Category: Regency Recipes
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Apples Here, There, and Everywhere!
While the harvest season has those on tenant farms working to bring in crops, it has those in London enjoying fresh produce and an opportunity for seasonal dishes. From pumpkin or squash soup to roasted corn, the imagination might take a cook anywhere with such bounty. Fruits included pears, grapes, nuts, strawberries, cherries, melons, green…
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Tart Treats
In summer months, fruit desserts are always colorful and delicious, and one of my favorites is the tart, making me ponder its history and how available they were during the Regency. They were often found on the table for special days and included among the desserts, though I did not find them listed in the…
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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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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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Absolutely Scent-sational!
Continuing the stillroom theme, I decided to dig more into making scented waters. I wanted to know how likely it was that households of moderate means could make these wonders. It turns out that it was not only possible but likely, for they were made from three essential ingredients: I discovered that it was not…
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A Stillroom’s Tools of the Trade
One room that fascinates me most for a Georgian household is the stillroom. Though a genteel lady was considered poor if she could cook, for it was considered a servant’s work, ladies were encouraged to spend their days working in the stillroom. I discovered that the stillroom reflected the mistress as much as any other…
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Fireworks and Food for Jane Austen
It is a national holiday here in the U.S.A., and there will ben many cookouts and fireworks. Most states have laws about buying or using fireworks, but in the three states I have now lived in: Texas, California, and West Virginia, these laws are all merrily ignored. Do you live in a law-abiding state? I’m…
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The Garden Most Valuable
With a grandmother who loved her gardens and would spend a dozen or more hours each week tending them and growing up weeding my mother’s kitchen garden, I love the fresh herbs and vegetables in a farmers market. When I read about fresh herbs and produce in Regency novels, I smile, wondering about they may…
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When Chocolate WAS a Breakfast Treat
There is not a day that I do not wake with the anticipation of my first sip of coffee. The fourth cup, for me, is as delicious as the first, be it at noon or eight in the evening, just before I go to bed. I think of this very pleasure when I read a…
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A Trifling Little Dessert
To quote Mrs. Bennet, people don’t die of trifling little colds. Serve this to your holiday guests and they may well expire from delight. We’re going to get serious and have a little fun with the English trifle, an antique dessert of fruit, custard, cake, and booze. Lots of booze. People have been enjoying trifles…