A Taste of Haldimand: November 16, 2023

I had an interesting conversation with Kate Head of Dunnville about her “Grandma Relish”. Kate’s grandmother was blind. When Kate’s mother was born in 1933, her grandmother developed gestational diabetes and along with it, diabetic retinopathy. This is an eye condition that can cause vision loss and blindness in people with diabetes. However, this did not hinder Kate’s grandmother as she continued to cook, clean, and manage the family home. She was well known for her relish, which was enjoyed by all the family. Kate has continued the tradition. She makes the relish with her husband Nick, often joined by son Jacob and other extended family members who may drop by to help with preparation. In the photo you will see jars of relish sitting on her grandmother’s baking and canning board.

Further to our conversation, Kate was telling me how the “family crew” had recently rallied to help her niece Caitlin and husband Mike move into their first home. Mike’s mother supplied lunch for all. This included a savory apple butter that Kate enjoyed, and she requested the recipe. Mike’s mother said it was in her grandmother’s cook book. It turned out her grandmother was Kate Aitken – one of Canada’s most famous female radio and television broadcasters. Her career spanned from the 1930s well into the 1960s. She focused on domestic subjects and current political affairs. This led to interviews with some well-known people such as Mussolini, Stalin, King George VI, Mackenzie King, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lester Pearson. Kate was also a culinary and etiquette expert and has been described as “the Martha Stewart of her day”. This particular recipe was in “Kate Aitken’s Canadian Cook Book” originally published in 1945 with the fourth printing in 2011.