On Monday evening BBC 1′s The One Show had a typically different take on the celebrations for the bicentenary of the first publication of Pride and Prejudice. They broadcast a small item, presented by the comedian Arthur Smith, about Martha Lloyd’s Household Book and the type of food eaten by Jane Austen at Chawton Cottage.
Arthur visited what is now the Jane Austen’s House Museum, and was shown the Household Book on display there.
This recipes and remedies in this book were collected by Martha Lloyd, a long-standing friend of the family and who lived with the Austen ladies after her mother’s death. She eventually married one of Jane’s brothers, Francis. She was very close to Jane , and when reading Jane’s letters to her, the evidence is that she was, in my humble opinion, “almost another sister” and worthy of the epithet.
The book is a fascinating document. It is in manuscript, and the entries are written in many different hands. The book is full of recipes, household mixes and medicinal cures, and many Austen family members and friends contributed recipes to it. As a result we have a rather good idea of the type of food that was eaten at the cottage while Jane Austen was alive.
Arthur was given three dishes to eat, which were all prepared at the Pump Room in Bath, which now houses a restaurant, and was accompanied and advised by the food historian, Holly Newton.
Appropriately, he ate White Soup, as supplied by Mr Bingley to his guests at the Netherfield Ball in Pride and Prejudice
Jugged Beef Steaks with potatoes…….
and Gooseberry Tart. It was a good section of the programme, though brief, and was a welcome alternative to the diet of “wet shirt ” admiration that some programmes fed to us! it was quite seriously undertaken, and was not at all frivolous. Replete with details of Jane’s life and how differently food was prepared and eaten during the early 19th century, I confess, I enjoyed it.
You have five days left to view the item on the BBC iPlayer, here, and the item began at approximately 23 minutes and 30 seconds into the programme.
5 comments
January 30, 2013 at 10:03 am
imogen88
Delicious!! This looks amazing, what a treat! Great, Julie.
January 30, 2013 at 11:12 am
Tina
So sad, can’t be seen outside UK…. but it looks as though it was really interesting, and I like the menu! Thanks a million Julie!
January 30, 2013 at 11:14 am
jfwakefield
I know. I’m so sorry. But hopefully you would get the gist of the item from my report ;)
January 30, 2013 at 11:42 pm
cathyallen
Oh well… Your description and illustrations were, as always, excellent, so I almost feel as if I got to see it. Thanks. :-)
February 8, 2013 at 3:15 pm
Julie
Drat. I missed it on iPlayer. Oh well. Maybe some enterprising soul will put it on YouTube.
That said, I am so glad that not everyone is focusing on that ridiculous wet shirt. I hated that scene when I first saw the series, and I hate it now, all these years later.
And, as always, thank you Julie, for all that you do for us.
-Julie P.