Marika Hanbury-Tenison
Encyclopedia
Marika Hanbury-Tenison was an English
journalist
, cookery
writer, and explorer. Born in London
, in 1938, she was the daughter of John and Alexandra Hopkinson. She never had any formal domestic science training, but was interested in food from an early age, and learned cooking mainly by trial and error.
In 1959, at the age of twenty, she married the Cornish
explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison, and lived with him in a fourteenth-century farmhouse on Bodmin Moor
. They had two children, Lucy (b. 1960) and Rupert (b. 1970). Her husband was often away on an expedition, and Marika turned to writing in his absence. She began by finding a job as a £1-a-week cookery writer for a local paper, and over the next fifteen years wrote thirty cookbooks and numerous magazine articles. She was cookery editor of the Sunday Telegraph
from 1968 until her death in 1982, and also appeared frequently on Westward Television
.
In 1971, while still in pain from a serious illness following the birth of her son by Caesarean section
, Marika Hanbury-Tenison accompanied her husband on a three-month expedition, backed by Survival International
, to visit and live among the Xingu people
in Brazil
, speaking with local people and studying their living conditions. After returning to England, Marika wrote For Better, For Worse: To the Brazilian Jungles and Back Again (1972), which was published in the United States
with the title Tagging Along.
In 1973, the Hanbury-Tenisons followed up their journey to Brazil with a three-month visit to one to the islands of Indonesia
. Marika visited about a dozen tribes, taking tea with former cannibals
, swimming through swollen rivers, being attacked by leech
es, surviving a shipwreck
, and becoming ill and exhausted. She wrote about the experience in A Slice of Spice, published in 1974.
The Hanbury-Tenisons made their last research trip in 1979, when they visited Malaysia as part of a Royal Geographical Society
scientific expedition. Shortly afterwards, Marika was diagnosed with cancer. She died in 1982, at the age of forty-four.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, cookery
Cuisine
Cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...
writer, and explorer. Born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in 1938, she was the daughter of John and Alexandra Hopkinson. She never had any formal domestic science training, but was interested in food from an early age, and learned cooking mainly by trial and error.
In 1959, at the age of twenty, she married the Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison, and lived with him in a fourteenth-century farmhouse on Bodmin Moor
Bodmin Moor
Bodmin Moor is a granite moorland in northeastern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in size, and originally dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history....
. They had two children, Lucy (b. 1960) and Rupert (b. 1970). Her husband was often away on an expedition, and Marika turned to writing in his absence. She began by finding a job as a £1-a-week cookery writer for a local paper, and over the next fifteen years wrote thirty cookbooks and numerous magazine articles. She was cookery editor of the Sunday Telegraph
Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
from 1968 until her death in 1982, and also appeared frequently on Westward Television
Westward Television
Westward Television was the first ITV franchise holder for the South West of England from 29 April 1961 until 31 December 1981. After a difficult start, Westward provided a popular, distinctive and highly regarded service to its region, until public boardroom squabbles led to its franchise not...
.
In 1971, while still in pain from a serious illness following the birth of her son by Caesarean section
Caesarean section
A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...
, Marika Hanbury-Tenison accompanied her husband on a three-month expedition, backed by Survival International
Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands,...
, to visit and live among the Xingu people
Xingu (people)
Xingui peoples are indigenous peoples of Brazil living near the Xingu River. They have many cultural similarities despite their different ethnologies...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, speaking with local people and studying their living conditions. After returning to England, Marika wrote For Better, For Worse: To the Brazilian Jungles and Back Again (1972), which was published in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with the title Tagging Along.
In 1973, the Hanbury-Tenisons followed up their journey to Brazil with a three-month visit to one to the islands of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. Marika visited about a dozen tribes, taking tea with former cannibals
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
, swimming through swollen rivers, being attacked by leech
Leech
Leeches are segmented worms that belong to the phylum Annelida and comprise the subclass Hirudinea. Like other oligochaetes such as earthworms, leeches share a clitellum and are hermaphrodites. Nevertheless, they differ from other oligochaetes in significant ways...
es, surviving a shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
, and becoming ill and exhausted. She wrote about the experience in A Slice of Spice, published in 1974.
The Hanbury-Tenisons made their last research trip in 1979, when they visited Malaysia as part of a Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
scientific expedition. Shortly afterwards, Marika was diagnosed with cancer. She died in 1982, at the age of forty-four.
Books by Marika Hanbury-Tenison
- Deep-Freeze Cookery (1970) ISBN 0261632035
- For Better, For Worse (1972) ISBN 978-1590482056
- A Slice of Spice (1974) ISBN 978-1590482049
- Deep Freeze Sense (1976) ISBN 0330246526
- Deep Freezing (1979) ISBN 0340222573
- Cooking with Vegetables (1980) ISBN 0224015974
- A Boy and a Dolphin (1983) ISBN 0246119306