28 February 2025
I see that several of you remember Scrunch with affection (bread baked hard in the oven). The (late) Spring 1983 "letter" from Caldecott to Friends of the Community reported the near-demise of Scrunch, partly because of the advent of sliced bread, partly because of a fad for "eggy bread" (bread soaked in beaten-up egg and milk, then fried - especially popular with tinned tomatoes, so we were told). Perhaps sad if for 40 years Caldecott children have not experienced Scrunch, but doubtless eating arrangements and preferred foods have changed considerably since my time at Hatch.
Meals in the Dining Room were community events. I recall a skit in the Hatch Library, presented by Colt House boys, which included my contemporary CI playing a boy diving into a huge tin marked "Scrunch" - a food which he was known to enjoy. JG and RP respectively played Miss Elizabeth and Miss Travers (who sportingly provided some of their clothing for the performance).