Recipes

Can there be anything nicer than sitting down to tea in the garden, or when the weather is against us, perhaps the parlour. With the most delicate china tea-service and the tiniest little cucumber or watercress sandwiches, followed by a home-baked sponge cake or scones, still warm from the oven. The Victorians loved their food, and the flavours of the time were rich and heavy to match the interior decor! but despite this passion for rich foods, the Victorians' food could also be light and agreeable

Stewed Eels

Eels, especially Thames eels were a favourite among the Victorians, with their love of rich food.

3lb eels, skinned and cut up

Seasoned flour

4 tavlespoons oil

6 oz onion, skinned and chopped

20 small button mushrooms, washed

1pint red wine

Salt and pepper

1 level tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon softened butter

Lemon wedges for garnish

(Serves 6-8)

Toss the eel in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a stew pan and brown the eel slices. Remove the eel from the pan and lightly saute the onion until soft. return the eel slices to the pan, add mushrooms, wine and seasoning: simmer for 30 minutes, or until tender. Knead the butter and flour together to make beurre manie. Thicken the eel sauce with the beurre manie by adding small lumps to the stew gradually, stirring all the time so the sauce thickens smoothly. Check the seasoning. Serve hot, garnished with lemon wedges.

Rum Sorbet

A sorbet was usually served between courses, to cleanse the palate in preparation for the next course.

8oz sugar

1 pint water

Peeled rind and juice of half a lemon

juice of 1 lemon, strained

juice of 1 orange, strained

1 glass of rum

1oz crystallised fruits of choice, chopped

(Serves 4-6)

Put the sugar, water, lemon rind and juice of half a lemon into a pan, heat gently to allow sugar to dissolve, then bring to the boil. Boil briskly for about 10 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half. Once it boils do not stir, or it will granulate. Strain the syrup through a muslin and leave until cold.

Measure 1 pint of the syrup and add the strained fruit juices, rum and crystallised fruits. Pour the mixture into a shallow container. Cover with a lid and freeze the sorbet for about 30 minutes or until barely firm. Turn it into a bowl and mash it until there are no large pieces of frozen mixture. Keep it in the freezer compartment until it is required.

When serving, scoop out spoonfuls into glass dishes.

Yorkshire Pudding

Godey's Lady's Book 1860

Mix five spoonfuls of flour with a quart of milk and four eggs well beaten; butter a shallow pan and bake under the meat; when quite brown, turn the other side upwards, and brown that. It should be made in a square pan, and cut into pieces to come to the table. It is a good plan to set over a chafing dish at first and stir it some minutes.

Tea Buns

Godey's Lady's Book 1862

One pound and a quarter of flour, one half pound of currants, two ounces of butter rubbed in the flour, about a pint of sweet milk warmed, two spoonsful of yeast, the yolk of an egg well beaten, carraway seeds to your taste ; mix well these ingredients together and beat them up as for a seed cake; set them before the fire to rise for an hour ; make them up in what shaped cakes you please, lay them on tin plates for a time before the fire, and feather them over with white of egg before baking.

( brush with pastry brush)

I'm afraid that's all I can give you for the time being. If you have a recipe you would like to see on this page, I would be very grateful if you could e-mail it to me. Of course, I will give you full credit for it!