Aghhhhhhhhh. How many more Christmas Cards am I to get calling me “Mrs. Laura Husban’s Name”?! I have not changed my name. Even people from my own side of the family are calling me “Husband’s Name”. The horror of being married. You cease (if you are a woman) to exist. You cease to be known by your own name in the eyes of people who haven’t bothered to ask. They just ASSUME. Lesson to all. ASSUMPTIONS are dangerous things.

Whether to take a name or not to take a name is a personal choice. It’s no longer about what is “traditional”. I have not changed my surname. Nor do I ever plan to. If I was going to, then I would be known as “Kate Husband’s Name” because if I was changing my surname, i’d to it properly and change my identity properly by also switching to using my middle name. S, thinks, he had a say in this. Bless. He didn’t. He is of the opinion that women shouldn’t change their names, but, had I wanted to, I don’t think he could have stopped me.

I don’t get it. How difficult is it? Address something to just me. Put “To Laura and Husband’s Name” on the inside. Perfectly acceptable. Address something, alternatively to Seamus. Or, break out. In the time it takes to write Mr. and Mrs. Husband’s Name try writing Laura Schlott and or vice versa. Not that much longer really.

My aunt took revenge for me. She addressed a card to Laura and S Schlott. You have to love that.

But I have not changed it. My name. For the record.

neighbourhood christmas lights

There’s been a lot of coverage of Rachel Allen recently. What with her second book and second series on RTE, she has had the spotlight of publicity thrust upon her. Recently, she appeared on Tubridy Tonight and she is also featured in this months VIP magazine.

In both of these interviews came the question “How do you feel about your father in law’s conviction for possession of child pronography!”. It’s incredible. I think, my god, could you be any more insensitive. Darina Allen was also on the publicity bandwagon to promote her new book. I can understand Darina Allen being questioned by Pat Kenny about how she feels, but why do the media insist on bringing it up when they are interviewing Rachel Allen? Yes, she married into Ballymaloe. But that doesn’t mean she has any control over her father in law’s actions.

To her credit, she remained very poised on Tubridy Tonight and in the interview in VIP, she said “Look, it’s none of my business.” She’s right. What can she do? Disassociate herself from Ballymaloe? Give up her job in the cookery school? It’s her livelihood. She’s worked there since she was eighteen years old. She’s now in her thirties. So how do you walk away from that? What are the media expecting her to say exactly?

Life must be difficult enough for her, knowing what her children’s grandfather was convicted of, without constantly being asked about it. If she brings out a third book, and does a third television series, is she going to be asked again? There are some questions you have to stop asking eventually. I hope for her sake, the media have had their pound of flesh from her and will leave her alone, when it comes to that subject.

Of course, she could also choose not to do any more publicity. Or when asked that again, merely say “No comment.”

Her recipes are great. So simple. Let it be about the cooking. Although, sometimes her explanations could be more detailed. For completely novice cooks, there are blanks she could fill in a bit more.