Phyllis Nan Sortain "Primrose" Pechey (1909–1994), better known as Fanny Cradock, was an English writer, restaurant critic and television cook.
From 1942 Cradock, writing under the name Frances Dale, published a series of romantic novels; she also used the pseudonym as her by-line when she was the editor of the Sunday Graphic, a position she held for four years.[1][2] In 1948 she, with her partner Major Johnnie Cradock, joined The Daily Telegraph, writing a food and drink column under the nom de plume "Bon Viveur".[1] The columns were published in book form, and the Cradocks produced several works detailing travels around European eateries.[1][3] From 1955 Cradock began appearing on television[4] either on her own, or with Johnnie. According to her biographer Paul Levy, his character was portrayed as "the subservient sidekick, good only for handing Fanny her frying pan and knowing which wine to serve".[1] According to Eddie Dyja, writing for the British Film Institute, Fanny's onscreen character was, "bossy, [with] no-nonsense delivery, and [an] unusual penchant for glamour".[5]
From 1975 Cradock published a series of ten historical novels set at the fictional "Castle Rising". According to the author's foreword to The Lormes of Castle Rising (1975), when Cradock began writing the book in 1966, she was unaware of the existence of a real Castle Rising in Norfolk. The novels, while fiction, take some inspiration from Cradock's own genealogy; for example, the crest of the Lormes features the same astrolabe as the crest of her Norman ancestor Gilbert de Peche.[6]
Geddes, Kevin (2019). Keep Calm and Fanny On! The Many Careers of Fanny Cradock. Coventry, West Midlands: Fantom Publishing. ISBN978-1-7819-6339-5.
Journals, newspapers and magazines
Geddes, Kevin (November 2017). "Above All, Garnish and Presentation: An Evaluation of Fanny Cradock's Contribution to Home Cooking in Britain". International Journal of Consumer Studies. 41 (6): 745–753. doi:10.1111/ijcs.12387.