Hot Chocolate Drink Recipes became the vogue in the Georgian and Victorian eras, but actually it was the Tudor’s who first drank it, and the modern recipe and method has not changed since the early 1700s. Chocolate was sold in ‘cakes’ and was scraped with a knife to break the chocolate off to use as [...]
Beer, or more appropriately for us, the term ale, is a very British drink, and ‘real-ale’ is something of a passion for many people. Beer, in it’s most basic form, can be split into two subsets, ale and larger. This is because beers are produced by two main methods: by top-fermenting yeasts (ales) and those [...]
Pimm’s No 1 Cocktail is the original Gin Sling. It was back in a London oyster bar in the 1840s where owner, James Pimm, first sold his thirst-quenching cocktail. Using gin, quinine and a secret mixture of herbs, Pimm initially served up the brew as an aid to digestion, dishing it out in a small [...]
Egg Nog or Eggnog (or even Egg Flip – the term Flip, first used in 1695, describes a mixture of beer, rum, and sugar, heated with a red-hot iron) was from the mid 1800′s commonly served at Christmas and seasonal holiday parties: it was noted by an Englishman, in 1866, “Christmas is not properly observed [...]
This Christmas Punch recipe is a great Christmas drink, and quite a spectacle if you set the brandy alight before serving. In fact it is a delightful, if strong, Victorian winter drink that Charles Dickens would recommend as part of the festivities. A hot punch like this is perfect for a Christmas Party – pour [...]
This Hot Gin Punch is made from Gin which can most simply be described as a spirit flavored with juniper berries and other botanicals. When William of Orange took the English throne in the 1600’s he brought gin with him and from then on gin found its spiritual home as the drink of preference of the British (both upper [...]
Smoking Bishop recipe. Scrooge says at the end of A Christmas Carol, “… we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon over a bowl of Smoking Bishop, Bob!” So it sounds like we should all be drinking this at Christmas! But what is it? In an edition of A Christmas Carol published in 1907, E. [...]
This Chocolate Brownie recipe, like our Hot Chocolate Puddings recipe, is the real thing; they are definitely not your average Chocolate Brownie. If you ever felt you and your friends or family really deserved a treat or reward, or it is a very special occasion, then this is what you should make. Buy bars of [...]
From at least Medieval times salt was mixed with saltpetre, and other ingredients such as sugar, honey, pepper or juniper berries, to carry out the processes of preserving pork. Dry Cured Hams are the hind leg of a pig that have been salted, then air-dried to ‘cure’. This is done using a curing compound, (consisting [...]
When you hear that jam can be made in 20 minutes, any jam, in twenty-minutes, you might well be skeptical … by saying it even I feel like a snake-oil salesman trying to convince you that rubbing on this lotion will miraculously make you live longer. But its true, any fruit, any jam, in 20 [...]
Sticky Toffee Pudding is a great tasting recipe, and certainly a modern British ‘classic’, (alongside Jam Roly-Poly and Spotted Dick puddings) capturing for many the childhood memories of growing up in the 20th Century. Some say Sticky Toffee Pudding was developed in the Lake District in the 1960′s while others claim it is from an [...]
Scones are a great treat at tea time, (once served at 4 pm sharp) and quintessentially British. While the English have taken credit for their popularity, this is a dish which all regions of Britain enjoy, and have a history with. The simple scone is thought to have originated from Scottish Quick Breads, (baked on [...]
These Victorian, regional Cherry Turnovers are a speciality of Buckinghamshire in southern England, where wonderful, local Cherries are grown in many private and commercial cherry orchards. They have a light pastry top and bottom, and ripe, tangy-juicy cherries in the center. Cherries have a very short growing season if you are after picking your own; [...]
Blackberry Jam is a real treat on toast in the mornings. It has a unique, and easily recognisable flavour amongst jams, with its sweet-sharp dance on the tongue and deep berry taste. To help the jam set, (adding in extra pectin) the recipe uses one brambley apple and a small amount of fresh apple juice [...]
Many people’s favourite jam is strawberry, and with good reason, this fruit lends itself to jam making, and is wonderfully delicious when eaten on a fresh piece of buttered Manchet Bread. Collecting the fruit is a great summer time family day out and the return on the labour by having your own home-made jam to [...]
