Johnnie Cradock

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Johnnie Cradock

Born John Whitby Cradock
May 17, 1904(1904-05-17)
Lambeth, London, England
Died January 30, 1987 (aged 82)
Basingstoke, Hampshire, England
Occupation Major, British Army
Known for Cookery

Major John "Johnnie" Whitby Cradock, (17 May 1904 Lambeth, London, England[1] - 30 January 1987 Basingstoke, Hampshire, England [2]) was a cook, writer and broadcaster and the fourth husband of television cook and writer Fanny Cradock.

He attended Harrow School and served in the British Army, reaching the rank of Major in the Royal Artillery.

He is best remembered as being the long-suffering stooge for his wife in their popular United Kingdom cooking programmes which were shown from the 1950s to the 1970s. Wearing a traditional blazer and sporting a monocle above his trademark handlebar moustache, he would remain around the back of Fanny's studio sets awaiting her imperious commands which, when they came, often resulted his being berated for being too slow.

With his wife, he wrote a number of cook books (see below), which were popular reading at the time. Johnnie and Fanny also wrote the "Bon Viveur" restaurant column for the Daily Telegraph newspaper from 1950 - 1955. This was one of Britain's first restaurant columns and led to their first television series in 1955.

At first they presented the BBC's "Kitchen Magic", but were soon poached by ITV's first cooking programme, which they presented as "Fanny & Johnnie".

At that time Johnnie and Fanny were not married. Fanny adopted his name for their writing and television work and they eventually married in 1977 [3]: she died in December 1994, Johnnie pre-deceased her in 1987.

[edit] TV Series

  • Fanny's Kitchen
  • Chez Bon Viveur
  • The Cradocks
  • Dinner Party
  • Fanny Cradock Invites
  • Cradock cooks for Christmas

[edit] Publications (with Fanny Cradock)

  • Fanny & Johnnie's Cook's Essential Alphabet (1979) - ISBN 0-491-02307-3
  • Fanny & Johnnie Cradock's Freezer Book (1978) - ISBN 0-491-02313-8
  • Fanny & Johnnie Cradock's Cook Hostess' Book (1970) - ISBN 0-00-435151-7
  • The Daily Telegraph Cook's Book by Bon Viveur (1964) - ISBN 0-00-611940-9
  • Something's Burning: The autobiography of two cooks (1960) - ISBN B0000CKKMR

[edit] References

  1. ^ GRO Register of Births: JUN 1904 1d 502 LAMBETH - John Whitby Cradock
  2. ^ GRO Register of Deaths: FEB 1987 20 127 BASINGSTOKE - John Whitby Cradock, DoB = 17 May 1904, aged 82
  3. ^ GRO Register of Marriages: JUN 1977 17 1134 SURREY SW - John CRADOCK = Phyllis CHAPMAN
Persondata
NAME Cradock, Johnnie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cradock, Major John Whitby
SHORT DESCRIPTION Major, Cookery writer
DATE OF BIRTH 1904-05-17
PLACE OF BIRTH Lambeth, London, England
DATE OF DEATH 1987-01-30
PLACE OF DEATH Basingstoke, Hampshire, England