The Twinning of a Town offers many benefits including the sharing of customs, traditions and cultures. A wonderful example of this took place on 1 September, in Pembroke, Malta, which is twinned with Pembroke, Wales.

I had the pleasure, together with deputy mayor Mr Alfred Mazzitelli, to meet Jenny Kenna, the author of Susan’s Secrets – A Victorian Kitchen in Wales, who presented us with a signed copy of her book for the library in Pembroke.

Susan of Susan's Secrets was Susan Webb who came from the Welsh County of Pembrokeshire and was Ms Kenna’s grandmother. It was in Pembroke, Wales, when, in 1892, Susan began her working life as a kitchen maid, aged fifteen and was being trained to become the cook. During this apprenticeship, she would have to sit down at the kitchen table every evening and, under the watchful eye of the stern old Victorian cook, meticulously wrote recipes in her cookery notebook.

When Jenny discovered this fascinating hand-written cookery notebook it was as if she had found a hidden treasure. The notebook contains over 70 recipes, largely focusing on cakes and puddings, but there are savoury dishes and a few surprises such as how to make orange gin. In addition, there is a small collection of poetry that Susan Webb had very carefully copied.

Ms Kenna soon began to cook each recipe precisely according to her grandmother’s notebook. The results were mouth watering and it occurred to her that this very old cookery notebook was worthy of publication – and that’s exactly what has happened. It was published in May by Ceiniog of Cardiff.

Included in this nostalgic cookery book one finds the original pages from the old notebook, with up-to-date versions of the old recipes and glimpses of Susan Webb’s life and history.

The Welsh Books Council recently announced that this book was in their top ten best-selling list in Wales for the month of June and is already into a second edition.

And, now because of the Town Twinning and the links these two towns called Pembroke share – Susan’s Secrets – A Victorian Kitchen in Wales, has found its way on the book shelves of Pembroke in Malta.

Joe Zammit

Mayor, Pembroke (Malta)