Required: About one and a half pounds of best end neck of lamb. Salt and pepper.

. Cut the neck into neat chops, and trim off a little of the fat; sprinkle a dust of salt and pepper on each chop. Heat the gridiron, and rub it over with a piece of suet; lay on the chops, and grill them over a clear fire, turning them once. They will take from five to ten minutes, and should be of a tempting brown colour.

Arrange a bed of mashed potato on a hot dish, put the chops on this, pressing them slightly into the potato to keep them in place Place a pat of Maitre d'hotel butter on each chop, and hand with them a tureen of mint sauce.

Cost, about 1s. 3d.

Housekeeping Hints - Beating and Stirring Mixtures - Stoning Raisins - Rubbing through a

Sieve - Lining a Cake-tin - How to Peel Tomatoes

To Beat Mixtures

Tip up the basin a little towards you, holding the spoon rather high up, and with the bowl of the spoon turned downwards, keep lifting up the mixture, as it were, out of the basin. The object is to force air into it, which will expand with the heat of cooking, and so lift up and lighten the mixture. Unless the mixture is pulled up well the beating is apt to degenerate into merely-stirring, which is quite a different action. It should also be recollected that beating the basin is unpleasantly noisy, and perfectly useless. Beating should be done from the wrist, not from the shoulder, as, if the latter action is adopted, the muscles will very soon tire.

To Stir Mixtures

A circular movement of the spoon is here adopted, and for some mixtures, such as Mayonnaise sauce, it is important that the movement should always be made in one direction, either right to left or left to right, whichever is most convenient. When stirring mixtures over the fire, in order to prevent them from sticking to the pan and burning, the bowl of the spoon should move up and down and round, feeling the bottom of the pan all the time. To merely move the mixture on the top is useless.

To Stone Raisins

Have a small basin or cup close at hand containing a little warm water. Cut the raisin in half lengthways, but not right through - so that it opens like a book. Pick out the stones with the finger and thumb of the right hand, holding the raisin in the left. Drop the stones into the water. This is a much cleaner method than scraping them off on to a piece of paper or a plate, the touch of water also helping to free the fingers a little from the objectionable stickiness. A slight touch of butter on the fingers also reduces the stickiness.

To Chop Candied Peel

First of all remove the lump of hard sugar frequently found in the centre. It is impossible to chop this, but it need not be wasted, as it may be used instead of the ordinary sugar for making gingerbread and milk puddings. Then turn the peel hollow side downwards on the board, and slice it in any size desired. If it should be old, and therefore dry and hard, soak it for a little time in tepid water.

To Rub Mixtures Through Sieves

Select a basin or plate that the sieve will just fit over, and a medium-sized wooden spoon. One that is too large or small becomes at last almost painful to use. Place the sieve so that the deepest part from the wire (or hair) portion down to the edge of the wooden part is put over the basin.

Turn the mixture out on the upper part, not too much at a time. Take hold of the wooden spoon close up to the bowl so that the first and second ringers are placed just inside it, and next, with heavy, long strokes working towards you, rub the soup, fruit, meat, etc., through the sieve, adding more as may be required. Every now and then scrape underneath the sieve with a clean iron spoon, as if it is a stiff mixture it may remain hanging, and pressure will be needed, not only to rub the substance through the sieve, but to force down that on the underside as well.

To Line a Cake-tin with Greased Paper

Fold a piece of kitchen paper into three layers. Place the cake-tin on it, and mark the size of the bottom of the tin on the paper with a pencil. Remove the tin and cut round the line so that there are three rounds the exact size of the tin. Next fold a sheet of paper so that it will form a band of three or four thicknesses, and be about three inches higher than the tin. It must be long enough to fold right round the tin, and for the ends to neatly lap over one another.

Lay this band on the table, and turn back and well grease the uncut edge to the depth of about a quarter of an inch. Notch this turned-back flap at intervals so as to enable it to lie out flat when placed round the tin inside. Well grease the band and round of paper all over. Put the long band smoothly round the tin inside, and let the notched edge spread out flat on the bottom of the tin. Lay in the bottom rounds of paper, and the tin will be neatly and completely lined throughout.

To Prepare a Meringue Board

The correct board for this purpose should be about three inches thick, like an unusually thick pastry-board, the object being to have a thick layer of wood between the under parts of the meringues and the hot shelf of the oven. Brush the board slightly over with salad oil. Spread one or more sheets of foolscap on the top, according to the size, and brush these also lightly with oil. Do not put more than the necessary amount. The paper must be quite flat, and if thought necessary it may be held in place with four drawing-pins. It is then ready to receive the meringues prior to baking them.

To Peel Tomatoes Easily

Dip them into some boiling water for about a minute; then lift them out, and the skins can be removed with ease. If they are required cold, a quarter of an hour or so should be allowed for them to become thoroughly chilled again before use.