Introduction
Alfred Bird (1811-1878), a Birmingham pharmacist, did not invent egg-free custard powder to make a fortune (though he did), or because dietitians disapproved of eggs. He did it so he could enjoy eating pudding with his wife.
MRS Alfred Bird’s favourite dessert was baked custard, made by beating together sugar, milk, and eggs. Unfortunately, Mrs Bird could not tolerate eggs.
So in 1837, using cornflour, vanilla and natural colouring from his Chemist’s shop in Bull Street, Birmingham, Alfred concocted an egg-free custard for his wife.
It was so believable that the Birds mistakenly served it up to their guests.
Emboldened by its enthusiastic reception, Alfred began mass-marketing his custard in 1843, and the British public now gets through 235 million pints of it every year.
As Mrs Bird was also sensitive to yeast, Alfred came up with an equally ingenious form of baking soda. It gave such superior results in yeast-free bread and cakes that the War Department became an early customer, and most modern baking powders are essentially the same.
And it was all done by an obscure pharmacist with no thought of profit to anyone but his wife.
Précis
The wife of Alfred Bird, a Victorian pharmacist from Birmingham, liked egg custard but could not eat eggs. So Alfred used his specialist knowledge to make an egg-free custard powder, and, as his wife was also affected by yeast, a new baking powder for bread and cakes. Both products remain at the heart of British cuisine to this day. (59 / 60 words)
The wife of Alfred Bird, a Victorian pharmacist from Birmingham, liked egg custard but could not eat eggs. So Alfred used his specialist knowledge to make an egg-free custard powder, and, as his wife was also affected by yeast, a new baking powder for bread and cakes. Both products remain at the heart of British cuisine to this day.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: despite, if, just, may, must, otherwise, whereas, whether.
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Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Could. Essential. Same.
2 Become. Cake. Make.
3 Also. Bake. Concoct.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
