To briefly encapsulate the astonishing, brutal, captivating life she led would be difficult, but here goes: She was raped at the age of 7, from which she
Lee moved in with Roland Penrose in London just as the Blitz started. As an American, she did not have clearance to work at any real job. Her letters (of which she made copies to keep) make fascinating reads. When Fortnum & Mason declined to sell her a one-of-a-kind display spice hamper, they asked why she was so determined to have it. She explained that when cities are under siege, the defenders end up eating rats, and if that was her fate during the war, at least hers would taste good! Unable to persuade Fortnum, Lee learned to create feasts out of what she could forage. She also finally became an accredited War Correspondent for Vogue after she had submitted a smashing piece with photographs on Edward R. Murrow. She documented women in the war effort – women sailors, searchlight operators and Land Girls – with marvelous photos and text. And yes, she landed with the Normandy Invasion too, probably the only female war correspondent reporting from combat zones, and was put under house arrest after her scoop on the siege of St. Malo. Still, she managed to cover Liberation Day in Paris, Belgium and Luxembourg. One of my favorite photos, which I purchased from the site, is the one with champagne and gasoline buried in snow on the balcony of her room in a Paris hotel. The archives offer a mesmerizing gallery of her photography as well as images of some of her colleagues.
“I keep saying to everyone, ‘I didn’t waste a minute all my life’ – but I know myself, now, that if I had it over again, I’d be even more free with my ideas, with my body and my affection.”
“Cookbooks are my favourite bedtime reading, sometimes I consult as many as fifty books for one recipe before I throw them aside and go off on my own”. And since they are my favorite bedtime reading too, I bought the book beautifully organized by her grand-daughter, “Lee Miller A Life With Food, Friends & Recipes” It is by my bed. And there will be a Travel Alert Post in Kitchen Detail next year as I am definitely going to Farleys House.
After owning one of the best cooking stores in the US for 47 years, Nancy Pollard writes a blog about food in all its aspects – recipes, film, books, travel, superior sources and food related issues.
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Nancy: I LOVE your blog! Question:: the recipe for Hill Country Peach Cobbler: the ingredients include use of white sugar and light brown sugar. However, in the instructions there is no mention of when to mix in the white sugar. I have re-read that recipe numerous times, but do not see when the white sugar is to be added. Help! Sure hope that you are enjoying summer. Warm regards.
Hi Gwenn,
We are delighted that you love the blog and thank you for spreading the word about KD! Glad you caught that omission too and I have corrected it. The white sugar is added with the flour etc. Let us know when you make it.
Best regards,
Nancy