TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Share your memories and stories from the Hertford Christ's Hospital School, which closed in 1985, when the two schools integrated to the Horsham site....

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Kim2s70-77
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Kim2s70-77 »

Angela Woodford wrote: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.

AW - PLEASE put this in the Hertford book!! I love to read what you write!!
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Angela Woodford »

How kind of you, Kim! Believe me, when I put together "Go and Throw Yourself Out of The Window", Miss Jukes will feature a very great deal.

I left in 1971. I always wondered how Miss Jukes reacted to all the new flavours, products, restaurants and ingredients which arrived subsequently to transform British food. I imagine she would have adored the microwave. I can remember sitting, incredulous, in front of this new invention, watching a bowl of water come to the boil.

"Come along now, Angela Marsh, get a move on. There's no need to stare at the microwave. How ever are you going to get finished? (Exasperated voice) I don't know. You must work more quickly if you're going to get through this 'A' Level, and as things are, I don't see how you will." :evil:

Our recipes, as Katharine remembers, were the same for many generations of girls. I really love this list of ingredients.

Basic Curry

Recipe:

1 apple. (dice)
1 carrot. (dice)
3 rounded tsps flour. (in pan 1)
1 tsp chutney.
1 squeeze lemon j.
3/4 pt water.
1/2 stock cube.
11/2 oz marge.
1tbsp curry powder.
1tsp plum jam.
2 tsps sultanas.
1tsp dess coconut.
3 oz long grain rice.

Vonny will remember, maybe? Was the repertoire of recipes ever changed? How about Coloured Milk?
"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 Katharine »

Thanks for that Angela - I thought Russian Fish Pie was much more exotic than that! It really sounds very simple - but of course we learnt to make the pastry too didn't we - no Jus-rol for us then!
Katharine Dobson (Hills) 6.14, 1959 - 1965
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Angela Woodford »

Jus-Rol?

Katharine, I'm shocked, I really am.

:shock: :shock: :shock:

4oz. flour.
2 1/2 - 3oz mixed fat. (Yuck! Cheap marge and cheap lard creamed together on tin plate!)
1/4 tsp salt.
1/8pt water (One gill? Measured in that little aluminium pot-thing.)
Squeeze of lemon.

The BJ RFP used 6oz flaky pastry. We must have increased the pastry recipe.

I've made a lovely deluxe version of the Russian Fish Pie with salmon, rice and herbs. It was delicious.

Can you imagine Miss Jukes if cling-film had been invented? The expense of every 1/8 of an inch of it! Extravagance.... And what of the obesity epidemic? Girls with large tummies revealed, cramming fast food into themselves on the pavements? Mothers feeding their children on chips and Coca-Cola? No teaching of proper nutrition! :shock:
"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 jhope »

Angela - thanks so much for the recipes. I feel an afternoon of pure nostalgia in the kitchen coming on.......!
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by fra828 »

Thanks for those recipes Angela W, I love the simplicity of the ingredients. My favourite B Jukes recipe was melting moments biscuits, which I used to make in the holidays and sell at the local WI market- one day I made 2s6d old money and thought it was a fortune! I was only 14 at the time and too young to get a holiday job.
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Angela Woodford »

That was so enterprising of you, Frances!

Just to remind you -

Melting Moments.

Recipe:

4 oz s. r. flour.
1 oz rolled oats.
3 oz margarine.
3 oz caster sugar.
1/2 egg.
Vanilla essence.
To coat: rolled oats.
To decorate: halved glacé cherries.

Method:

1. Light oven no 2. Grease 2 baking tins.
2. Grease 2 baking tins.
3. Make, using creaming method, adding oats with flour.
4. Divide into 12.
5. Roll into balls, coating each with oats.
6. Bake 25-30 mins.
7. While still warm, press in cherries.
"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 »

When i started at CH in 1956 they still had the "laundry room" ton ground floor Science block that was shortly to become Miss Wilson's geography room. Am I right in thinking that Betty Jukes was in charge of that too?
fra828
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by fra828 »

[quote="Angela Woodford"]That was so enterprising of you, Frances!

When I read my post back I thought perhaps it was a bit of a cheek to make Miss Jukes' own recipe and make money out of it, even tho it was only a few shillings really, but thanks for saying that Angela! Many thanks alsofor taking the time to post the recipe again too- my cookery book got chucked out years ago, but I remember it was an off- white colour and always smelt of flour!
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Angela Woodford »

I was just thinking - I liked Melting Moments as per BJ recipe - but think how nice they'd be made with butter!

The Cookery School always smelled of that economy margarine!
"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 Katharine »

Angela Pratt 56-63 wrote:When i started at CH in 1956 they still had the "laundry room" ton ground floor Science block that was shortly to become Miss Wilson's geography room. Am I right in thinking that Betty Jukes was in charge of that too?
My aunt used to talk about living in a domestic science flat in the Science Block. That was long before your time Angela! Was the Laundry room the whole of the ground floor on that side of the stairs? Miss Gamble had her flat next to the Geography room and I assumed that was where the domestic science flat had been.
Katharine Dobson (Hills) 6.14, 1959 - 1965
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Liz60 »

Haven't looked at this forum for a week or two and just read about these two deaths in the Old Blue email. Another bit of childhood gone!

My abiding memories of Miss Jukes concern my misdemeanors, of course. The first one that comes to mind happened one evening when she was on duty in the house (1's) and caught me (I hardly dare confess this, even 40 years later) drinking coffee with the spoon still in the mug (there - I've said it! What relief!). She looked at me witheringly over those glasses and exclaimed, "Really, Elizabeth! I thought better of you!" Something made me reply, "Oh, my father does it!" At which all colour left her face as she gasped, "But he's...in...Holy Orders!"

The second time was when I had forgotten to post the prep rota in the staff room by about 5 minutes into term (can't remember why that was my job). There was an imperious rapping on the study window and there stood BJ, demanding to know why it wasn't there. I confessed that I had forgotten, to which she retorted, "And you - a prefect!" I was suitably withered. But I must say I was very fond of her and she was often very kind.

Miss Taverner I remember as one of those teachers who have a profound influence on one's life. I was never one of her pupils (I had one lesson from her once when Mr Dodd had been sacked for "inappropriate behaviour" and probably learnt more in that lesson than in all the 9 years put together!) but I was in the choir, and thanks to her developed a lifelong love of choral singing; I've always been in at least one choir since the day I left CH. I'm just so grateful to her for teaching us to read music, sing psalms, perform choral works and develop a love of music - this she did with such great humour - dreadful jokes - and an irrepressible sense of fun.

RIP both of them.
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by kerrensimmonds »

Thank you for that, Liz. What a wonderful posting for both Betty and Jean. Kerren
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Pixie »

Liz60 wrote:My abiding memories of Miss Jukes concern my misdemeanors, of course. The first one that comes to mind happened one evening when she was on duty in the house (1's) and caught me (I hardly dare confess this, even 40 years later) drinking coffee with the spoon still in the mug (there - I've said it! What relief!). She looked at me witheringly over those glasses and exclaimed, "Really, Elizabeth! I thought better of you!"
I still drink coffee with the spoon in the mug but have never understood why I do it. Now I know!
3.8 65-72
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Re: TWO deaths : Betty Jukes and Jean Taverner

Post by Angela Woodford »

As I remember it, we would make coffee (powdered instant) with boiled milk from that saucepan. Nobody could ever bear to wash it up after them, preferring to leave it in the sink filled with cold water. The next person would empty out the water, then boil their milk. When the milk was slightly off in summer, the smell was horrible.

Anyway, with this boiled-milk coffee, unless it were kept agitated with a spoon every few minutes, a disgusting skin would form on top. Blerrgggh! I still hate boiled milk :x and the smell thereof :x , and still keep my spoon in the mug.
"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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