbspns mayonnaise

1 tspn salt

White pepper to taste

100 ml olive oil

Onion gravy (I did not double this part of the recipe)

Sausage fat and olive oil for frying

1 large red onion chopped

1 tspn garlic flakes

45 ml all purpose or plain flour

500 ml beef stock

5 ml Worcestershire sauce

Black pepper to taste

Method

In a bowl, whisk the flour into the egg. I used an electric mixer. Add the cold water, milk, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth. Place in the refrigerator.

In a frying pan, brown the sausages in a little olive oil. Retain the sausage fat.

Heat the oven to 220C. Place the olive oil (100 ml) into a baking pan and place in the oven for c. 10 minutes. When sizzling hot, remove carefully from the oven and quickly place the sausages all around the pan. Pour over the batter and replace in the oven to cook for c. 35 minutes until golden brown.

Picture caption: Toad in the hole ready to be baked in the oven

Add some olive oil to the sausage fat and cook the onion. Mix in the flour, garlic and black pepper. Add the beef stock stirring continuously. It will thicken quickly. Add the Worcestershire sauce.

Picture caption: Onion gravy

Serve immediately.

Picture caption: Baked toad in the hole Picture caption: A serving of toad in the hole with onion gravyAbout Robbie Cheadle

South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

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This post is sponsored by the My Backyard Friends Kid’s Book Series and  WordCrafter Press .

The My Backyard Friends kid’s book series is inspired by the birds and animals that visit the author Kaye Lynne Booth’s mountain home. Beautiful illustrations by children’s author, poet, and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, bring the unique voices of the animal characters to life.

Get Your Copy Now.

Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-HeatherHummingbird

Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-TimothyTurtle

Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home  (Ages 6-8):  https://books2read.com/MBF-CharlieChickadee