Category: British countryside
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Beekeeping is all the Buzz!
My mother spins honey all summer long as she and my stepdad have a honey business. She used her own honey when she made mead after I wrote the blog After Dinner Drinks, and I can vouch that many recipes in The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook were as delicious as we had hoped! Having…
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The Peculiar History of Clay Pipes
Almost as soon as the English settlers in Jamestown figured out how to feed themselves, they figured out how to make money growing tobacco, that seductive and pernicious weed. Old Father Thames, back in London, is still feeling the effects of that discovery
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A Bud of This, A Leaf of That
For all the intent of my wishing to write a blog on a favorite recipe for tea in the Regency, I did not locate one; rather, I saw the hostess would blend the tea to her taste. That did not help me decide what one to try, so to the kitchen gardens I went. I…
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The Spring is Coming
So, March is upon is; the power of winter is broken. To us, it means that the sun is growing brighter, and the clothes are growing lighter; it might also mean such things as the spring cleaning, the May holidays… however, beyond these factors, our lives are not likely to be affected by the changing…
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Clarkson, Anning, Austen Ring
Of Jane Austen’s known jewelry, her topaz cross came from her younger brother, Charles, who bought one each for his sisters with his first navy prize in 1801. Her turquoise bracelet probably came from another brother, Edward, as a memento relating to the death of his beloved wife Elizabeth in 1808. But what is the…
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What did Regency landowners actually do?
When reading Regency-set fiction, we are used to encountering mentions of the hero owning estate of a certain number of acres, or an estate bringing him X amount per year. However, what did those rolling acres represent in practice, and, most importantly, how did one manage to make them bring one that yearly income? Well,…
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Gamekeepers on Regency estates
Hunting scenes are plentiful in Regency-set novels. However, the events of the hunting season, the highlight of the gentry’s yearly calendar, did not come about just like that. One had to train the dogs, protect (in some cases, raise!) the game, and, in the end, organize the hunt proper. That was when the estate’s gamekeeper…
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Decorating for the Holidays, Regency Style
As the season in which it is traditional to gather with family and friends continues, I cannot help but reflect on the similarities in decorations in the many countries where I have spent some or all of the season. From evergreen, faux, or real, to twinkling lights and windows decorated to look like a wrapped…
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Harvest Feastings Were Not to be Missed
As the holidays are upon us, thoughts naturally turn to family, friends, and food. These special traditions have lasted centuries. Harvests are always celebrated, regardless of culture. In the Regency era, novels mention balls, harvests, and parties particularly anticipated and enjoyed during the autumnal season. September 24th was associated with the harvest, though the harvesting…
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Autumn in the Regency Era, a Post from Ann Hawthorne
Now that autumn is upon us, we are all awakening to the delights of crispy fallen leaves and misty mellow mornings. However, for Jane Austen’s contemporaries, especially those living in the country, the changing of the seasons would have meant far more than that. Ash trees, which were considered a great adornment of any country…