Food and Drink
Visiting Dundee
In the early 50s my mother and grandmother converted 2 attic bedrooms in our house in Grangetown, Cardiff into b&b bedrooms. We used to take in BRS drivers and we had our regulars mostly from Scotland. Read more......
Market Life
"They had a market at Murraygate (in 1950's) and we used to get busters, chips and peas. She just stood and fried them. When you finished, she just dipped the plate in and used it for the next person (laugh), never hygiene, was it? (laugh) But everybody loved them!"
Beattie's Bread
I have a 1935 copy of a puBlication from Glasgow called 'The Bulletin' I could not find any reference to it but there is an advertisement on the back page for Beattie's Bread, I recall my Nanny speaking about different products from Scotland and England and this is one of them. Is it still in business? Just curious.
School Holidays
Spent a lot of my school holidays at my grans in Catherine Street, Dundee and with my auntie and uncle in Monifieth. Always remember 'Land O Cakes' scones and getting eggs and four from there. Also the chippie and mealie puds. Mum was a Dundonian and dad served in the fire service for a while. Good times!
Johnnie Norries Candy Store
On Main Street I loved the smell coming oot o' Johnnie Norries candy store... Magic!
Albert's Memories
Born 23 Hilltown 1926. The Progie Dance Hall, Norries Pend, the Wellgate Steps, always plenty action. Owned the Silvery Tay. Chipper in Menzieshill before moving to USA. My dad owned a chip shop at 21 Hilltown in 1926. I remember Andy Reekie the seven foot cop and Dirty Joe selling roasted chestnuts at the end of Dudhope Street.
Sass Shops
Following on from Tam Smith's memories of the 'sass' shops in the Overgate, I had to write to expand on this. My grandfather was J.J. Naulty, who owned J.J. Donaghey's the Chemist at 185 Overgate, and was the original seller of 'sasses'. Greenhill was in fact one of my grandfather's apprentices who then went on to open his own shop and sell 'sasses' of a similar style. He achieved more notoriety for his sales of them but the original recipes came from Donaghey's!
Memories of Dundee - Part Eight
Street vendors were commonplace in my childhood - there were so many different ones. One of the first who comes to mind is the milk man who had a small two-wheeled cart pulled by a pony. On the cart was a huge metal churn with a tap from which the milk was drawn to fill the customer's pitchers and jugs. Being two-wheeled the cart sloped and I could never understand why the churn didn't fall off and spill the milk. Then there was the banana salesman who came round carrying a basket of bananas shouting "ripe bananas sixpence a dozen" he left his basket on the street one day to go round the doors with a few bunches and when he returned to where he left his basket, someone had pinched a lot of the bananas from it. I felt sorry for him. Read more......
Greenhill's and Donnachie's
In the Overgate there were two sassperilla shops - Greenhill's and Donnachie's. Donnachie's was oppostie the top of Long Wynd and Greenhill's was towards the bottom of the Overgate, between Tally Street and High Street. Greenhill's had a larger selection and was more popular. A 'sass' was reputed to be a cure for a hangover. You could buy it in one of two sizes - a pint or a half pint. Read more......
Hot Cocoa
I remember walking from our house in Kirkton to the Auld Steeple to go to Sunday School. I loved the hot cocoa after.
