AUSTRALIAN COOKING METHODS

Article Published in the Illustrated Bristol News 1960.

IT could be said that Jones and Co. Ltd., of St. James' Barton, Bristol, was founded twice—once in 1843 and again in 1940 after the German blitz shattered the company's fortunes and wiped the store from the face of Bristol. In one night, on November 24th, Jones' store in Wine Street and High Street, City Centre, the culmination of almost 100 years' trading and steady expansion, was razed to the ground together with stock worth thousands of pounds and valuable records which chronicled its progress.

Everything, in fact, was lost. All that was left were piles of twisted, smouldering ruins. But, typical of the spirit set by the founder in 1843, Thomas Jones, whose whiskers were as expansive as his business foresight, the company lost no time in making a fresh start to their business. It did so within three weeks. While the search went on for new premises soon to be found in Stapleton Road, a team ol thirty-two buyers with thousands of pounds to spend on purchasing new stock went out to markets in London, Manchester and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, in Bristol, employees set about feeding the army of salvage workers. Only the day after the blitz the pavement outside Jones former restaurant in Mary-Le-Port Street was turned into a 'cookhouse.' Meals were cooked (very tastefully by all accounts) over a steel grate fired by rafters salvaged from the charret buildings. It is interesting to note that this novel 'action station' so impressed Miss Norma Bull, an Australian War Correspondent, that she was inspired to produce a water colour drawing of the scene.

Thomas Jones, whose portrait hangs in the office of Mr. George Brymer, present chairman of the company and a former managing director, started his career in business in partnership with a colleague in Boston, Lincolnshire. In 1843, when he came to Bristol he opened the first ' Jones ' drapery store at 56 Wine Street. A character was Thomas Jones. It is said that he was sometimes in dispute with the Corporation and that he won a court action against them.

He chose to mark the occasion, rather cheekily but in keeping with his Welsh sense of humour, by creating a crest. This shows a Welsh pony driving the city councillors before it. But to return to Thomas Jones the businessman who saw in Bristol a great potential for trade ..... His pioneering methods of retailing soon attracted attention and was cause for some amusement in the city.

He introduced, for instance, eye-catching window displays such as exhibiting a Welsh pony (which in Mr. Brymer's time were sold for as little as 30s.), and used bacon, cheese, beer and tobacco to share a window with silks and satins. As trade prospered, as it most certainly did, ' T.J.' gradually acquired more shop frontages in Wine Street and High Street and the fact that the company could never acquire the central pivotal building, namely the famous old Dutch House, was a constant source of regret.

Jones grew up as it were in the Victorian era and in those days transport was generally tedious. This did not altogether bother Jones. They maintained their own stables in Broadmead on the site now occupied by Boots. Four horse vans and eight horses were kept there, and these were a familiar sight around the bustling, narrow streets. Many alterations were made to the Wine Street—High Street buildings, and it is a sad thought that the fourth major alteration there was only completed on the Saturday before the blitz.

At that time Jones had more than 750 employees. Quite obviously, not all could be retained. It is significant, therefore, that in the face of such adversity, the company policy was to retain its workers for as long as possible until they either found other employment or were taken back on the payroll. The company continued its search for more premises and within six months shops were also operating at Kingswood. Queens Road, Wells Road, Lawrence Hill, Broadmead, Mary-Le-Port Street and Merchant Street.

Preparation Time

30 minutes
Cooking Time

25 minutes
Makes

18
Ingredients

* 250g butter, at room temperature
* 330g (1 1/2 cups) caster sugar
* 2 tsp vanilla essence
* 4 eggs, at room temperature
* 450g (3 cups) self-raising flour, sifted
* 250ml (1 cup) milk
* 100g (1/2 cup) raw caster sugar
* 80ml (1/3 cup) water
* 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 315g (1 cup) raspberry jam

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 18 large (185ml/ 3/4-cup) muffin pans with paper cases.
2. Use an electric beater to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla essence in a large bowl until very pale and creamy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until combined. Use a large metal spoon to gently fold in half the flour alternately with half the milk, until well combined. Repeat with remaining flour and milk.
3. Spoon the mixture evenly into the paper cases. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.
4. Meanwhile, combine sugar and water in a saucepan, and stir over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside for 20 minutes to cool to room temperature. Use an electric beater to beat the butter in a small bowl until white and creamy. Add the sugar syrup in a thin, steady stream and beat until well combined.
5. Use a sharp knife to cut a shallow V-shaped piece out of the top of each cake, about 1.5cm deep, leaving a 2cm-wide edge. Cut the piece of cake in half crossways to form 2 semicircles. Fill centre of each cake with 21/2 tsp of raspberry jam. Arrange 2 semicircles of cake in jam. Place mock cream into a clean piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm diameter fluted nozzle and pipe down centre between the "wings" on each cake.

Source

Australian Good Taste - July 2002 , Page 67
Recipe by Sarah Hobbs