Cooking times

Cooking times in these old cookbooks can go one of two ways. You can either spend a minute pressure cooking your spinach and 30 seconds on your tomatoes, or for regular boiling of vegetables on the stove, you could use these times from the Edmonds Cookery Book, seventh edition.

• Cauliflower – 20 to 30 minutes
• Onions – 45 to 60 minutes
• Peas – 20 minutes
• Spinach – 10 to 15 minutes

The Edmonds Cookery Book does not recommend boiling tomatoes, but it does suggest that you boil beetroot for one to two hours.