Regency Food

by Ann Lethbridge

Just have to show what I cooked for Sunday's dinner. Comfort food. It was snowing again so pineapple upsidedown cake was the order of the day. Not that it is in any way shape or form associated with the Regency.

Definitely yummy though.

And while we are off topic, I receive my author copies of Wicked Rake, Defiant Mistress today. So it is true the book really exists. The cover is even nicer in the flesh than it is in the picture.



Just loving the colour of her dress.



All right so a bit of shameless promo. It just goes to show there is no such thing as a free lunch.






Now for the Regency food bit.


In the Regency during the Season in London, entertaining at home on a lavish scale was de rigeur.

There were dinner parties, card parties, routs, musical evenings, drums, venetian breakfasts.... and of course balls.

A ball had to be the best event of all. A chance for young men to flirt with the debutantes on the dance floor.

Every ball was expected to provide a supper around midnight.

So what did hostesses of the day serve to their guests.

Here is one menu for your perusal ~ From an 1808 cookbook

• Ten hot roast Fowls
  
• Almond Mould with Cream
  
• Cray Fish
• Ices Jellies (several dishes spread along the table)
• Mashed Potatoes
• Ham
  
• Escaloped Potatoes
• Apple Puffs
  
• Tartlets
• Scotch Collops
  
• Cold Chicken
• Savoy Cakes
  
• Blancmange
• Beans a la Crème
  
• Dressed Lobster
  
• Asparag
• Mince Pies
  
• Custards
• Escaloped Oysters
  
• Cold Roast Lamb
  
• Prawns
• Cheesecakes
  
• Sallad
  
• Beans a la Crème
• Fricasseed Rabbits
  
• Cauliflowers a la Crème
  

Each of these dishes would be repeated several times until there was sufficient for the number of people attending.

What I found interesting is that many of these dishes would not be out of place on our tables today. I do find it odd the way they mix the savoury foods in with the desserts, but they did seem to eat vegetables and salads too.

A couple of explanations:

Scotch Collops are a traditional Scottish dish created using either thin slices or minced meat of either beef, lamb or venison. This is combined with onion, salt, pepper and suet then then stewed, baked or roasted with optional flavourings according to the meat used. It is traditionally served garnished with thin toast and mashed potato.


Here is a Savoy Cake. The outside is crusted with sugar.

Hope I didn't make you feel too hungry, or maybe you feel as if you have just eaten far too much.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.