It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide
Aprons and Silver Spoons

Aprons and Silver Spoons

The heartwarming memoirs of a 1930s scullery maid

Summary

'IF YOU LOVE DOWNTON, THIS IS RIGHT UP YOUR STREET! Closer

If you liked Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs, it's time to discover the true story in Mollie Moran's Sunday Times charming bestselling memoir of life as a 1930s kitchen maid.

When young Mollie became a 'skivvy' in a stately London townhouse aged just 14, she quickly learned that she would need a large amount of elbow grease and a sense of humour.

Through Mollie's eyes we are offered a fascinating glimpse into London's invisible 'downstairs', a world that has long-since vanished: cooking huge roast dinners, polishing doorknobs, scrubbing steps - and covering up her employers' scandals.

Going to dances with her fellow servants and flirting with Harrods' errand boys, she had no idea that the oncoming war in 1939 would change her world, and that of those she served, forever...

Discover the real hardships and rewards for a pre-war domestic servant in Mollie Moran's charming memoir.

__________

'This evocative memoir . . . provides a fascinating insight into a world that has long since disappeared' Sun

'A vivid, entertaining and human glimpse into life in service during the 1930s complete with recipes, tips and photos' My Weekly

About the author

Mollie Moran

Born in 1916, Mollie Moran was ninety seven when she died in 2014 at her home in Dorset. Mollie grew up in Norfolk and was sent to London as a scullery maid at the age of just 14. Working 'downstairs' at stately homes such as Wood Hall and Wallington Hall during the 1930s, her teenage years were spent scrubbing floors and shovelling coal, but she always looked back on that time fondly. She even remained friends with Flo, the kitchen maid from the first household she worked in, throughout her life.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more