Over a Hot Stove: Life below stairs in Britain’s great houses: the charming memoirs of a 1930s kitchen maid

Flo Wadlow was one of the last survivors of the pre-war generation which served ‘below stairs’ in the great houses of England. At the age of sixteen, Flo Wadlow left her family to begin what would become a distinguished life ‘in service’. Starting as a kitchen maid in South Kensington, she soon rose through the ranks, working at many great houses including Hatfield House in Hertfordshire and Blickling Hall in Norfolk. There she would be in charge of the kitchen by her early twenties and even cooked for royalty. In this delightful memoir, Flo provides a vivid and engaging account of what life was really like working ‘downstairs’ and a snap-shot of the privileged lives of her employers in a bygone era. A sincere and charming storyteller provides a snap-shot of the privileged lives of her employers in a bygone era; includes Flo’s recipes that she used during her time in service, such as the Blickling House Ginger Sponge.