Marguerite Patten honoured at City College Brighton

Marguerite with students Katie Simmonds and Marcus Scott

Famed food writer, Marguerite Patten OBE, was recently honoured as a special Brighton & Hove citizen at a tribute luncheon hosted by City College Brighton and Hove as part of the area's food festival.

Sixty dignitaries and guests were served a lunch prepared by catering students at the College's Gallery Restaurant, using some of Marguerite's classic dishes, including twice-baked cheese soufflé and crown roast of lamb.

Marguerite, who is 94 years old, worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, Farming and Food during the Second World War and became a household name for her inventive recipes using ration food, touring the country giving cookery demonstrations in factory canteens and hospitals. She was also the BBC's first ever television cook.

During her career, she has been a prolific food writer and has published more than 170 books, and sold 17 million copies worldwide. Her pioneering approach to healthy eating has prompted campaigning chef Jamie Oliver to seek her advice on his campaign for healthier school lunches.

Talking of the modern phenomenon of the 'Celebrity Chef', Marguerite said: "I don't approve of the word celebrity because it's not who we are but what we do that counts. I'm a home economist, trained to help people in their own homes and I helped people to make the most of what was available during the rations of wartime Britain - for example the egg-less fruitcake and the cheese pie.

"However, 'we'll eat again' was our mantra then and I wouldn't go back to the limited food we had then for the world - though I do think that seasonality is extremely important and fresh, local produce is so much better than eating out of season or flying food all around the world."

Michael Buckman, the Curriculum Manager of City College's Catering department, added: "Marguerite is a legend of British cuisine so it was a real coup for the College to be able to host this event in her honour."

Weblink: www.ccb.ac.uk

Words: Clare Riley

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