Category Archives: Uncategorized

A Large Standing Crust

Posted on May 20, 2013 by

In earlier posts, I offered recipes for a small standing crust — perfect for individual-serving meat pies, a short crust, as well as a puff pastry. These recipes were versions of the three types of crusts used probably most often in 18th … Continue reading →

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A Rare Glimpse and a Unique Resource

Posted on April 4, 2013 by

Here at Jas. Townsend & Son, we’re presently researching, of all things, the history of pancakes.  We noticed a broad range of various pancake recipes as we perused the numerous period cookbooks in preparation for our video series, but we … Continue reading →

Posted in 1700's, Baking, Bread, historic cooking, Ingredients, Medicine, Recipe, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Suet, Part two: What it is, What it isn’t, and What to Look For.

Posted on January 21, 2013 by

In my last post, I took a brief look at the important role suet had in 18th century foodways as well as in life in general. I gave an over-simplified explanation that suet is the hard fat from the loins … Continue reading →

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Suet, Part One: Its role in 18th Century Foodways and Life

Posted on January 18, 2013 by

Scan through almost any 18th century cookbook and you will find a recurring term: Suet. Suet was an important ingredient in English cooking. It’s still used today, though it seems to have reserved its spot on British grocery shelves much more … Continue reading →

Posted in 1700's, 18th century, Baking, historic cooking, Ingredients, Medicine, Recipe, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Salted Meat for a Long Journey at Sea

Posted on January 8, 2013 by

I recently received an email from a fellow historical foodie, who…well, for efficiency sake, I’ll include his email message while respecting his privacy: Good evening, First I’d like to say that I watch your YouTube historical cooking videos quite avidly, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1700's, 18th century, historic cooking, Recipe, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

An 18th Century Cookbook Dedicated to the Sweet Tooth

Posted on December 6, 2012 by

Here’s an interesting cookbook by Frederick Nutt, originally written in 1789, called “The Complete Confectioner, or the Whole Art of Confectionery.” Just in time for the holidays, its repertoire of recipes includes biscuits, drops, prawlings, ice creams, water ices, fruits … Continue reading →

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Read Twice, Bake Once.

Posted on November 20, 2012 by

When it comes to interpreting 18th century cookbooks, sometimes it pays to go with your instinct when it tells you a recipe may be inaccurate. Take for instance this recipe from the book “The Universal Cook” by Francis Collingwood and … Continue reading →

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A Standing Crust Recipe

Posted on November 19, 2012 by

The standing crust was probably the oldest form of pastry in English cooking. While it really wasn’t intended to be consumed, it was an ingenious culinary invention designed to serve as a baking dish, a storage dish, and a serving … Continue reading →

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Recipes Using Bread Crust Chips and Raspings

Posted on July 12, 2012 by

In response to our last post on 18th Century No-Knead “French” Bread, a reader asked us to share some original recipes that included crust chips and raspings as an ingredient. If the typical 18th century diet could be reduced down … Continue reading →

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