This month’s blog post was written by Museum Attendant, Laura.
“When at a table, Johnson was totally absorbed in the business of the moment; his looks seemed riveted to his plate; nor would he, unless when in very high company, say one word, or even pay the least attention to what was said by others, till he had satisfied his appetite, which was so fierce and indulged with such intenseness that while in the act of eating, the veins of his forehead swelled and generally a strong perspiration was visible.”
– Boswell’s Life of Johnson
In a letter dated 23 December 1783, Samuel Johnson invited his friend Frances Reynolds to spend Christmas day with him, and although he mentions dining, we don’t know what he ate. This led me to wonder, what did the Georgians eat at Christmas? Was it similar to the Christmas dinners we enjoy today, or different?
Samuel Johnson’s silver knife and fork.
From the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum collection.
Some of the food Johnson and his friends ate at Christmas wouldn’t have been too dissimilar to what we enjoy today, such as mince pies; according to author Sarah Harrison, the pies were generally brought in with the first course. [1] Turkey was another common main dish served at Christmas, which we still eat today.
Norfolk and Suffolk were famous for their turkeys, and every August the turkeys began the long journey to the capital either in carts or by foot. After October the roads were considered too ‘stiff and deep for their broad feet and short legs to march in.’ [2] Surprisingly, the Georgians had the same trouble as us when it comes to miscalculating the time it takes to defrost a turkey! William Kitchiner warns his readers against leaving a turkey hanging up in a cold larder for too long and becoming too frozen to cook, ‘Jack Frost has ruined the reputation of many a Turkey-Roaster:- therefore, in very cold weather . . . if the meat is frozen, the usual Practice is to put it into Cold Water till it is thawed, then dry and roast it as usual;-but we recommend you to bring it into the kitchen the night before, or early in the morning of the day you want to roast it, and the warm air will thaw it much better.’[3] Other meats were also consumed at Christmas time; house-lamb was in demand and the hind-quarter was considered to be in high season at that time of year. [4] Beef was never out of season; and hare, partridges, pheasants, geese and veal were also served to Georgian dinner guests.
The Cook Maid, c.1746-1766. © The Trustees of the British Museum
Fish was also a popular choice; cod, haddock, hake, mullet, plaice, oysters, salmon, carp, pike, cockles, and mussels were just some of the fish that were in season and enjoyed at Christmas time. [5] According to Ann Shackleford’s book, ‘Fresh scallops are best about Christmas, but are seldom found in the London markets.’ The scallops were pickled and came from Devonshire and Cornwell. [6] Lobsters and crabs were enjoyed and ‘come in in August, and hold till Christmas’, [7] and oysters – which were enjoyed by both Johnson’s stepdaughter, Lucy Porter, and Johson’s cat, Hodge – approached ‘the meridian of their perfection about Christmas.’ [8]
It wasn’t just the London elite who enjoyed large Christmas dinners, Anne Hughes was a farmer’s wife, who lived in a remote country farmhouse near Chepstow, Monmouthshire. On Dec 23,1796, she wrote of her Christmas dinner plans in her diary, ‘We have bin verrie bussie with sum goodlie things to eat. Boiled hams and great big mince pies and roast geese and hens and boiled and roasted beef, all reddie for eating. Johns mother be going to make a pudden . . . and I shall give them a big mince pie and apples . . . Johns mother have made a verrie pretty dish wich she do call meat cake . . . There be also 2 roast hares and pudden with spices and plenty of apple pies . . . cider cake and cinnamon cakes and a rich Christmas cake’. Anne goes on to write that she hoped ‘we shall have enough, but I be keeping sum rabbit pies and a big ham ready, in case it be wanted.’ Many of us can relate to the worry of running out of food for our guests and making extra, just in case! She and her family enjoyed their Christmas, with Anne writing in a later entry, ‘a right good time we did have’. [9]
Of course, it wasn’t just savoury dishes that the Georgians enjoyed at Christmas; in the Regency era, Jane Austen’s friend, Martha Lloyd, wrote a recipe for Festive Rice Pudding: ‘Six ounces of rice flour, one quart of cream. Mix it well together and boil it; put it to half a pound of butter, and half a pound of sugar and one nutmeg grated and then take it off [the heat]. When cold, beat six egg whites and all and put it to it: butter your dish before you put it in. Bake it quick, and you may paste your dish if you please.’ [10]
A Master Parson with a Good Living, c.1782/3. © The Trustees of the British Museum
The author of Domestic Economy, and Cookery, for rich and poor advised readers about suitable Christmas desserts for kids to enjoy, after witnessing children being ‘sent home burning with fever, and quite prepared for the attendance of a physician’ after consuming rich, alcoholic desserts containing, ‘Malaga, sherry, cherry and plain brandy, and liqueurs’, the author instead suggested, ‘Home-made apple-pie, jelly, flummery, or compots may be substituted for the plum-pudding and minced pies; this would be better for the children.’ [11]
Resources:
[1] The House-Keeper’s Pocket book by Sarah Harrison – 1760.
[2] The Agricultural Revolution 1750-1880 by J D Chambers & G E Mingay.
[3] The Cook’s Oracle by William Kitchiner – 1822
[4] [5] The art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy by Hannah Glasse – 1774
[6] The Modern Art of Cookery by Ann Shackleford – 1767
[7] The Whole Duty of a Woman, Or, An Infallible Guide to the Fair Sex – 1737
[8] The Cook’s Oracle by William Kitchiner – 1822
[9] The Diary of a Farmer’s Wife – 1796-1797
[10] Jane Austen’s Christmas, compiled by Maria Hubert
[11] Domestic Economy, and Cookery, for rich and poor -1827