Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame

Before placing her baby for adoption, teenage Jenny writes three recipes in a small book which she leaves with the family. Jenny’s use of recipes from this book on Britain Bakes leads to her reunification with her son, who kept and used the book and recognized the recipes. The recipe book acts as a symbol of the power of food to bring people together, enabling Jenny to be a part of her son’s life even after they are separated, connecting to the theme of The Connection Between Food, Memory, and Love.

Throughout the book, Jenny refers to the recipe book as “cassock-blue” in color. The reference to a cassock, or a holy robe, reflects the sacred power of the recipe book in Jenny’s imagination. As a teenager, Jenny believes that “there’s something of love in food” (235), and she hopes that leaving her son a book of family recipes will help her communicate her love for him after they are separated. Jenny believes that when her son “sees [she’s] written him recipes, he’ll know that [she] care[s]” (235). On the day they are separated, Jenny leaves him with the book, hoping that “through this she would be with him always” (271).