Recently a reader asked me about making a cake for a Jane Austen themed party. This time of year is always good for apple inspired desserts. For this week's Friday Follow I thought I would take you down the caloric path of least resistance: It's time to trot out the Jane Austen teapot cookies again. While many of you are already familiar with these delightful (but time intensive cookies), some of you may not be aware of this potential source for family fun in the kitchen! Click here for detailed, step-by-step instructions. The easiest online source for Regency recipes is Jane Austen Centre's online magazine. Click on this link to find a variety of recipes for all subjects. Sally Lunn's Buns from Delightful Repast: For Sunday brunch. Yum! Gooseberries in the imitation of hops: Got plenty of time? Here's a Regency recipe for you! Mr and Mrs Weston's wedding cake, Emma 2009 Emma 2009 wedding cake: featured on this blog 18 months ago, this cake was made with two different molds and decorated with real roses and sugared grapes. Lovely. Read Soup and Snobbery: Food in the Novels of Jane Austen by Tanya Lewis

Lots of you who know me very well on Recipezaar will know of my love and research into Historical recipes, traditions, culture and food; this Toasted Cheese recipe is the first in a series of Regency recipes that I will be posting! I always like to make any recipe that I post at least twice, and this one is a real cracker in my humble opinion! Jane Austen is known to have said.... "We were greatly surprised by Edward Bridge's company...It is impossible to do justice to the hospitatlity of his attentions towards me; he made a point of ordering toasted cheese for supper, entirely on my account." --Jane Austen-- 27 August, 1805. This is a classic regency dish - often served AFTER a heavy meal and before the dessert! It was more often than not called Toasted Cheese, but is also known as Scotch or Welsh Rarebit. The original recipe was written like this: "Toasted Cheese - Grate the cheese and add it to one egg, a teaspoonful of mustard, and a little butter. Send it up on toast, or in paper trays". I have amended the orginal recipe for today's quantities, ingredients and cooking methods!! NB: In 1747, a cookery book gave a recipe for "Scots Rabbit" or Rare Bit as bread toasted on both sides and a slice of cheese, the same size as the bread, also toasted on both sides and laid on the buttered bread. The same book had "Welsh Rabbit" made in the same way but with mustard rubbed on the cheese. "English Rabbit" on the other hand had a glass of red wine poured over the toast before the cheese was added. Take your pick!

Mr. Bingley’s white soup, Lady Middleton’s apricot marmalade, Margaret Dods’s pigeon pie, and more literary treats from Georgian England.

Lots of you who know me very well on Recipezaar will know of my love and research into Historical recipes, traditions, culture and food; this Toasted Cheese recipe is the first in a series of Regency recipes that I will be posting! I always like to make any recipe that I post at least twice, and this one is a real cracker in my humble opinion! Jane Austen is known to have said.... "We were greatly surprised by Edward Bridge's company...It is impossible to do justice to the hospitatlity of his attentions towards me; he made a point of ordering toasted cheese for supper, entirely on my account." --Jane Austen-- 27 August, 1805. This is a classic regency dish - often served AFTER a heavy meal and before the dessert! It was more often than not called Toasted Cheese, but is also known as Scotch or Welsh Rarebit. The original recipe was written like this: "Toasted Cheese - Grate the cheese and add it to one egg, a teaspoonful of mustard, and a little butter. Send it up on toast, or in paper trays". I have amended the orginal recipe for today's quantities, ingredients and cooking methods!! NB: In 1747, a cookery book gave a recipe for "Scots Rabbit" or Rare Bit as bread toasted on both sides and a slice of cheese, the same size as the bread, also toasted on both sides and laid on the buttered bread. The same book had "Welsh Rabbit" made in the same way but with mustard rubbed on the cheese. "English Rabbit" on the other hand had a glass of red wine poured over the toast before the cheese was added. Take your pick!

In Part 1 of this series, we learned about the “morning” portion of a Regency woman’s day including pre-breakfast activities, breakfast foods and drinks, social calls, midday refreshments, and dres…

A punch served at Regency Balls

Experience the world of Jane Austen like never before with over 50 delicious recipes inspired by Austen's novels and the author's life .

I’ve had a fascination with white soup after reading Jane Austen’s novels. She makes mention of it several times in describing dinner parties attended by her characters. Soup was usually served in …

The perfect ending for a summer's day

Even when you love to cook, there are those times when it would be nice to have just a little help: when you promised to make something for the office potluck but forgot to go shopping; when that d…

White soup was a staple at balls in Jane Austen's time, and is namechecked in Pride and Prejudice.

A wonderful and very well known Regency recipe for individual cakes studded with fruit and flavoured with rosewater and almonds; I am sure Jane Austen would have served these for afternoon tea on dainty plates with her bone china cups and saucers! I remember making these with my Mum when I was little, and of course licking the wooden spoon and scraping out the mixing bowl! They are easy to make and are delicious with an afternoon cuppa or for a lunch box treat. I have not found out the true meaning behind their name yet - but maybe they were aptly named as they were "fit for a Queen" to eat! The use of rosewater and almonds is a lingering memory left over from our Medieval cooking days and was still very much in evidence throughout the Regency period. This recipe makes about 24 to 30 Queen cakes - depending on the size of your tins, but the quantities can be cut back with ease. However, they DO freeze very well, so maybe making a full batch is a good idea - as long as they make it to the freezer!

The great novelist would have started her writing day with this moist, dense cake and tea

Inquiring reader: Jean at The Delightful Repast is a freelance writer who writes mostly about food, weddings, etiquette and entertaining for numerous publications. Her blog reflects her culinary he…

A light and fluffy Autumn dessert

The Mormon Word of Wisdom emphasizes not once but twice that meat is to be reserved for unusual situations like famine or winter. So why aren't we all vegetarians?

As my girls and I continue to prepare for the Jane Austen festival, my culinary journey centers on one of the staples of the English table in Jane’s time-bread. The bread which appeared on an Engli…

As my girls and I continue to prepare for the Jane Austen festival, my culinary journey centers on one of the staples of the English table in Jane’s time-bread. The bread which appeared on an Engli…

Today I have a treat for you! I had the pleasure of reviewing the new book Tea with Jane Austen by Pen Vogler; food photographer Stephen Conroy. This book, though little in size, packs a lot of baking for delicious tea time treats. The book was inspired by the novels and letters of Jane Austen. In this 64-page book are recipes for cakes and pastries based on authentic recipes from the Regency era which have been updated for the modern cook. The book has 22 recipes in total in which 6 are from Martha Lloyd's Household Book. Martha Lloyd was Jane Austen's dear friend and lived with her many years penning a collection of recipes called Martha Lloyd's Household Book. Some of the recipes included are English Muffins based on the muffins, served with after-dinner tea in Pride and Prejudice, a Buttered Apple Tart as served by Mr. Woodhouse to Miss Bates in Emma, and Jumbles inspired by the cookies enjoyed by Fanny in Mansfield Park. The original recipes are given along with the modified versions. I chose Jane's Sponge Cake to bake today with tea. The book states that the Oxford English Dictionary noted the first recorded use of the word "sponge cake" is by Jane, writing to her sister Cassandra. The recipe is taken from Martha Lloyd's Household Book. The cake is essentially a pound cake. They are often topped with just a dusting of powdered sugar. Mine came out to perfection. I have actually made two other recipes for the traditional tea time sponge cake and they both flopped. This recipe was a winner. Simply topped with fruit and powdered sugar it was a tea time treat befitting a relaxing afternoon spent reading this little treasure of a cookbook. My teacup reminds me of the Regency era. It is by Grace's Teaware. I thoroughly enjoyed the recipe book. Filled with interesting introductions to each recipe and delightful photography. I really loved the addition of adding the original recipes in their handwritten form. I always love reading historical recipes. I am a history nerd. I highly recommend this book for any tea lover, but if you are also a fan of Jane Austen it is a must read! I know a lot of you tea lovers are also Jane Austen fans, like me. It would make a perfect Mother's Day gift! I wish to thank Sara and Neha for the opportunity to review Tea with Jane Austen by Pen Vogler; published by Ryland Peters & Small, and CICO Books Inc ($14.95). They provided me with a copy of the book. The review and opinions were entirely my own. Sherry I will link this to: There Is No Place Like Home at Rose Chintz Cottage Home & Garden Thursdayat A Delightsome Life Tea Cup Tuesday at Martha's Favorites Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups Friends Sharing Tea at Bernideen's Tea Time Blog Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage Vintage Charm at Charm Bracelet Diva The Homemaking Party at Classical Homemaking Thoughts of Home at Decor to Adore Rooted in Thyme Simple and Sweet Fridays Share Your Cup Thursday at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen Five Star Frou-Frou at A Tray of Bliss Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home Welcome Home Wednesday at Suburban Simplicity Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party Tickle My Taste Buds Tuesdays at Lori's Culinary Creations Weekend Retreat Linky Party at AKA Design and Life Foodie Friends Friday at Walking on Sunshine Wake Up Wednesday at Sew Crafty Angel

Passionately blogging about all things Regency

We know it's great- who knew it was such an old recipe!

She is best known for writing about the marriage woes of the landed gentry in the 18th century, but Jane Austen also wrote obsessively about food in letters to her sister Cassandra.

Enjoy these healthy Easter recipes all day long. From egg recipes like quiche to lamb recipes and ham recipes, these delicious dishes are perfect for Easter breakfast, brunch or dinner.

A delicious steak dinner in 10 minutes or less!

Tea with the Bennets By Margaret Vaughan, 1996 Have any of you been watching Jane Austen's "Emma" on PBS? I got to see Part One when it air...

"Ah! there is nothing like staying at home for real comfort. Nobody can be more devoted to home than I am." - Emma I wish I could tell Jane Austen just

Entertaining Over the years Decor To Adore has hosted a wide variety of parties. They include General Party, Holiday and Birthday Parties for both children and adults. Perhaps you will be inspired to do more ENTERTAINING.

While having dinner at a friend's house recently, I came across a recipe for German pancakes sitting on her counter. As soon as I read the recipe I decided to make it for the family

a favorite of Emma's Jane Fairfax, though the Bates' had to send their apples out to be baked...

No need to whip out that mixer. These single-serving dessert recipes are quick and easy—not to mention delicious.

This month I am participating in a reading event called Austen in August. This event is hosted by Lost Generation Reader. It's an annual event where you can read as many Jane Austen novels as possible; or just one, which is what I did. Having seen so many of Jane Austen's movies it tweaked my interest to read a little more about her. The book I decided to read was In the Garden with Jane Austen by Kim Wilson. I really enjoyed this book. The book follows Jane's footsteps through many of the gardens she was documented on visiting regularly and many of the gardens featured in the movies made based on her novels. The book is extremely well researched and has many references to correlate and document the gardens and the visits Jane made or the actual text from her novels that mention the gardens. I will share a few of my favorite gardens discussed in the book. Source: www.general-southerner.blogspot.com Chawton Cottage Chawton Cottage was the home to Jane Austen, her mother, and her sister Cassandra after Jane's father died. This cottage is where Jane wrote many of her novels. This house had a very traditional English cottage garden with a mix of flowers, herbs, fruit, and vegetables. You cannot imagine-it is not in Human Nature to imagine what a nice walk we have round the Orchard. The row of Beech look very well indeed, & so does the young Quickset hedge in the Garden. I hear today that an Apricot has been detected on one of the Trees. ~Letter from Jane Austen at Chawton Cottage, to her sister, Cassandra, 31 May 1811 source: http://www.chatsworth.org/ Chatsworth House Home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, the grand estate of Chatsworth is supposed by many to be the inspiration for Pemberley. The 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice's (starring Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen) scenes of Pemberley were filmed here. Great estates such as this had huge gardens. These estates had areas that were generally used for timber, deer, and livestock. But, the pleasure grounds, closer to the house, were for the use of the people that lived there. They might include, wooded walks, maybe leading to temples, inspirational structures to sit quietly for contemplation. Closer to the house there might be shrubberies and drier walks, lawns, flowers gardens, and conservatories. Source: www.tripadvisor.co.uk Stoneleigh Abbey Stoneleigh Abbey is a great estate passed to Thomas Leigh, a cousin of Mrs. Austen, in 1806. The Abbey was converted (just like Northanger Abbey) to a private house when Henry the VIII dissolved the monasteries of England. It is a large house with extensive pleasure grounds. Here we find ourselves on Tuesday....everything is grand & very fine & very large. The house is larger than I could have supposed....I expected to find everything about the place very fine and all that, but I had no idea of it being so beautiful...The Avon runs near the house amidst green meadows bounded by large and beautiful woods, full of delightful walks... ~Letter from Mrs. Austen to Mary Austen, 13 August 1806 Source: www.gardenvisit.com Goodnestone Park Goodnestone Park was a charming brick house that Jane visited regularly. The home has 15 acres of gardens including the famous Walled Garden (pictured here). It has an old fashioned rose garden, a summer garden, a kitchen garden, an alpine garden, and an ornamental greenhouse. This is just a small sampling of the gardens and grounds discussed in this book. It was a delight to read and fun to walk of in the footsteps of this Regency era novelist sharing her love of the garden. I have read Tea with Jane Austen also written by Kim Wilson. I read this book at the end of winter this year. It was interesting to read how important tea was to the culture and with how much care was given to picking out tea for the home in Jane Austen's day. Have you read a Jane Austen based novel or biography lately? Have you watched any of the movies based on her work? The teacup in the top picture is by Spode the pattern is Blue Italian. The teapot is marked I. Godinger & Co. This post was written by Sherry of The Charm of Home blog. She can also be found at Pinterest.com/charmofhome and Twitter@ SherryTCOH.

According to her great nephew Edward, Jane Austen was "a good daughter, a delightful sister, the most perfect of aunts, what better record could there be of a single woman? Her literary work never stood in the way of her home duties..." Perhaps her "home duties" isn't what comes to mind when we think of dear Jane, however, she shares much on the subject through the beloved books she left behind. Today we highlight five Titus-2 lessons which are inspired by Miss Austen! #1. Practice Makes Perfect "Catherine would make a sad, heedless young housekeeper to be sure," was her mother's foreboding remark; but quick was the consolation of there being nothing like practice." ~Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey Though many of us were not brought up to be homemakers, you can take heart that practice does indeed make perfect! The key is in developing the proper habits. Author Elizabeth George speaks of being intentional about homemaking. She said she "loved reading, brooding, and watching TV. But one evening I heard a Christian woman I admire say, "I don't do anything sedentary!" I thought about that statement for days, and I finally made a pledge to be more active, to keep moving..." A few things my mother impressed upon me which I think are priceless, are in fact very simple concepts. They just require follow up ("moving" so to speak) and are in regards to the kitchen. As it is the center of the home, it requires the most maintenance. If we can focus on keeping our kitchen orderly, our entire home will function more efficiently. Number one, do not go to bed with dirty dishes in your sink (sorry, I know you didn't want to hear something this blunt and obvious!). You will be creating an un-pleasant domino effect for the remainder of the week that will affect the whole household and throw it off balance. A clean kitchen means a fresh start to each day and a promise for a more manageable one! The second tip is to clean as you cook. If you take out the tub of sugar, put it immediately away. If you barely use an item, give it a quick rinse and place it directly in your dish rack (I always keep my dish-rack out on the sink for this very reason -- it is the catch-all for the cleaning as you cook method). Leaving piles of mess in your kitchen is very overwhelming! It is much more manageable to maintain as you go along. The third concept is to fix your bed and dress every morning. Your bed makes up the bulk of your bedroom and with that being tidy, it sets the stage for "neat" in your home! With you being "tidy" every morning, it sets the stage for wanting your home to be "neat". If you are interested, you will find a few more simple priorities here along with some list-making motivation here. Remember, practice makes perfect! "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." ~ Phillipians 4:9 (NIV) #2. Live Within Your Means "Imprudence or thoughtlessness in money matters would be unpardonable in me." ~ Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice "They must retrench; that did not admit of a doubt... She drew up plans of economy, she made exact calculations, and she did what nobody else thought of doing: she consulted Anne, who never seemed considered by the others as having any interest in the question. She consulted, and in a degree was influenced by her in marking out the scheme of retrenchment which was at last submitted... Every emendation of Anne's had been on the side of honesty against importance. She wanted more vigorous measures, a more complete reformation, a quicker release from debt, a much higher tone of indifference for everything but justice and equity." ~ Jane Austen, Persuasion In Persuasion, we see the heroine (Anne) attempting to remedy the financial stress her widowed father and sister incurred in their lavish lifestyles. And here also, Jane Austen shows us the example of a crowned and honorable wife! For "while Lady Elliot lived, there had been method, moderation, and economy, which had just kept him within his income; but with her had died all such right-mindedness, and from that period he had been constantly exceeding it". A wife's frugal endeavors do make a difference and can make or break a home! I have seen many with a hefty paycheck lose everything and those with meager funds are able to maintain what they have because of good stewardship. Should you like to discover a lifestyle of reform and "retrenchment" (as it is alluded to in the regency era), here is our guide to Prudent Living the Pretty Way. '“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’" ~ Luke 14:28-30 "...a prudent wife is from the LORD." ~ Proverbs 19:14a 3. Mothers Matter “A mother would have been always present. A mother would have been a constant friend; her influence would have been beyond all other.” ~ Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey Here we see the sorrow of Miss Tilney, to grow up without a mother! How many children today have them and yet still grow up without them? You make a difference dear mother. Your presence makes a house a home! It is your arms that a child finds comfort, it is in your words that a child finds instruction and it is in your actions that a child learns the ways of the Almighty. Your motherly investment of time and energy will not go void. According to the Holy Word, these are beautiful raiment for your child. "... do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck." ~ Proverbs 1:8-9 "He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord." ~ Psalm 113:9 4. A Wife is a Good Thing "Lady Elliot had been an excellent woman, sensible and amiable; whose judgement and conduct, if they might be pardoned the youthful infatuation which made her Lady Elliot, had never required indulgence afterwards.--She had humoured, or softened, or concealed his (her husbands') failings, and promoted his real respectability for seventeen years; and though not the very happiest being in the world herself, had found enough in her duties, her friends, and her children, to attach her to life..." ~ Jane Austen, Persuasion Dear, precious, homemaker and wife, you are a good thing, a crown, and a jewel in God's eyes. Although Lady Elliott "had been an excellent woman, sensible and amiable; whose judgement and conduct, if they might be pardoned the youthful infatuation which made her Lady Elliot, had never required indulgence afterwards", we see in the quote above that she had made the best of her poor marriage circumstances. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, she did her (in this case) unworthy husband "good and not evil all the days of her life". I would like to think that she did so unto Him who created her (Colossians 3:23). Let us all do the same! "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD." ~ Proverbs 18-22 "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones." ~ Proverbs 12:4 5. There is No Place Like Home “Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.” ~ Jane Austen, Emma "Nothing was so likely to do her good as a little quiet cheerfulness at home.” ~Jane Austen, Persuasion There are many interesting places in the world to see, many wonderful outings to be had! But in the end, where does the heart crave to rest the weary body? Home. It is the place where we nourish our loved ones, practice creativity and cultivate comfort and love. It is assigned to women by the Almighty to keep and to guard (Titus 2:4-5). There is no place like it when it is filled with His sacred presence and our care and devotion. "And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places..." ~ Isaiah 32:18 Thank you for visiting with us today! If you enjoyed this article, you may also be interested in reading Titus 2 Homemaking Encouragement Inspired by Louisa May Alcott and Frugal Homemaking Lessons from The Great Depression Inspired by Janette Oke. In the meantime, I will leave you with a final bit of inspiration from Jane... "Give us grace to endeavour after a truly Christian Spirit to seek to attain that temper of Forbearance and Patience, of which our Blessed Saviour has set us the highest Example and which, while it prepares us for the spiritual happiness of the life to come, will secure to us the best enjoyment of what this World can give. Incline us Oh God! to think humbly of ourselves, to be severe only in the examination of our own conduct, to consider our fellow-creatures with kindness, and to judge of all they say and do with that charity which we would desire from them ourselves." ~ Prayer Written by Jane Austen All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays, The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop, Wow Us Wednesdays, Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

The Jane Austen Centre in Bath has unveiled a waxwork showing what the Pride and Prejudice author may have looked like, which a former FBI forensic artist helped to make.

"Erdbeerbowle" is a wine punch served at summer parties in Germany. It is a refreshing drink.

For all you Jane fanatics out there, this is a run down of some of the most crazy and unusual Jane Austen gifts around! We love #6!

Some Background on the Ball Supper in the BBC2 Documentary Although the silver and other tableware here is accurate for the period, this is more of an 'evocation', than a recreation of the Netherfield ball supper. But hopefully it does offer some insight into the sophistication of dining in the Regency period. Photo by Andrew Hayes Watkins. ©Optomen Television Those of you who regularly read this blog will know that I am frequently rather harsh about the lack of accuracy in food and table settings in period movies and television dramas. Rarely have I seen any recreations of this kind that have really impressed me. Though of course I constantly have to remind myself that these productions are not pretending to be anything more than dramatised settings of fiction, so the food and table setup are props for the cast to perform around. Therefore I suppose it is a bit sad of me to look for detailed historical accuracy in a fictional context where it is unlikely to be found. However, when the format of the production is a documentary, a medium which attempts a true reflection of reality, it is a different matter. On British television in recent years, there have been a number of documentaries which have attempted to examine the history of our food. In most cases these recreations have been worse than those of the period dramas. I am not going to give any examples, but some of these productions have really been wasted opportunities and I have frequently been embarrassed by my own involvement in them when I see the final edit. I believe that a more intelligent approach to food in history has the potential for really exciting - and yes, even more entertaining television than risk-averse commissioning editors realise. So how you might ask, can this sort of thing be done in a more revelatory and accurate way? Well the first essential factor is to work with a production team who really listen and understand these issues. When I was first invited to create the food and table for BBC2's documentary Pride and Prejudice Having a Ball, I had an exploratory meeting with the producer/director Ian Denyer. For the first time in my long career, I found myself talking to a television professional who was singing from the same hymn sheet as myself. Ian and his colleague Sarah Durdin Robertson were really keen to portray the same level of historical accuracy in their production that I aim for in my museum exhibitions. They too wanted to avoid the tabloid 'Carry on Banqueting' approach that has too often been the standard fare when it comes to the treatment of food history on British television. Silver specialist Christopher Hartop and his wife Juliet with a practice layout of the Regency silver at three o clock in the afternoon on the filming day. Ten hours later, they were still up, washing all this incredible stuff in the kitchen sink until 4.00am in the morning! Christopher and Juliet organise decorative arts special events, including one called The Art of Dining. Find out more at Christopher's website. The second essential factor is to set the table with authentic equipage rather than the generic art department 'props' that appear in just about every production, even the big budget Hollywood ones. To make this possible I called upon the good offices of my friend and colleague Christopher Hartop, one of the world's leading scholars of historic silverware. Christopher miraculously sourced a large assemblage of authentic Regency tableware, making this production the very first to recreate a period table on British television with a high degree of veracity. The only disappointment was that the food could not be prepared in a period kitchen, though I made up for this in using a range of original equipment, especially in the preparation of some of the sweet dishes. Confections from the Netherfield dessert you will have missed if you blinked when watching the programme! All designed for consuming with sweet wines. The Prince of Wales biscuits in the foreground, emblazoned with the iconic feathers emblem of the Regent, were made from Joseph Bell's 1817 recipe. The pink sweets are Pistachio Prawlongs from Frederick Nutt's 1789 The Complete Confectioner, a key work of this period. The plate in the background contains spice biscuits, wafers, sweetmeat biscuits, toad in a hole biscuits, millefruit biscuits and filbert biscuits, all also made from Nutt's recipes. Nowadays, we dunk biscuits into tea, but at this period they were used for dipping into the unctuously sweet wines of the dessert course. Ian told me the aim of the programme was to accurately recreate the Netherfield ball from Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice, including the production and serving of the ball supper, which would be my job. In her beautifully measured, but succinct prose, the author offers just a few clues about the nature of this meal, leaving much to the reader's imagination. But if our twenty-first century imaginations have been nourished by cliché-ridden, stereotypical concepts of what food and dining was like in the late Georgian period, how can a modern reader visualise such an occasion? Austen tells us it was a sit-down affair, at which the ubiquitous 'white soup' was served. But she says little else about the nature of the rest of the food. So if we were to accurately recreate her ball supper, where should we look for research material? There are certainly many contemporary reports of grand balls in the newspapers of this period, in which suppers are described, though hardly ever in any significant detail. One thing we do learn from these sources is that the supper was usually served in the early hours of the morning, making the old cliché 'carriages at midnight' completely false. For instance at the Duchess of Bedford’s Ball at Bedford House in London on Friday 31st May 1811, at which the great Neil Gow provided the music, the supper furnished by James Gunter was served in the 'wee small hours', 'At half-past three o’clock the company sat down to a sumptuous banquet, the viands and wines being of the first description, with a desert of ices, strawberries, cherries, and grapes by Mr Gunter. Music was provided by Mr Gow’s Band'. The Morning Post of 14th April 1813, the year of our recreated ball, reported a very grand supper served at a magnificent ball in the home of a Mrs Beaumont, 'At 2 am the company then adjourned to the supper-tables. Here a most sumptuous display indeed was made, there were no less than six supper-rooms, all fitted-up in the most beautiful and appropriate manner. Each table was brilliantly ornamented with trophies of war and peace; emblems emblematic of the arts and sciences: the costume of all civilized nations of the earth, exemplified in waxen images, modelled for this fete expressly…the plate, and the china, displayed and the brilliancy of the lighting-up of the tables, the effect was grand in the extreme. To render the coup l’oeil complete, about two hundred beautiful women (for the major part of the females were really beautiful) sat in such prominent situations as to be seen in every part without the least difficulty. The supper, we need not add, was most excellent; the wines abundant, and all of the rarest kinds. The dessert fruits, and confectionary, were equally deserving of panegyric: the Duke of Clarence spoke in raptures of them'. This brief page on ball suppers from John Conrade Cooke's Cookery and Confectionery, (London: 1824) tells us that by this time it had become fashionable to eat the food provided at balls standing up. Austen tells us that the Netherfield supper was a sit down affair. Of course, the style of dining she had in mind was that of the late 1790s when she wrote the book, not the Regency period when it was published. I would have preferred to have produced a 1798 supper, but the BBC wanted to set it in 1813. Note that Cooke mentions 'White Soups'. He also tells us that the hams were ornamented or served in slices. Stand-up ball suppers became the norm in the Victorian period. This is a museum display I undertook last year of a stand-up ball supper based on an actual event at Hatfield House in 1845. It was part of the 2012 Bowes Museum exhibition Feast your Eyes. Amazingly, when my team did finally recreate the supper for filming at Chawton House in January, because the schedule was running very late, the food was not delivered to the table until 2 am. And we finished the washing up at 4.00 am. That day we started work in the kitchen at 7.00 am, making it a massive twenty-three hour shift! This sort of schedule was probably exactly the long kind of day that the servants who prepared and served at these affairs would have experienced in the Regency period. Creating a meal on this scale would have been the job of a large team of professionals over a number of days. Confectionery keeps well, so it was made well in advance. A lot of the cold dishes and pies were usually made the day before. This was the pattern we followed. My team was truly remarkable, working under extremely difficult conditions and for very long hours. Lesley Sendall, food stylist extraordinaire, was my second in command. In the kitchen, the meat and fish cookery was carried out faultlessly by the highly talented chefs Sylvain Jamois and Chris Gates, assisted by the always calm Emily Hallett and Roy May. I wish that I could have worked with them in a real period kitchen, like my own in Cumbria, teaching them how to roast in front of a fire and prepare their sauces on a stewing stove. In the dining room, Christopher Hartop and his wife Juliet laid out the remarkable silver and trained the waiters. Christopher, a former Executive Vice-Chairnan of Christie's is the author of numerous books and papers on silver. We all learnt a great deal about the logistics of such an ambitious entertainment, including the long hours of washing up afterwards in the small hours. Though unlike the scullery staff of 1813, we had good washing up liquid rather than hard soap and plenty of hot water - though that failed at one point! In the description above of Mrs Beaumont's ball, it is mentioned that the tables were decorated with emblematic wax ornaments. These pieces montées, or 'dressed plates' were also made out of sugar and edible materials. They were designed and made by very skilful confectioners who specialised in such work, and could even be hired just for the evening. One little known, but important book by the cook and confectioner John Conrade Cooke - Cookery and Confectionery (London: 1824) illustrates some of these extraordinary objects. The example I reproduce below was a sort of culinary 'mobile' that trembled elegantly when the guests sat at the table. It was appropriately called a 'tremblent'. These stunning wobbly centrepieces were popular all over Europe until the middle of the nineteenth century. They would have picked up and amplified every movement from the dance floor. A 'drest plate' or tremblent by John Conrade Cooke. Although there was neither time, nor the budget to make table ornaments like this for the programme, I did make two of Cooke's ices for our reconstruction of the Netherfield ball supper - tamarind ice cream and negus ice, both served during the dessert in contemporary ice coolers, or seaux à glace. A remarkable design for a tremblent by the Turin confectioner Prati to be entirely executed in sugar paste c.1825. Bills of fare for ball suppers are actually few and far between in the cookery literature of the period. One of the best examples and the one we decided to use as the starting point for our supper was published in later editions of William Henderson's The Housekeeper's Instructor. It first appeared in the 1805 edition, a version of the book much 'corrected, revised and augmented' by Jacob Schnebbelie, principal cook at that iconic residence for high status bachelors - Albany in Piccadilly. Portrait of Schnebbelie with the Albany from William Henderson, The Housekeeper's Instructor (Twelfth Edition, London: 1803). It is likely that Schnebbelie fed such regency worthies as Henry Holland, Lord Byron and Robert Smirke, who all lived in chambers or 'sets' in the Albany on his watch. Schnebbelie's scheme includes four dress plates down the middle of the table with a small dessert frame in the centre. These raised frames, also called plateaux or surtout were very popular for raising dramatic ornamental centrepieces above the level of the table. With four dress plates and a frame, this layout is for a very ambitious entertainment indeed - to my mind, in style and scope somewhat more Mr Darcy or Lady Catherine de Bourgh, than Mr Bingley. On either side of the frame is a Savoy cake. These large moulded sponge cakes were decorated with gum paste ornaments and made conspicuous ornaments for the table in their own right. I decided to drop the dress plates. but retain the savoy cakes. Schnebbelie's ball supper scheme, with its 'frame' and 'dress plates' is for a very grand ball supper. He also included a plan for the dessert which followed. From William Henderson, The Housekeeper's Instructor (Twelfth Edition, London: 1803). This large gum paste triumphal arch with its trophies stands on a dessert frame or plateau. I made it for the exhibition Royal Sugar Sculpture in 2003. It is now displayed in the table decker's room at Brighton Pavilion. In this decorative title page to Cooke's book, the two little fellows at the table are preparing a 'drest plate'. The items on this 1870s French ball supper buffet include pieces montées and trophies of game and fish. One of my ornamented Savoy cakes. Photo by Andrew Hayes Watkins. © Optomen Television A Regency period mould in my collection, which I used to ornament the Savoy cake above. Ball suppers were prepared and served by professional caterers with advanced skills in both cookery and confectionery. Schnebbelie includes two blancmanges in his scheme, which were likely to have been made in the intricate moulds of the period. The mould used to make this beautiful blancmange basket of fruit was made by Wedgewood in the 1790s. Photo by Sarah Durdin Robertson. Schnebbelie's cold fowls were likely to have been ornamented with fashionable silver hatelet skewers garnished with such delicacies as whole truffles and crayfish. Note the slices of ham on the napkin in the silver basket, served as per the instructions of John Conrade Cooke reproduced earlier in this post. Photo by Andrew Hayes Watkins. © Optomen Television. Instead of a dessert frame, we used a stunning epergne by Benjamin Smith III of Birmingham, kindly lent by Koopman Rare Art. Photo by Andrew Hayes Watkins. © Optomen Television The table is laid à la française with all the dishes on the table at once. The guests choose just the dishes they want and help each other, making it a socially dynamic style of dining. The aim was to provide a sumptuous arrangement that honoured the guests with plenty of choice. Nobody was expected to eat everything. Photo by Andrew Hayes Watkins. © Optomen Television Many of the savoury dishes in the meal were from Henderson's book, though some, such as the Austen favourites white soup and haricot of mutton were based on recipes in Martha Lloyd's and the Knight family manuscripts, housed at the Jane Austen House and Chawton. However, most of the recipes in these wonderful collections are of a domestic nature. Much grander dishes would have graced the table of the fashionable and aspirational Bingleys, especially at an entertainment at which they were attempting to impress grandees such as Darcy. Crayfish in Jelly. Photo by Andrew Hayes Watkins. © Optomen Television. The recipe for the dish above. From Richard Briggs, The English Art of Cookery (London: 1788). A sweet jelly this time, moulded in cameo style made using a 1790s Staffordshire mould. This is the final bill of fare for the supper. Its core is the 1805 arrangement designed by Schnebbelie reproduced above, but with the addition of two soups and a number of other dishes mentioned by Austen, such as haricot of mutton roast widgeon and ragout of veal. There was also a dessert course, which I will discuss in a later post. Ivan enjoys a cup of tea after the stress of unmoulding this 1790s Staffordshire core jelly obelisk. It was worth it as it did appear on the screen for a micro-second! A lot of you who have already watched the programme and have contacted me to say that you would have liked to have heard more about the food. Well, the supper was just a part of the whole event and what had to be foremost in the narrative of the programme was how the context of the ball set the dynamics of Austen's plot. I thought the programme makers and presenters made a good job of this. The extraordinary culture of Regency dining really needs a six part series of its own. Though I am afraid that commissioning editors think that modern audiences do not have an appetite for this sort of thing. They are entirely wrong of course! Some of the sharp-eyed among you noticed a few errors of fact in the voice-overs in food scenes. Alistair Sooke said that the parmesan ice cream was made from a recipe in Frederick Nutt's Imperial and Royal Cook, which of course does not contain any ice cream recipes. It was made from Nutt's earlier work, The Complete Confectioner of 1789. Well spotted! Three of you realised that the liquid unfortunately described by Amanda Vickery as a 'gallon of gravy', must have been the hare soup, because it was being poured into a particularly fine Regency soup tureen. It was! The other tureen was used for serving the famous white soup. And yes, the meat in a veal ragout was not 'slow roasted', nor shredded - it was stewed. I am never sure who writes the texts of voice-overs, but in my experience they are the area in these productions where the most errors creep in. It can be particularly annoying when an expert contributor has mentioned on camera the true facts and in the presenter's voice-over which replaces it, the truth gets mangled, or ends up substituted by some nonsense gleaned from Wikipedia. It happens to me all the time - but I guess that is one of the joys of show biz! Although my meal was set out correctly for this period, the mode with which it was consumed in the programme by the modern diners would have raised a few eyebrows in the early nineteenth century. Place a group of excited twenty-first century dancers round a lavish table at 2.00am in the morning and you will not get a perfect demonstration of Regency period manners. À la française dining was a socially dynamic mode of service, but not quite the free-for-all depicted here. If you live in Britain and you missed the programme first broadcast at 9.00pm on the 10th May on BBC2, you can catch up with it over the next week on BBC iPlayer. It is presented by Amanda Vickery and Alistair Sooke. It is an Optomen production for BBC2 commissioned by BBC2 Controller Janice Hadlow and Mark Bell, Commissioning Editor, Arts. P.S. Neither Optomen or the BBC told me anything about this, but a friend has just pointed out that there is another spin-off programme from Pride and Prejudice: Having a Ball, an education production aimed at school children called Regency Life: 3 Lives in a Day. She mentioned it to me, because she noticed lots of sections with really good footage of my food and table, which were not used in Pride and Prejudice: Having a Ball. I appear in it from time as an uncredited, disembodied pair of hands doing things with food! If you want to watch it, it is available on BBC iPlayer for a few more days - Regency Life: 3 Lives in a Day Watch Ivan make Frederick Nutt's 1789 Spice Biscuits