Austerity Diary from Lavender Cottage 1947

In this diary the now famous Lavender Cottage occupant, Miss Emilie Crane, reveals intimate details of her daily life, giving us a picture of how one household managed during the depths of the austerity period that followed WWII.

With the same cheerful stoicism that was part of the war effort, Emilie continued to ‘make do’ and follow the government’s strict regulations on salvage, (recycling), that give lessons to the 21st Century. The wartime spirit of all being in it together still lingered but Miss Crane found time for sedate amusements and discreet gossip about neighbours.

As well as a wealth of the local history details beloved by Victoria Seymour’s readers, the diary contains austerity recipes and kitchen, gardening and household hints, making it the perfect bedside book.

Of Victoria’s social histories Joanna Lumley said:

“I can’t put Victoria Seymour’s books down. They’re just delightful and enthralling, a part of history which, unless she had preserved it, might have blown away, like sand in the desert."