The Cook's Tale

The must-read memoir from Nancy Jackman, a cook in interwar England. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs

An inspirational true story loved by readers:

'To read Nancy's story in her own words was an absolute joy. The history, the humour, a perfect read of times gone by.' - ????? READER REVIEW

'Touching, funny, nostalgic. This book opens a door into a world long ago and is a gem packed with social history. Could read about her life for hours and could not put this story down.' - ????? READER REVIEW

'A wonderful story of life as it was in domestic service; hard going, often tragic, yet not without its joys.' - ????? READER REVIEW

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Nancy Jackman was born in 1907 in a remote Norfolk village. Life was tough for her family: her father was a ploughman, her mother a former servant who struggled to make ends meet in a cottage so small that access to the single upstairs room was via a ladder.

The pace of life in that long-vanished world was dictated by the slow, heavy tread of the farm horse - and Nancy's earliest memories were of a green, sunny countryside still unspoiled by the motorcar. But she also knew at first hand the harshness of a world where the elderly were forced to break stones on the roads and where school children were regularly beaten.

Nancy left school at the age of twelve to work for a local farmer where the hardships continued, and then found positions working as a cook for Britain's wealthy families. Sustained by her determination to make a better life for herself, she continued working as a cook until the 1950s.

The Cook's Tale tells her story - the story of a now vanished era.