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Victory in the Kitchen: The Life of Churchill's Cook
This is the story of a woman who was not a royal, not rich, not famous; someone who simply worked hard and enjoyed her life. But while Georgina Landemare saw herself as ordinary, her accomplishments were anything but. Georgina started her career as a nursemaid and ended it cooking for one of the best-known figures in British history: Winston Churchill.
To him, food was central, not only as a pleasure but as a diplomatic tool at a time when the world was embroiled in war.
With this eager eater and his skilled cook, ranging from rural Berkshire to wartime London, via Belle Epoque Paris and prohibition-era New York, Annie Gray shows how life in service - and food - changed during the huge upheavals of the twentieth century.
To him, food was central, not only as a pleasure but as a diplomatic tool at a time when the world was embroiled in war.
With this eager eater and his skilled cook, ranging from rural Berkshire to wartime London, via Belle Epoque Paris and prohibition-era New York, Annie Gray shows how life in service - and food - changed during the huge upheavals of the twentieth century.
400 pages, Paperback
Published March 4, 2021
33 people are currently reading
421 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 6, 2020
Author Annie Gray is a food historian, whose previous work has included, “The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook,” and “The Greedy Queen: Eating with Victoria.” As such, she is the perfect person to tell the story of Georgina Landemare, who worked for the Churchill’s from 1940-1954 and was the longest serving of their servants. No mean feat, as Churchill was not a calm man and servants tended to find his temper tantrums, and habits – such as wandering around naked – a little difficult to deal with.
Although it is the fact of Georgina’s work for the Churchill’s which makes her a subject for biography, the author makes sure that she is central to this biography. She uses her subject as a way to explore the working lives of women, the way that being ‘in service,’ fell out of favour over the years – although Georgina’s father was a coachman, none of her siblings followed her career path. For career path it definitely was – Georgina worked her way up and, unlike many women, who tended to work in families with one, or two, servants, she worked for the rich and powerful, in bigger households, with larger staffs. Even if, like the Churchill’s, they struggled to pay for the lifestyle they were used to having.
Gray also makes interesting points about the way women were employed. While French, male, chefs, were the highest standard, many households preferred female ‘cooks,’ who were cheaper. Georgina benefited from her marriage to Paul Landemare, a French chef, who was able to introduce her to many people and to extend her skills. For Georgina was a quick learner and a hard worker. When widowed, she finally ended up working for the Churchill’s and, unlike many, was never flustered by the demands put upon her. If Churchill liked his beef rare, she would wait for him to enter the house, and his bath, before putting the beef in the oven, so it was just so. If guests arrived suddenly, she would make food stretch. If Churchill decamped from one house to another, she wrapped food in shawls and simply followed him.
Unlike most of the Churchill’s servants, she became more than just, ‘the cook,’ and became the celebrated ‘Mrs Mar.’ She was very friendly with Clementine Churchill and Winston often chased her to the shelter, when she tended to stay behind – once saving her life when, watching a delicate pudding, she had stayed too long in the kitchen and the windows and wall were blown in, shortly after Churchill had come to fetch her. This also has much on the restrictions of wartime, even if the Churchill’s were much less affected than most. However, gifts had to be accepted with some care and there were, sometimes, a backlash; for example, one man sent a cheese and then advertised the fact that Churchill had received one.
Overall, this is a fascinating account of a woman who created a career for herself. A working class woman, she found herself in demand with the best households – cooking for the rich and famous and often visited by celebrities, who would never come to dinner without popping down to say hello to Mrs Mar. In a way, she created a family outside of her own and stayed in contact with the Churchill’s throughout her life – Clementine Churchill suggesting she wrote a cookbook in the 1950’s for example, which she helped her with. This is a fascinating social history, with enough about the Churchill’s to make it interesting for those reading it for that reason.
Although it is the fact of Georgina’s work for the Churchill’s which makes her a subject for biography, the author makes sure that she is central to this biography. She uses her subject as a way to explore the working lives of women, the way that being ‘in service,’ fell out of favour over the years – although Georgina’s father was a coachman, none of her siblings followed her career path. For career path it definitely was – Georgina worked her way up and, unlike many women, who tended to work in families with one, or two, servants, she worked for the rich and powerful, in bigger households, with larger staffs. Even if, like the Churchill’s, they struggled to pay for the lifestyle they were used to having.
Gray also makes interesting points about the way women were employed. While French, male, chefs, were the highest standard, many households preferred female ‘cooks,’ who were cheaper. Georgina benefited from her marriage to Paul Landemare, a French chef, who was able to introduce her to many people and to extend her skills. For Georgina was a quick learner and a hard worker. When widowed, she finally ended up working for the Churchill’s and, unlike many, was never flustered by the demands put upon her. If Churchill liked his beef rare, she would wait for him to enter the house, and his bath, before putting the beef in the oven, so it was just so. If guests arrived suddenly, she would make food stretch. If Churchill decamped from one house to another, she wrapped food in shawls and simply followed him.
Unlike most of the Churchill’s servants, she became more than just, ‘the cook,’ and became the celebrated ‘Mrs Mar.’ She was very friendly with Clementine Churchill and Winston often chased her to the shelter, when she tended to stay behind – once saving her life when, watching a delicate pudding, she had stayed too long in the kitchen and the windows and wall were blown in, shortly after Churchill had come to fetch her. This also has much on the restrictions of wartime, even if the Churchill’s were much less affected than most. However, gifts had to be accepted with some care and there were, sometimes, a backlash; for example, one man sent a cheese and then advertised the fact that Churchill had received one.
Overall, this is a fascinating account of a woman who created a career for herself. A working class woman, she found herself in demand with the best households – cooking for the rich and famous and often visited by celebrities, who would never come to dinner without popping down to say hello to Mrs Mar. In a way, she created a family outside of her own and stayed in contact with the Churchill’s throughout her life – Clementine Churchill suggesting she wrote a cookbook in the 1950’s for example, which she helped her with. This is a fascinating social history, with enough about the Churchill’s to make it interesting for those reading it for that reason.
August 21, 2021
I read this for the early chapters as my gran was in service at much the same time as this lady but found the whole book surprisingly interesting
February 1, 2024
I started this biographical story as an audiobook in December 2023 but dropped it pretty quickly as, sadly, the authors narration of her own work was rather hard to listen to so I switched to a printed library copy.
The idea of this book was more captivating for me than the reality, it’s more about the history of food during the span of Georgina’s life, with some of her life mixed in and suppositions about her life, than a biography about her. I started to skim through and skip over portions as there are continual, too many for me, references to dishes cooked and also about Georgina’s published cookbook - which the general public didn’t take up as times had changed and the way people wanted to cook had too.
I'm giving this a solid three stars rating which equates to : pleased I’ve read it but would only recommend it to those interested in the history of cooking, food during WWII, and perhaps those who like to glean through books for details about the Churchills.
The idea of this book was more captivating for me than the reality, it’s more about the history of food during the span of Georgina’s life, with some of her life mixed in and suppositions about her life, than a biography about her. I started to skim through and skip over portions as there are continual, too many for me, references to dishes cooked and also about Georgina’s published cookbook - which the general public didn’t take up as times had changed and the way people wanted to cook had too.
I'm giving this a solid three stars rating which equates to : pleased I’ve read it but would only recommend it to those interested in the history of cooking, food during WWII, and perhaps those who like to glean through books for details about the Churchills.
July 29, 2022
A wonderful, vivid and original history, not only of the excellent cook Georgie Landemare and her most famous employers during wartime: Winston and Clementine Churchill, but also of high end food preparation in Britain (and France) over Mrs Landemare's whole lifetime.
From country house dinners to political luncheons, with the occasional dip back in time (the development of French restaurant cuisine, ration books in World War I, the full upstairs downstairs experience of an ambitious Edwardian kitchen maid) to enrich the overall story.
I especially loved this in audiobook format, charmingly read by the author, complete with character-rich quotes, recipes, and the occasional stab at an accent.
From country house dinners to political luncheons, with the occasional dip back in time (the development of French restaurant cuisine, ration books in World War I, the full upstairs downstairs experience of an ambitious Edwardian kitchen maid) to enrich the overall story.
I especially loved this in audiobook format, charmingly read by the author, complete with character-rich quotes, recipes, and the occasional stab at an accent.
July 23, 2020
A wonderful story of a woman who wasn't royal, nor rich, or famous; but one who simply worked hard and enjoyed her life. But while Georgina Landemare saw herself as ordinary, her accomplishments were anything but. Georgina started her career as a nursemaid and ended it cooking for one of the best known figures in British history: Winston Churchill. To him, food was central, not only as a pleasure but as a diplomatic tool at a time when the world was embroiled in war. With this eager eater and his skilled cook, ranging from rural Berkshire to wartime London, via Belle Epoque Paris and prohibition era New York, renowned food historian Annie Gray portrays how life in service-and food-changed during the huge upheavals of the 20th century. Georgina cooked during 2 world wars and for 16 monarchs during her lifetime. She began working in kitchens as a scullery maid at age 15 and didn't stop until she was 73. Her guests included prominent figures such as Lord Kitchener and Ian Hamilton. She was the Churchills' longest serving domestic servant. She wrote to them in 1939 and offered herself as their wartime cook. She worked for the family from 1940-1954, the entirety of which was during rationing. With her ability to create extravagant meals from rations and to adapt to Churchill's hectic schedule, she was a highly valued member of the household. She almost died when the kitchen window of 10 Downing Street was blown up during the Blitz in late 1940 whilst she was making pudding. She was usually the last to enter the bunkers and Churchill often had to hustle her out of the kitchen-saying that if Hitler got her, then he wouldn't get soup. On VE Day Churchill shook Georgina's hand, saying that he couldn't have achieved victory without her. She was crucial in enabling Churchill's dinner table diplomacy. He believed that face to face contact over good food and wine, was the secret to political success. She provided the stage for Churchill's rituals around food, often attracting repeated guests. She married French chef Paul and learnt culinary skills from him. Her skills suited Churchill's traditional yet sophisticated palate.
November 30, 2020
[Audiobook version]
Oh dear. This is why authors shouldn't read the audio version of their own books. This was bizarrely rushed, which I want to put down to enthusiasm (especially given the jolly voices she used for quoting), but it honestly sounded like she had somewhere better to be and wanted to get through it as quickly as possible. The way she barked out the recipes ("FOUREGGSANDFOURYOLKSTHREEOUNCESCASTERSUGAR") meant it would be impossible for anyone to jot them down in one go. Also, this sounded like it was recorded in her bathroom. Echoey, and with every swallow and inhalation very audible. (And since she read it so fast, the pauses where she gasps for breath are... very noticeable...)
My favourite bit, however, was at the start of CD3 when she stumbled over her words, read the sentence again, only to mess it up again, start giggling, and then read it a third time. I assume this was meant to be edited out later and got missed, but wow.
Anyway, all this makes it really hard for me to rate this book, because I think I would've been interested in the subject matter if it wasn't narrated so poorly. Then again, I don't think the writing style was all that brilliant either? I frequently lost track of what was going on and/or who the author was talking about as she seemed to skip around all over the place, especially in the first half. But I did learn that the narrow rows of houses in Paris were torn down and replaced with wide boulevards to prevent the building of barricades, which is an interesting fact I did not know before! I'm just... not entirely certain what that has to do with Churchill's cook.
Oh dear. This is why authors shouldn't read the audio version of their own books. This was bizarrely rushed, which I want to put down to enthusiasm (especially given the jolly voices she used for quoting), but it honestly sounded like she had somewhere better to be and wanted to get through it as quickly as possible. The way she barked out the recipes ("FOUREGGSANDFOURYOLKSTHREEOUNCESCASTERSUGAR") meant it would be impossible for anyone to jot them down in one go. Also, this sounded like it was recorded in her bathroom. Echoey, and with every swallow and inhalation very audible. (And since she read it so fast, the pauses where she gasps for breath are... very noticeable...)
My favourite bit, however, was at the start of CD3 when she stumbled over her words, read the sentence again, only to mess it up again, start giggling, and then read it a third time. I assume this was meant to be edited out later and got missed, but wow.
Anyway, all this makes it really hard for me to rate this book, because I think I would've been interested in the subject matter if it wasn't narrated so poorly. Then again, I don't think the writing style was all that brilliant either? I frequently lost track of what was going on and/or who the author was talking about as she seemed to skip around all over the place, especially in the first half. But I did learn that the narrow rows of houses in Paris were torn down and replaced with wide boulevards to prevent the building of barricades, which is an interesting fact I did not know before! I'm just... not entirely certain what that has to do with Churchill's cook.
January 4, 2021
3.5 stars, rounded up because how could I round Georgina down?
My biggest frustration with the book was that it began so wonderfully, with an account of how Georgina tried to destroy her own autobiography, convinced no one would read it. This compelling glimpse of character drew me into the book... where I then immediately became bogged-down in a rather slow-moving description of rural England where Georgina grew up.
The book, on the whole, is rather on the slow side. It took me multiple weeks to get through it, and there were times when I wasn't sure I was going to bother finishing. That said, I am hardly the target audience for a book like this. For anyone who enjoys cooking or Edwardian history, this book offers a very approachable look at a fascinating woman.
Rather like The Five, which I read just before this, Victory in the Kitchen is wonderful in that it focusses so helpfully on Georgina's career, demonstrating what a cooking career could actually look like for a woman in this time period. While I wish there had been slightly more character and a little less historical context, Victory in the Kitchen certainly offers a much-needed look at this forgotten woman in history.
My biggest frustration with the book was that it began so wonderfully, with an account of how Georgina tried to destroy her own autobiography, convinced no one would read it. This compelling glimpse of character drew me into the book... where I then immediately became bogged-down in a rather slow-moving description of rural England where Georgina grew up.
The book, on the whole, is rather on the slow side. It took me multiple weeks to get through it, and there were times when I wasn't sure I was going to bother finishing. That said, I am hardly the target audience for a book like this. For anyone who enjoys cooking or Edwardian history, this book offers a very approachable look at a fascinating woman.
Rather like The Five, which I read just before this, Victory in the Kitchen is wonderful in that it focusses so helpfully on Georgina's career, demonstrating what a cooking career could actually look like for a woman in this time period. While I wish there had been slightly more character and a little less historical context, Victory in the Kitchen certainly offers a much-needed look at this forgotten woman in history.
May 7, 2023
I found this book very disappointing as the title Victory in the kitchen, the life of Churchill's cook, to be misleading. It was not written by Georgina the cook but by a food historian who knew something of the cook's life. It is full of recipes to fill it out and there are very few of the cook's words in it. It is simply a history of food during the time that Georgina lived. True she did work for the Churchill's who apparently were very difficult people to work for but got on very well with them. It is not a biography or an autobiography in any sense and is full of sentences such as "she may have......." "She could have......" etc but very few facts. The facts the war etc were true but anything to do with Georgina the cook is mere supposition. The facts of the lady's life are missing. I got half way through the book which I found boring in the extreme and then skip read the rest. From the reviews I had read I thought it was going to be a great read. Sadly it wasn't.
January 17, 2024
This book about Georgina Landemare, the woman who would go on to be cook for Winston and Clementine Churchill for many years, is very interesting in parts, but it was a little slow to start.
Georgie, as she was known to friends, was never out of work as she was a good cook with a good reputation. The book picked up pace when she started working for the Churchills (quite some way into it). The PM and his family dined well during the war, thanks to the many gifts of food sent to them, not just from suppliers, but from ordinary people - the grateful nation. Georgina had written her own memoir, but sadly most of it was destroyed when her daughter told her nobody would be interested in it, which is such a shame, as it would have been good to get this history from the woman herself. The book contains excerpts from a few of Mrs Landemare's more unusual recipes. Mousse de Maple sounds interesting, but I might give the 'Cervelles à la Connaught' - a rich brain stew - a miss!
Georgie, as she was known to friends, was never out of work as she was a good cook with a good reputation. The book picked up pace when she started working for the Churchills (quite some way into it). The PM and his family dined well during the war, thanks to the many gifts of food sent to them, not just from suppliers, but from ordinary people - the grateful nation. Georgina had written her own memoir, but sadly most of it was destroyed when her daughter told her nobody would be interested in it, which is such a shame, as it would have been good to get this history from the woman herself. The book contains excerpts from a few of Mrs Landemare's more unusual recipes. Mousse de Maple sounds interesting, but I might give the 'Cervelles à la Connaught' - a rich brain stew - a miss!
November 8, 2020
If you have read The Splendid and the Vile, then you MUST read this book for more insight into what was going on behind the scenes of Churchill's life. Frankly, you should read this book anyway, regardless. Georgina Landemare was a remarkable woman living in remarkable times. Her story is more than enough to grab your interest, but the book is made even more enjoyable by Dr. Gray's writing style. Reading this is like having a chat with your extremely erudite, sassy, warm-hearted, opinionated friend, which is the best way to learn about history. A joy.
I would love to read more about servants' lives, although I realize that it might be difficult to do the research on this. A publisher should commission Dr. Gray pronto to do this (and grab her quick - I've seen her on a few of Lucy Worsley's specials, and I suspect she is in high demand).
I would love to read more about servants' lives, although I realize that it might be difficult to do the research on this. A publisher should commission Dr. Gray pronto to do this (and grab her quick - I've seen her on a few of Lucy Worsley's specials, and I suspect she is in high demand).
November 13, 2021
I desperately wanted to love this book, and perhaps I still love the idea of it so much that I gave it an extra star.
The idea of time period, political period, described as evolution of food and service industry. Through a story of one woman, one family, a handful of kitchens.
I had hoped to savour all the detail but found myself skipping through some of it. Better prioritization of what’s important to deliver to the reader and what’s secondary would have made it into a superb read.
That said, it really lived up to my expectations: it’s history but not in the nuance of battle or political decisions, it’s history of mundane and not so mundane life and that is what drives the course of history in the first place
The idea of time period, political period, described as evolution of food and service industry. Through a story of one woman, one family, a handful of kitchens.
I had hoped to savour all the detail but found myself skipping through some of it. Better prioritization of what’s important to deliver to the reader and what’s secondary would have made it into a superb read.
That said, it really lived up to my expectations: it’s history but not in the nuance of battle or political decisions, it’s history of mundane and not so mundane life and that is what drives the course of history in the first place
March 26, 2020
There has obviously been a lot of research undertaken to write this book, and it does contribute a great deal to the social history of the time, but I did find it very heavy going and tedious. There is a lot of padding out when the details of Georgina’s life are not known, and I found this disappointing (it’s such a pity that her daughter and son-in-law told her that no-one would be interested in her life and she proceeded to shred her handwritten memoirs!). It did get a bit more interesting when she started to cook for the Churchill’s though, but it was well through the book before that period of her life began.
July 1, 2023
3.5 stars
Started off slowly as I was definitely more interested in the war years rather than Georgina's growing up and early working life.
An interesting look into the wartime menus and entertaining of the Churchills. Although if you are looking for juicy gossip, you will be disappointed. Mrs Landemare was loyal to Sir Winston and Lady Clementine to the end and had scant regard for tell-all memoirs about her employers.
Started off slowly as I was definitely more interested in the war years rather than Georgina's growing up and early working life.
An interesting look into the wartime menus and entertaining of the Churchills. Although if you are looking for juicy gossip, you will be disappointed. Mrs Landemare was loyal to Sir Winston and Lady Clementine to the end and had scant regard for tell-all memoirs about her employers.
May 2, 2020
While I appreciate that the author has spent a lot of time researching this book, for me I felt there was no depth of story. Maybe because historical novels are not normally my genre of book. It became a bit more interesting when Georgina started cooking for the Churchill family, but for me I struggled to finish reading the book.
March 9, 2020
My rating is based only on my enjoyment of the book and no criticism of how well written it is. I was expecting more about the personal detail of Georgies life rather than historical detail of the time. There is much to recommend this book it just wasn't for me.
February 10, 2024
It feels like you walk into a Chinese restaurant but is given a menu of Mexican food. This book does offer you a lot of details but I was hoping to read more about the interaction between Churchill and Georgina the cook,
July 31, 2020
A brilliant book. Well researched and an important story to celebrate.
November 19, 2020
This was a good read, that was very well researched.
June 12, 2021
A great insight into the end of the age of domestic service, the influence of France on higher class English cuisine, and of course the personal toll of working in such extraordinary circumstances.
November 30, 2021
Incredibly interesting. It was really good to read about the history of food and the life of a cook
September 1, 2022
What a wonderful book. I gobbled it up!
June 1, 2023
4.5 stars, very informative and easy to read.
April 16, 2024
Quite an interesting story, however i wasn’t quite expecting to read so many in depth descriptions of food. Those didn’t always captivate my interest
May 3, 2021
Interesting social history.
Want to read
January 30, 2020Mentioned on Miranda Mills YouTube Channel - January 30, 2020
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews