A little while ago when I was blogging about the origins of some of the events in the London Season (part 2 of this series will follow soon) a commenter asked if the famous recipe Eton Mess was associated with the Eton School 4th June celebrations. The history of Eton Mess is very interesting and has [...]
Did you know that Marie Antoinette once wore a headdress woven with potato flowers for a ball? Never mind let them eat cake, let them wear potatoes! Today at the Word Wenches blog I am talking about the history of the potato and how the upper class Brits and French scorned it whilst the Americans [...]
Happy Monday! First up, I’d like to congratulate Quilt Lady, who has won a backlist book for commenting on my weekend blog post! Quilt Lady, please get in touch at ncornick(at)madasafish.com and let me know which book you would like! Meanwhile I’m still looking for Bobby and HJ and Jennifer L to get in touch [...]
As it’s Friday and everyone deserves a treat, I’m posting up a 16th century recipe for the most delicious Elizabethan Honey Cake. I first came across this at the National Trust house Moseley Old Hall, where it is served in the tearoom. Enjoy! Ingredients: 6oz butter or margarine, 6oz caster sugar, 60z self-raising flour, 1 [...]
Have you ever wished that your beloved would, in the ultimate romantic gesture, build you the house of your dreams? Or would that be a bit over the top? Ashdown House is a Valentine’s Day gift in bricks and mortar (or chalk, actually), a house built by the Earl of Craven for the love of a [...]
Today marks the bicentenary of the English Regency. King George III was seventy two and after many years of illness was declared insane. On 5th February, 1811 the Prince of Wales took the oaths of office as Regent and assumed charge of the government. To celebrate the bicentenary, Harlequin is running a special series of [...]
Thank you very much for all the comments on the Cute Castles post – and the recommendations of places to visit - and congratulations to Diane and Dara, whom Monty has chosen as the winners of a copy of Lord Of Scandal! I wasn’t intending to offer another blog prize quite so soon after the other [...]
A very Happy Twelfth Night to everyone! Today marks the last of the Twelve Days of Christmas. I won’t be eating a Twelfth Cake tonight as I think I have had quite enough cake of various sorts over the last twelve days but I do like the sound of the French tradition of eating the [...]
This week I tried a new recipe – pasta with chestnuts and bacon. It was delicious, sweet and salt and very seasonal and warming, and I had half a packet of chestnuts left over so I had a look in my historical recipe books for something to do with them and came up with Antonin Careme’s Small [...]
I almost didn’t post up the recipe becaue I don’t like pickles and chutneys. Then I thought this is like licorice – just because I don’t like piccalilli doesn’t mean that there aren’t hundreds of people who do. So here is the recipe for those who do. The origins of this familiar mustard-coloured pickle and [...]