TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

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kerrensimmonds
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TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by kerrensimmonds »

I am so sorry to report that I have had TWO phone calls this evening. Unbelievable and unprecedented!

a) Betty Jukes, 89, passed away last night after three weeks in hospital having been diagnosed with cancer. Her funeral is on 29 June 2011 at 1.15 p.m. at the crematorium in Hertford, in a deliberately simple service. Enquiries to Austin of Hertford (funeral directors) from whom further instructions re. e.g. donations may be obtained. She has a nephew who is in charge of her estate

b) Jean Taverner, 80, passed away last Wednesday. She was still playing the organ in Winchelsea up to March this year (as we had seen from another thread on this Forum). Her funeral is at St. Thomas Winchelsea at 2.00 p.m. on Monday 27 June 2011. A fellow Hertford Old Blue is in charge of her estate.

In respect of both Betty and Jean, I have agreed to receive and collate memories which might contribute to an obituary in the Old Blue. Both were highly respected in their time and thereafter, so please PM me with your contributions to this endeavour.

Thanks

Kerren
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by englishangel »

What a shock for you Kerren. Unfortunately I don't think I am going to be able to make either funeral as my colleague has just resigned with immediate effect and all the work is currently on my shoulders.
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by icomefromalanddownunder »

Hi Kerren

Thank you for passing on this information. I only spent one (two?) terms under BJ's tutelage, so will leave others to contribute to her obit. My enduring memory of Miss Taverner is of her playing the Widor. I am still stirred as I hear the wonderful, stirring notes in my head and remember wishing that I could just sit and listen to the very end, rather than having to file out of Chapel as the notes still soared.

I have to say that it is getting to the point where I am reluctant to open emails as so many humans and horses that we know have passed in the past few weeks. However, it is good to know that Miss T was doing what she did so well until the last few weeks.

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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by englishangel »

I am with Caroline on the Widor, it is still one of my favourite pieces of music.
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Katharine »

I have more memories of Betty Jukes than Miss Taverner - being totally unmusical. I think many of us remember BJ with a mixture of affection and exasperation! I only had cookery in Lower V for part of the year and then again in Senior VI when it was supposed to relax us and we were allowed to make any recipe we wanted. That time she really did help us and show us some tricks to achieve whatever it was we wanted that week.

Do you remember the masses of Christmas cakes she organised each year for the Christmas Sale? That must have taken some organisation. One time I made one of the cakes which was going to be our family cake. I said to her that our Christmas cake at home always had a wrapper, rather than icing on the sides, and a Father Christmas on the top - she assured me that I could make that too. When my parents were at the Sale my Mama was mortified to see our cake standing out from all the others as it had red sides - she saved money by reusing wrappers and not having icing there and did not want to be shown up in front of the whole school! I had been trying to give her what I thought she liked!
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by mvgrogan »

Forgive my poor memory, I was not in the choir, I did not play the organ and wasn't terribly musical at all, but was Jean Taverner at Hertford up to 1985? If so, then I think it was her who introduced Taize music to us... For me, this began a lifelong enchantment with Taize including 2 trips in the summers of 85 & 86 (or maybe 86 & 87). To this day I wear my Taize pendant daily and we have recently planned some regular Taize style services for our International Congregation.

Miss Jukes and I were NOT the best of friends... my slapdash style of cooking didn't fit with her regimented regime (!) and this led to me departing the O Level Cookery class after the mock exams! To this day the kitchen is not my favourite place to be...

RIP Both
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Vonny »

mvgrogan wrote: was Jean Taverner at Hertford up to 1985?
I think she was :? Like you Maria, I was not musical in any way shape of form but I am sure it was Miss Taverner who had us singing along to Johnny Appleseed in our music lesson. Must have been in my 1st or 2nd year at CH.
Katharine wrote: I think many of us remember BJ with a mixture of affection and exasperation!
I agree. I have said it before on here but I used to make myself sick with worry before her lessons. I always managed to cock something up (ie my fatless sponge that ended up looking like a biscuit :lol: ) and can still see her look of exasperation now :oops: Anyway, I went on to do cookery O level so had BJ for an extra year until 1985 when we moved to Horsham, the final year being taken by Miss Hartnett.
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by fra828 »

What a shock coincidence to get 2 phone calls with that sad news in the same evening, Kerren. I wasn't musical either and didn't really know Miss Taverner, but having done cookery from the 3rd year till 5th form I think ,(tho I didn't take cookery Olevel), and having had Miss Jukes as a form mistress in 5th form, I also remember her with a mix of trepidation and sort -of respect. I dreaded her cookery lessons too as she was such a perfectionist, but I did see a softer side when she was form mistress, she seemed more relaxed and more approachable. RIP to both teachers.
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Jo »

I didn't know Miss Taverner well - I did learn piano but never with her. But I remember her taking whole-school choir practice and I always thought she seemed more human than a lot of our teachers.

I don't remember being really scared of BJ at all, maybe because I only ever did two terms of cookery. Once in the 4th form and again in the Lower VIth. We mostly did baking and my mother had taught me to bake from an early age at home. I remember her being our form mistress in the 5th form and lapping up a complaint we made about one of our other mistresses - she did love a bit of gossip. She got it sorted though.

As others have said, RIP to both of them, and thanks for passing on the news Kerren.
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Angela Woodford »

Miss Jukes completely dominated my Sixth Form days at CH.

I had unwisely decided to take Home Economics as an 'A' level, based on the facts that I had chosen English and French, and couldn't think of anything else in which I might succeed. Miss Jukes had seemed such a nice woman during our previous brief encounters. I'd always loved to cook. Rock Cakes, Viennese Whirls, Banana Flan with it's jammy edges covered in dessicated coconut - I had produced them as part of a large class without too much difficulty. What was more, my dear friend Deirdre Hobbs was also doing Home Economics. The two of us, and nice Miss Jukes! The 'A' level was going to be two years of interesting accomplishment!

Does anybody else still begin a list beginning "Order of Work"?

If anybody ever wants a Miss Jukes recipe, I have them all, in the original recipe exercise book. Well, Pineapple Pudding is almost illegible, thanks to spillage, rings from my Little White Bowl, smears and possibly tears.

Miss Jukes was an astonishing multi-tasker. Her standards were exacting, and the eyes in the back of her head saw the things ordinary eyes could not see. How did she cover every square foot of the tiled Cookery School at speed, seeing all, correcting all and predicting all? I was used to being held up as an object of scorn by the languid sarcasm of Miss Blench - I had almost enjoyed the extreme erudition of her scorn. Regularly, I emerged from the ghastly experiences of DR's blunt candour - but DR only beat one up in the privacy of her Study or at House Interview. Miss Jukes went for showing up my incompetency in front of an audience of extremely sensible girls. We'd got past the volcanic moments of my one-time failure to wear my glasses for Cookery, but generally after a reproof, her eyes would range around her audience, and there'd be the odd sychophantic titter. Oh, the shame.

Cookery Prac. in the LV1 was for the two of us - but in the UV1 the sessions included the LV1 Home Economics pupils too. There were another four or five girls to witness my humiliation! My bench was next to that of blonde, ultra-competent, rosy-cheeked Jane Erskine, much praised by Miss Jukes (with a scornful glance in my direction) for her wonderful efficiency. Miss Jukes loved efficiency. Oh, the shame.

Three hours of Cookery Practical had me in panic-attack mode from maybe mid-Tuesday afternoons to the rushing from Chapel at 09.30 to line things up ready for the exhausting ordeal, during which I'd be reduced to a perspiring and despairing jelly - why couldn't somebody put me out on the windowsill to set?

Cookery Theory wasn't too bad. There was only the two of us and the textbook "Hildreth" through which we worked our careful way - I can see now the distressing anatomical photograph from the "Vitamins and Minerals" chapter illustrating Derbyshire Neck. By Jove! Pieces of wisdom from Miss Jukes come back to me. "If you can't afford good furniture, buy junkshop furniture and paint it white". (I did.) "Everybody feels more cheerful and optimistic on a sunny day." "Creaming margarine and sugar together creates an air-in-fat foam". And, rather presciently, "One in three women will suffer from depression in their lifetime." I looked at Deirdre and I looked at Miss Jukes. It certainly wasn't going to be either of them. So.....

Miss Jukes had taken a liking to my father, who'd chatted her up at a Sale of Work. When he had to undergo a serious gastric operation, Miss Jukes was thoughtful enough to express concern. "He'll have to be put on a Milk Diet" she said, briskly. I nodded, but shuddered at the prospect. She was wrong, thank goodness. But I was grateful for the kindly interest.

When I see Miss Jukes in my mind's eye, however, it's not in the Cookery School. It's dressed up for Speech Day, or similar occasion, in the lovat-green perfectly-tailored suit which rumour had it she had made herself. She'd be wearing co-ordinating upswept-wing spectacles, shoes with a slight heel and a brooch pinned to her left lapel. An immaculate look, a brisk manner, and, for my father, a coy blush.

Miss Jukes made one comment which I will remember always. (I interpret this insight as recognition that she would never lick me into shape as a sensible practical down-to-earth girl. "I'm going to knock some sense into you..." she'd say). I had written and produced a music-and-dance comedy sketch for one of those Entertainments, and this had taken her fancy.

"Now, that's what you should be doing for a living" she said. Thank you, Miss Jukes.
"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognise a cunning plan if it painted itself purple, and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again.""
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by bayleaf »

I remember both with affection, although I do remember Miss Jules sometimes frightened me to death when I did something wrong, or was about to. Nonetheless, she introduced me to cooking, which has been a fascination, a pleasure, a relaxation all my adult life. (So can I blame her for my constant battle with my weight?!) And I still think of her from time to time when I'm in the kitchen - rock cakes, Russian fish pie, even bread rolls, which I make often - and I cannot make custard without hearing her voice explaining the 'liaison' method.

I too remember whole-school choir practice with Miss Taverner, and how all that compulsory singing taught me the rudiments of how to sing, and helped me to develop a lasting love of singing. There are happy memories, too, of music lessons in, I think UIV, when she would introduce us to different genres and get us to respond to them in some way. She seemed kind, and encouraging, and definitely one of 'good guys'. And who could forget the Widor?
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by jhope »

How very sad - I don't visit this site as often as I should and when I do, it always seems that yet another familiar name has passed on. My abiding memory of Miss Taverner is of Carmina Burana - which I think we "did" for Speech day. Everyone knows it now thanks to Classic FM and Old Spice but at the time what an extraordinary - almost avant-garde choice and a piece I have loved ever since, despite our undoubted mangling of it. I always think of her at Christmas also when I hear yet another obscure but beautiful carol that I first came across at CH - despite not really being able to sing i always enjoyed the preparation for the carol services.

As for Miss Jukes.....does anyone else remember the great egg disaster? Can't remember what we were meant to be making that lesson but even after the entire class had broken their eggs into their saucepans - she maintained that she had actually told us to place our egg into a saucepan ...cue lecture on wasting good food and on listening properly - but she did come up with a solution to use up the eggs - did we eventually poach them? But there was no doubt she was also a good teacher and one of the more human ones and certainly I thank her for the cooking basics she knocked into me. Sadly I have lost my recipe book years ago - so if anyione has the recipe for Pineapple Pudding and for her rock cakes I for one would be very grateful!

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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Katharine »

I think Russian Fish Pie is the recipe I'd like, I have never made it since school but have often thought about it. I think we all saw the same recipes come up year after year - Prune mould sounded awful but it was very tasty - or so I thought!
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Angela Woodford »

Here you are, Katharine - Russian Fish Pie. The original Miss Jukes recipe!

Recipe: 6 oz flaky pastry.
4 oz fish.
1 egg.
1/4 pt coating white sauce.
1/4 tsp parsley.

Method:

1. Make flaky pastry, cool.
2. Wash fish and boil 3 mins, strain immediately.
3. Hard boil egg.
4. Make white sauce.
5. Shell and chop up egg, flake fish, add to sauce, cool.
6. Light oven no. 10. Elec. 500.
7. Roll out pastry into 12in square, place fish in centre, wet edges, make into envelope.
8. Brush with egg. (Did we share a beaten egg for glazing?)
9. Bake 10mins no 10, lower oven to no 7, 15 mins.

I like the lack of open punctuation and the numbered Method. It adds a Jukesian terseness to the recipe. The Sainted Delia does a much more generous version of this in her Complete Cookery Course. It's called "Flaky Fish Pie". No doubt you can sex it up any way you like! :tonqe:

Now, for Juliana... I note you use that dreaded Jukesian expression "the cooking basics she knocked into me"!

Rock Cakes

Recipe: 3 oz s.r. flour.
1 1/2 oz marg.
1 1/2 oz sugar.
1/2 egg.
1 oz currants.

Method: 1. Light oven no.5. Elec. 400
2. Chop and rub fat into flour
3. Add sugar and currants.
4. Mix with egg.
5. Add milk if necessary.
6. Bake 10-15 mins.

I do hope you have a pile of old marg wrappers by your scales for greasing a baking tray.

Now the Pineapple Pudding. Alas, my Cookery Exercise Book is horribly stained and battered at this page. I'll do my best to decipher it. I have a treasured ancient copy of Katie Stewart's 1972 Times Cookery Book, which includes Pineapple Meringue amongst the Hot Puddings. I've made an even nicer version myself over the years with fresh pineapple and juice - a big hit with my new son-in-law.

However - here goes -

Pineapple Pudding.

Recipe: 11/2 oz p. flour.
11/2 oz marg

1/2 pt milk. (measure l.w.b.)
11/2 oz sugar.
1/8 pt. pineapple...? (it must be syrup from the tin - illegible)
1 tsp lemon juice.
2 eggs, separated v. carefully.
31/2 rings tinned pineapple, drain 1/2 large tin.

Method: 1. Cut pineapple into small pieces, separate eggs.
2. Make white roux sauce
3. Remove from heat and add sugar, pineapple, pineapple syrup, egg yolks and lemon juice.
4. Return to heat and cook 1-2 mins.
5. Add pineapple and pour into dish.
6. Whisk egg whites and fold (divide-mark into 3) in 4 oz sugar (on tin plate)
7. Pile or pipe meringue on top.
8. Dry off 1 hr at reg 1/2.

Right - if you're all au fait with those recipes - by Jove, you should be!
"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognise a cunning plan if it painted itself purple, and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again.""
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Angela Pratt 56-63 »

How sad....
My memories of Betty Jukes are such good ones....despite her threatening behaviour!
After Queenie Blench's dismissal of me after 1 years failure at Latin,(I was the only one I ever knew it happen to...) instead of me having to sit and read in the corridor while my form had their latin lessons, Betty offered to include me in the B form's Saturday morning cookery lesson. At first she was as crushing as Queenie had been, but then started chatting to me. In those days we were often given our post seconds before lessons on Sat, so used to take it with us for a surreptitious read. I (bravely!) did this but she caught me and made a dismissive remark about other weekday's post, but when I explained it was the only letter I had each week,she nosily enquired further. It was my weekly one from my mother with news of all the family(I was one of 7) including my brothers at Horsham. Mum used to write us all an identical letter - I often used to hear what I was doing too...
After this she asked me each week about the family and got to know about them well. She was particularly amused when my elder brother Ian got an Open scholarship to Cambridge in Classics - Betty insisted on telling Queenie and apparently suggested I might have improved and done the same if Queenie had kept me on! Also when my "baby" sister Charlotte was born she and Margaret Wilson sent us a card and a knitted jacket for her - or was it booties?
I also remember how she was as worried as I was when one week I didn't have a letter. then the secretary arrived holding a letter and asked my brothers' names. Betty replied correctly(!) and thought it hilarious when I was given a letter addressed to Graham Pratt, Maine A ,Christ's Hospital ,HERTFORD .My Mother had got muddled up. We never did find out what happened to my letter!

Yes I remember all those same recipes - rock cakes, jam buns, kedgeree, Russian fish pie etc. When we made our Christmas cakes she insisted on me using double quantities so that there would be enough for all the family. Even when after a couple of years I stopped cookery, due to timetable alterations, Betty kept asking for news of the family and even gave me a christmas cake that nobody wanted!

Wow this has brought back memories!
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