I remember freezing cold bedrooms with shiny cold eiderdowns as the top layer of bedding. I often got chilblains. We had it tough! Thank god for the duvet.
I think I must have blanked out life before the duvet, but I do remember wondering why it was so cold sleeping at my grandma's - it must have been those flimsy layers of sheets!
Brilliant! Alpen - remember that? 80% sugar and some rock hard sultanas in the bottom of a box of bla ... and the 80's F plan - F for fibre and farting obviously. But now, protein's all the rage - and half a wholemeal loaf defers to a sniff of some sour dough and three fish. Move over sermon on the mount.
Thank you Cherry! OMG my mum had the F Plan book! It makes me think of that brown twiggy stuff All Bran which must have been the height of no-fun health food. We still have no-fun foods but they seem somehow trendy and ok now!
Thanks so much Vicki! Duvets really are the height of sophistication aren’t they. Although now you’ve said the word ‘bedspread’ I’m hankering after one 😄
This is fascinating Faith, I’ve never really thought about it much, but how crazy that in “70 years we’ve gone from gramophone records, cod liver oil and iron bedsteads to Netflix, condoms and air fryers”!!!! 🤣🤣🤣 well done 👏🏻 great post 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I remember seeing a duvet for the first time, in about 1983, at my best friend’s house. Her family went on holiday to France every year and were arty and liberal. I told my mum about the duvet and she made a face of disapproval - I guess duvets were associated with sex.
Love this comment! Yes I hadn't thought about how transgressive duvets were until writing this. I love how you remember the year! A bit like the first time I saw a TV in a friend's kitchen. So much for a young mind.
I remember The Naked Chef coming onto our screens - it really was a revelation. At home, chuck a bit of this in a bit of that - and hey presto, you have an authentic pesto! Watching Delia (bless her) was like being told off by your physics teacher...but Jamie made her change tack and I think her later stuff was excellent.
Such a shame that Jamie has run out of ideas and I bought one of his books recently and it was terrible.
Thank you yes! Funny to think now how revolutionary he was, with that scooter and everything. Like the Britpop version of a chef. That's such a shame about his latest books - that turkey twizzler campaigning was great though.
Hi had NO IDEA about the duvet (or Doona as we weirdly call them here in Australia). I too thought they just always existed. Probably like my kids think streaming on-demand TV always existed 😆 Great read, thanks Faith!
I double-checked with my [Northern Irish] mother and she confirmed - growing up, we always called them quilts. I can't remember when I first heard duvets, but it was well after childhood. I remember growing up with the sheets and the quilt and then suddenly the sheets disappeared and it was just the duvet.
Not sure what this says about me, but I still eat muesli 3-4 times a week. But hey, I live in Austria, it's what they do here (if I didn't eat it, they'd probably deport me!)
I’m impressed that so many people have such clear recollections of this dawn of the duvet. I’ve been wracking my brains but I just can’t remember life before them. But I do remember the word quilt. And when ‘duvet days’ became a thing at work for a while.
Surely you get meusli for free over there?!
And thank you Daniel! I’ll still be kicking about in the notes etc 😁
I just loved this! A brilliant journey through consumer culture with some well chosen cameos - Jamie and Nigella slopping about the fromage frais, with a hint of Sir Tel in flagrante. I was briefly his scriptwriter, and I'm saying nothing! In fact I had to go and lie down in a darkened room with a bowl of Alpen. Spectacular writing Faith, as always!
Brilliant Faith, so interesting. I have to confess to liking muesli and salad cream. Which decade does that put me in? ☺️
Muesli for me too - but I live in Austria, if I didn't eat it, they'd deport me 😂
No salad cream anymore, but I used to love it.
Thanks so much Margaret, and for the restack 😄I’m not sure but I really fancy some salad cream now!
🤣 I’d forgotten the duvet started life as a Continental Quilt, very exotic! And it’s debatable if Alpen was really muesli but I won’t split hairs 😘
It was difficult to find the right muesli. I liked the crunch of Alpen but found it inedibly sweet. These days I like Lidl’s fruit and nut.
I haven't tried that! I think I'm still searching for the perfect muesli - the raisin ratio often spoils it - although Waitrose own is pretty good.
Best to make your own mix really.
Ha ha thanks Ruth. Is it because it tastes too nice?!.
errrrrrr, no :-)
I remember freezing cold bedrooms with shiny cold eiderdowns as the top layer of bedding. I often got chilblains. We had it tough! Thank god for the duvet.
I think I must have blanked out life before the duvet, but I do remember wondering why it was so cold sleeping at my grandma's - it must have been those flimsy layers of sheets!
My basket is stuck in 1987 - I buy brie on a weekly basis!
Glad to hear Stephanie! I felt sad for brie when I read this 😂
I can't believe they dropped Brie. Brie is lovely.
Brie is life!
I know right?! It's practically a condiment.
Brilliant! Alpen - remember that? 80% sugar and some rock hard sultanas in the bottom of a box of bla ... and the 80's F plan - F for fibre and farting obviously. But now, protein's all the rage - and half a wholemeal loaf defers to a sniff of some sour dough and three fish. Move over sermon on the mount.
Thank you Cherry! OMG my mum had the F Plan book! It makes me think of that brown twiggy stuff All Bran which must have been the height of no-fun health food. We still have no-fun foods but they seem somehow trendy and ok now!
Continental quilt! Two words I’ve not heard together for a *very* long time. I had mine - under a bed spread obvs - right up till
I went to uni in 1996 I think. Only then was I grown up & sophisticated enough for a duvet 🤣 Great post.
Thanks so much Vicki! Duvets really are the height of sophistication aren’t they. Although now you’ve said the word ‘bedspread’ I’m hankering after one 😄
This is fascinating Faith, I’ve never really thought about it much, but how crazy that in “70 years we’ve gone from gramophone records, cod liver oil and iron bedsteads to Netflix, condoms and air fryers”!!!! 🤣🤣🤣 well done 👏🏻 great post 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you Francis - and for the restack! So glad you liked it 😅
I remember seeing a duvet for the first time, in about 1983, at my best friend’s house. Her family went on holiday to France every year and were arty and liberal. I told my mum about the duvet and she made a face of disapproval - I guess duvets were associated with sex.
Love this comment! Yes I hadn't thought about how transgressive duvets were until writing this. I love how you remember the year! A bit like the first time I saw a TV in a friend's kitchen. So much for a young mind.
I remember The Naked Chef coming onto our screens - it really was a revelation. At home, chuck a bit of this in a bit of that - and hey presto, you have an authentic pesto! Watching Delia (bless her) was like being told off by your physics teacher...but Jamie made her change tack and I think her later stuff was excellent.
Such a shame that Jamie has run out of ideas and I bought one of his books recently and it was terrible.
Thank you yes! Funny to think now how revolutionary he was, with that scooter and everything. Like the Britpop version of a chef. That's such a shame about his latest books - that turkey twizzler campaigning was great though.
I cook myself a Full English on weekends. Crumpets every other day.
I remember my first Continental Quilt. (Nylon) Sheets and blankets before that.
I also remember my first bowl of Alpen. That was only for special occasions though because it was too expensive on other days.
Great memories - I didn't realise Alpen was so aspirational! Crumpets every other day is real living 👏🏻
It’s making me feel even older than usual seeing someone discussing nostalgia in relation to the 90s. I am nostalgic about the early 50s.
Thanks for reading Michael - I feel this when young Millennials reminisce about things like dial-up internet - surely that's only just happened?!
Brilliant Faith! 😊😍
Love you Ma xx
Hi had NO IDEA about the duvet (or Doona as we weirdly call them here in Australia). I too thought they just always existed. Probably like my kids think streaming on-demand TV always existed 😆 Great read, thanks Faith!
Doona isn’t as weird as you think. In Denmark, it is called a dyne, pronounced “doona”.
Oh wow! Maybe we took the Danish pronunciation and used our own phonetic spelling 🤣
Ha ha thanks Sara - love 'doona' 😆
I double-checked with my [Northern Irish] mother and she confirmed - growing up, we always called them quilts. I can't remember when I first heard duvets, but it was well after childhood. I remember growing up with the sheets and the quilt and then suddenly the sheets disappeared and it was just the duvet.
Not sure what this says about me, but I still eat muesli 3-4 times a week. But hey, I live in Austria, it's what they do here (if I didn't eat it, they'd probably deport me!)
You're leaving us for a month? Nooooooooo 😭😭😭
I’m impressed that so many people have such clear recollections of this dawn of the duvet. I’ve been wracking my brains but I just can’t remember life before them. But I do remember the word quilt. And when ‘duvet days’ became a thing at work for a while.
Surely you get meusli for free over there?!
And thank you Daniel! I’ll still be kicking about in the notes etc 😁
Super interesting Faith! And I only feel slightly triggered by your mention of duvets 🤣
Thanks so much Henny!
I just loved this! A brilliant journey through consumer culture with some well chosen cameos - Jamie and Nigella slopping about the fromage frais, with a hint of Sir Tel in flagrante. I was briefly his scriptwriter, and I'm saying nothing! In fact I had to go and lie down in a darkened room with a bowl of Alpen. Spectacular writing Faith, as always!
Ha ha ha what a great comment thanks so much Mike! My mind is literally boggling 🤣