Collection of old British menus featured image.
Home   »  Old menus

Old menus

A collection of old menus! There will be menus for 1 or for families, for invalids, for a week, a day, celebrations, vegetarians, meat-free meals, and more!

I plan to test these recipes and add photos along with any advice I have for making them. If you see this note beside the recipe—”Leigh tested recipe”—then you can expect photos and useful guidance!

Table of Contents

”I have written the following menus to help those who are beginning vegetarianism. When first starting, most housewives do not know what to provide, and this is a source of anxiety. I occasionally meet some who have been vegetarians a long time, but confess that they do not know how to provide a nice meal. They usually eat the plainest foods, because they know of no tasty dishes.

When visitors come, we like to provide tempting dishes for them, and show them that appetising meals can be prepared without the carcases of animals. I only give seven menus, that is, one for each day of the week; but our dishes can be so varied that we can have a different menu daily for weeks without any repetition. The recipes here written give a fair idea to start with. Instead of always using butter beans, or haricot beans, as directed in one of these menus, lentils or split peas can be substituted. I have not included macaroni cheese in these menus, because this dish is so generally known; it can be introduced into any vegetarian dinner. I have allowed three courses at the dinner, but they are really not necessary. I give them to make the menus more complete. A substantial soup and a pudding, or a savoury with vegetables and sauce and a pudding, are sufficient for a good meal. In our own household we rarely have more than two courses, and often only one course. This article will be of assistance to all those who are wishing to try a healthful and humane diet, and to those meat eaters who wish to provide tasty meals for vegetarian friends.”

Anna P. Allinson.

4, Spanish Place,
Manchester Square,
London, W.

A WEEK’S MENU [vegetarian]

Notes about the following week’s menu:

The following menu is a vegetarian menu. During the time of Dr. Allison, many people were beginning to realize the health benefits of eating a diet with less meat. As a result, there were many vegetarian recipes that proved to be quite popular, as they were also very frugal and used everyday ingredients.

Where the recipe calls for Allison’s wheatmeal or Allison’s wholemeal flour, you can substitute wholemeal flour or whole-wheat flour. If preferred, you can also use plain or all-purpose flour. Additionally, if the recipe mentions vege-butter, you can use margarine suitable for baking or cooking. When the recipe asks for a quart of liquid, you can use 946 millilitres instead.

TOMATO SOUP.

1 tin of tomatoes or 2 lbs. of fresh ones, 1 large Spanish onion or 1/2 lb. of smaller ones, 2 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste, 1 oz. of vermicelli and 2 bay leaves. Peel the onions and chop up roughly; brown them with the butter in the saucepan in which the soup is made. When the onion is browned, add the tomatoes (the fresh ones must be sliced) and 3 pints of water. Let all cook together for 1/2 an hour. Then drain the liquid through a sieve without rubbing anything through. Return the liquid to the saucepan, add the seasoning and the vermicelli; then allow the soup to cook until the vermicelli is soft, which will be in about 10 minutes. Sago, tapioca, or a little dried julienne may be used instead of the vermicelli.

VEGETABLE PIE.

1/2 lb. each of tomatoes, turnips, carrots, potatoes, 1 tablespoonful of sago, 1 teaspoonful of mixed herbs, 3 hard-boiled eggs, 2 oz. of butter, and pepper and salt to taste. Prepare the vegetables, scald and skin the tomatoes, cut them in pieces not bigger than a walnut, stew them in the butter and 1 pint of water until nearly tender, add the pepper and salt and the mixed herbs. When cooked, pour the vegetables into a pie-dish, sprinkle in the sago, add water to make gravy if necessary. Cut the hard-boiled eggs in quarters and place them on the top of the vegetables, cover with a crust made from Allinson wholemeal, and bake until it is brown.

SHORT CRUST.

10 oz. of Allinson wholemeal, 8 oz. of butter or vege-butter, 1 teacupful of cold water. Rub the butter into the meal, add the water, mixing the paste with a knife. Roll it out, cut strips to line the rim of the pie-dish, cover the vegetable with the crust, decorate it, and bake the pie as directed.

GOLDEN SYRUP PUDDING.

10 oz. of Allinson wholemeal, 3 eggs, 1 pint of milk, and 1/2 lb. of golden syrup. Grease a pudding basin, and pour the golden syrup into it; make a batter with the milk, meal, and eggs, and pour this into the pudding basin on the syrup, but do not stir the batter up with the syrup. Place a piece of buttered paper on the top of the batter, tie a cloth over the basin unless you have a basin with a fitting metal lid, and steam the pudding for 2 1/2 hours in boiling water. Do not allow any water to boil into the pudding. Dip the basin with the pudding in it for 1 minute in cold water before turning it out, for then it comes out more easily.

CLEAR CELERY SOUP.

1 large head of celery or 2 small ones, 1 large Spanish onion, 2 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste, and 1 blade of mace. Chop the onion and fry it brown in the butter (or vege-butter) in the saucepan in which the soup is to be made. When brown, add 4 pints of water, the celery washed and cut into pieces, the mace, the pepper and salt. Let all cook until the celery is quite soft, then drain the liquid from the vegetables. Return it to the saucepan, boil the soup up, and add 1 oz. of vermicelli, sago, or Italian paste; let the soup cook until this is quite soft, and serve with sippets of Allinson wholemeal toast.

BUTTER BEANS WITH PARSLEY SAUCE.

Pick the beans, wash them and steep them over night in boiling water, just covering them. Allow 2 or 3 oz. of beans for each person. In the morning let them cook gently in the water they are steeped in, with the addition of a little butter, until quite soft, which will be in about 2 hours. The beans should be cooked in only enough water to keep them from burning; therefore, when it boils away, add only just sufficient for absorption. The sauce is made thus: 1 pint of milk, 1 tablespoonful of Allinson wholemeal, a handful of finely chopped parsley, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, pepper and salt to taste. Boil the milk and thicken it with the meal, which should first be smoothed with a little cold milk, then last of all add the lemon juice, the seasoning, and the parsley. This dish should be eaten with potatoes and green vegetables.

GROUND RICE PUDDING.

1 quart of milk, 6 oz. of ground rice, 1 egg, and any kind of jam. Boil the milk, stir into it the ground rice previously smoothed with some of the cold milk. Let the mixture gook gently for 5 minutes, stir frequently, draw the saucepan to the side, and when it has ceased to boil add the egg well whipped, and mix well. Pour half of the mixture into a pie-dish, spread a layer of jam over it, then pour the rest of the pudding mixture over the jam, and let it brown lightly in the oven.

[note: a quart is about 946 millilitres]

CARROT SOUP.

4 good-sized carrots, 1 small head of celery, 1 fair sized onion, a turnip, 3 oz. of Allinson breadcrumbs, 1-1/2 oz. of butter, 1 blade of mace, pepper and salt to taste. Scrape and wash the vegetables, and cut them up small; set them over the fire with 3 pints of water, the butter, bread, and mace. Let all boil together until the vegetables are quite tender, and then rub them through a sieve. Return the mixture to the saucepan, season with pepper and salt, and if too thick add water to the soup, which should be as thick as cream. Boil the soup up, and serve.

CURRIED RICE AND TOMATOES.

1/2 lb. of Patna rice, 1 dessertspoonful of curry powder, salt to taste, and 1 oz. of butter. Wash the rice, put it over the fire in cold water, let it just boil up, then drain the water off. Mix 1 pint of cold water with the curry powder, put this over the fire with the rice, butter, and salt. Cover the rice with a piece of buttered paper and let it simmer gently until the water is absorbed. This will take about 20 minutes. Rice cooked this way will have all the grains separate. For the tomatoes proceed as follows: 1 lb. of tomatoes and a little butter, pepper, and salt. Wash the tomatoes and place them in a flat tin with a few spoonfuls of water; dust them with pepper and salt, and place little bits of butter on each tomato. Bake them from 15 to 20 minutes, according to the size of the tomatoes and the heat of the oven. Place the rice in the centre of a hot flat dish, put the tomatoes round it, pour the liquid over the rice, and serve.

APPLE CHARLOTTE.

2 lbs. of cooking apples, 1 teacupful of mixed currants and sultanas, 1 heaped-up teaspoonful of ground cinnamon, 2 oz. of blanched and chopped almonds, sugar to taste, Allinson wholemeal bread, and butter. Pare, core, and cut up the apples and set them to cook with a teacupful of water. Some apples require much more water than others. When they are soft add the fruit picked and washed, the cinnamon, and the almonds and sugar. Cut very thin slices of bread and butter, line a buttered pie-dish with them. Place a layer of apples over the buttered bread, and repeat the layers of bread and apples until the dish is full, finishing with a layer of bread and butter. Bake from 3/4 of an hour to 1 hour.

RICE SOUP.

3 oz. of rice, 4 oz. of grated cheese, 1 breakfastcupful of tomato juice, 1 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste. Boil the rice till tender in 2-1/2 pints of water, with the butter and seasoning. When quite soft, add the tomato juice and the cheese; stir until the soup boils and the cheese is dissolved, and serve. If too much of the water has boiled away, add a little more.

HOT-POT.

2 lbs. of potatoes, 3/4 lb. of onions, 1 breakfast cupful of tinned tomatoes or 1/2 lb. of sliced fresh ones, 1 teaspoonful of mixed herbs, 1-1/2 oz. butter, pepper and salt to taste. Those who do not like tomatoes can leave them out, and the dish will still be very savoury. The potatoes should be peeled, washed, and cut into thin slices, and the onions peeled and cut into thin slices. Arrange the vegetables and tomatoes in layers; dust a little pepper and salt between the layer, and finish with a layer of potatoes. Cut the butter into little bits, place them on the top of the potatoes, fill the dish with hot water, and bake the hot-pot for 2 hours or more in a hot oven. Add a little more hot water if necessary while baking to make up for what is lost in the cooking.

CABINET PUDDING.

4 slices of Allinson bread toasted, 1-1/4 pints of milk, 8 eggs, 1 oz. of butter, sugar to taste, 2 oz. of chopped almonds, 1 teacupful of mixed currants and sultanas and any kind of flavouring—cinammon, lemon, vanilla, or almond essence. Crush the toast in your hands, and soak it in the milk. Whip the eggs up, melt the butter, and add both to the soaked toast. Thoroughly mix all the various ingredients together. Butter a pie-dish and pour the pudding mixture into it; put a few bits of butter on the top, and bake the pudding for 1 hour in a moderately hot oven.

LEEK SOUP.

2 bunches of leeks, 1-1/2 pints of milk, 1 oz. of butter, 1 lb. of potatoes, pepper and salt to taste, and the juice of 1 lemon. Cut off the coarse part of the green ends of the leeks, and cut the leeks lengthways, so as to be able to brush out the grit. Wash the leeks well, and see no grit remains, then out them in short pieces. Peel, wash, and cut up the potatoes, then cook both vegetables with 2 pints of water. When the vegetables are quite tender, rub them through a sieve. Return the mixture to the saucepan, add the butter, milk, and seasoning, and boil the soup up again. Before serving, add the Lemon juice; serve with sippets of toast or Allinson rusks.

MUSHROOM SAVOURY.

4 slices Allinson bread toast, 8 eggs, 1 pint of milk, 3 oz. of butter, 1 lb. of mushrooms, 1 small onion chopped fine, and pepper and salt to taste. Crush the toast with your hand and soak it in the milk; add the eggs well whipped. Peel, wash, and out up the mushrooms, and fry them and the onion in the butter. When they have cooked in the butter for 10 minutes add them to the other ingredients, and season with pepper and salt. Pour the mixture into a greased pie-dish and bake the savoury for 1 hour. Serve with green vegetables, potatoes, and tomato sauce.

[note: you can use any toasted bread you like for this recipe]

CHOCOLATE MOULD.

1 quart of milk, 2 oz. of potato flour, 2 oz. of Allinson fine wheatmeal, 1 heaped-up tablespoonful of cocoa, 1 dessertspoonful of vanilla essence, and sugar to taste. Smooth the potato flour, wheatmeal, and cocoa with some of the milk. Add sugar to the rest of the milk, boil it up and thicken it with the smoothed ingredients. Let all simmer for 10 minutes, stir frequently, add the vanilla, and mix it well through. Pour the mixture into a wetted mould; turn out when cold, and serve plain or with cold white sauce.

[note: a quart is about 946 millilitres]

ARTICHOKE SOUP.

1 lb. each of artichokes and potatoes, 1 Spanish onion, 1 oz. of butter, 1 pint of milk, and pepper and salt to taste. Peel, wash, and cut into dice the artichokes, potatoes, and onion. Cook them until tender in 1 quart of water with the butter and seasoning. When the vegetables are tender rub them through a sieve. Return the liquid to the saucepan, add the milk and boil the soup up again. Add water it the soup is too thick. Serve with small dice of bread fried crisp in butter or vege-butter.

YORKSHIRE PUDDING.

4 eggs, 1/2 lb. of Allinson fine wheatmeal, 1 pint of milk, pepper and salt to taste, 1 oz. of butter. Thoroughly beat the eggs, make a batter of them with the flour and milk, and season it. Well butter a shallow tin, pour in the batter, and cut the rest of the butter in bits. Scatter them over the batter and bake it 3/4 of an hour. Serve with vegetables, potatoes, and sauce. To use half each of Allinson breakfast oats and wheatmeal flour will be found very tasty.

BAKED CARAMEL CUSTARD.

1-1/2 pints of milk, 5 eggs, vanilla essence, 4 oz. of castor sugar for the caramel, and a little more sugar to sweeten the custard. Heat the milk, whip up the eggs, and carefully stir the hot milk into the beaten eggs; flavour with vanilla and sugar to taste. Meanwhile put the castor sugar into a small enamelled saucepan and stir it over a quick fire until it is quite melted and brown. Add about 2 tablespoonfuls of hot water to the caramel, stir thoroughly, and pour it into a tin mould or a cake tin. Let the caramel run all round the sides of the tin; pour in the custard, and bake it in a moderate oven, standing in a larger tin of boiling water, until the custard is set. Let it get cold, turn out, and serve. This is a very dainty sweet dish.

POTATO SOUP.

2 lbs. of potatoes, 1/2 a stick of celery or the outer stalks of a head of celery, saving the heart for table use, 1 large Spanish onion, 1 pint of milk, 1 oz. of butter, a heaped-up tablespoonful of finely chopped Parsley, and pepper and salt to taste. Peel, wash, and cut in pieces the potatoes, peel and chop roughly the onion, prepare and cut in small pieces the celery. Cook the vegetables in 8 pints of water until they are quite soft. Rub them through a sieve, return the fluid mixture to the saucepan; add the milk, butter, and seasoning, and boil the soup up again; if too thick, add more water. Mix the parsley in the soup just before serving.

BREAD AND CHEESE SAVOURY.

1/2 lb. of Allinson bread, 3 oz. of grated cheese, 1 pint of milk, 3 eggs, pepper and salt to taste, a little nutmeg, and some butter. Cut the bread into slices and butter them; arrange in layers in a pie-dish, spreading some cheese between the layers, and dusting with pepper, salt, and a little nutmeg. Finish with a good sprinkling of cheese. Whip up the eggs, mix them with the milk, and pour the mixture over the bread and cheese in the pie-dish. Pour the custard back into the basin, and repeat the pouring over the contents of the pie-dish. If this is done two or three times, the top slices of bread and butter get soaked, and then bake better. This should also be done when a bread and butter pudding is made. Bake the savoury until brown, which it will be in about 3/4 of an hour.

ORANGE MOULD.

The juice of 7 oranges and of 1 lemon, 6 oz. of sugar, 4 eggs, and 4 oz. of Allinson cornflour. Add enough water to the fruit juices to make 1 quart of liquid; put 1-1/2 pints of this over the fire with the sugar. With the rest smooth the cornflour and mix with it the eggs well beaten. When the liquid in the saucepan is near the boil, stir into it the mixture of egg and cornflour. Keep stirring the mixture over a gentle fire until it has cooked 5 minutes. Turn it into a wetted mould and allow to get cold, then turn out and serve.

A MONTH’S MENUS FOR ONE PERSON – Recipes for one!

I can’t wait to try some of these menus on my family, as they look amazingly budget-friendly and interesting. I can imagine they are tasty to boot! Of course, I will be substituting any ingredients if necessary with something similar. I will post on my social media sites whether I make one of the recipes and I will also include a photo beside the relevant recipe.

These recipes are perfect for feeding one person. If two portions are required, or more, simply double the ingredients, or triple them, and so on. Recipes for one are hard to come by, so I am sure these recipes will be very helpful and useful for some of our visitors.

***An important note: a gill of liquid, such as milk, equals 4 fl oz or 125 millilitres.***

Day 1

CAULIFLOWER SOUP.

1/2 small cauliflower, 1/2 pint milk and water, small piece of butter, 1 teaspoonful of fine wholemeal, pepper and salt to taste. Wash and cut up the cauliflower, cook till tender with the milk and water, add butter and seasoning; smooth the meal with a little water, thicken the soup with it, boil up for a minute and serve.

WHOLEMEAL BATTER.

2 oz. wholemeal, 1 gill of milk, 1 egg, seasoning to taste. Make a batter of the ingredients, butter a flat tin or a small pie-dish, turn the batter into it, and bake it from 20 to 30 minutes. Eat with vegetables.

BLANCMANGE.

1 even dessertspoonful of wheatmeal, 1 ditto cornflour, 1/4 pint milk, sugar and vanilla to taste. Smooth the meal and cornflour with a little of the milk, bring the rest to the boil, stir in the mixture, add flavouring, let it all simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring all the time. Pour into a wetted mould, and turn out when cold.

Day 2.

ARTICHOKE SOUP.

1/4 lb. artichokes, 1/4 lb. potatoes, 3/4 pint milk and water (equal parts), 1/4 oz. butter, pepper and salt to taste. Peel, wash, and cut up small the vegetables, and cook them in the milk and water, until tender. Rub them through a sieve, return to saucepan, add butter and seasoning, boil up and serve.

FLAGOLETS.

3 oz. of flagolets, 1/4 pint parsley sauce. Cook the flagolets till tender, season with pepper and salt, and serve with the sauce. Make it as follows; 1 gill of milk, 1 teaspoonful of cornflour, 1 teaspoonful of finely chopped parsley, pepper and salt, and a small bit of butter. Boil up the milk, thicken with the cornflour, previously smoothed with a spoonful of water; boil up, season, and mix with the parsley before serving.

WHEATMEAL PUDDING. [LEIGH TESTED RECIPE]

2 oz. of fine wheatmeal, 1 egg, 1/2 gill of milk, 1 tablespoonful sultanas washed and picked, 1/2 oz. of oiled butter, a little grated lemon peel, sugar to taste. Beat up the egg and mix well all ingredients; butter a small pie-dish, and bake the pudding about 1/2 hour.

[ Note from Leigh – To prepare this pudding, I used wholemeal flour, 62 millilitres of oat milk, 1 tablespoon of dried currants, and 14 grams (half an ounce) of melted margarine in place of the oiled butter, which is simply butter that has been melted.

I replaced the lemon peel with a teaspoon of candied mixed fruit peel and added 2 and a half tablespoons of Demerara sugar. Do make sure that you grease your small pie dish with plenty butter or margarine as this will make removing the baked pudding much easier! I also sprinkled some sugar over the pudding before baking it. I baked the pudding at 180°C for 30 minutes.

The wheatmeal pudding is rather like a bread pudding in texture and is quite nice to eat. You can add spices if you like and replace the dried fruits with whatever you have on hand. You can also use your preferred sugar, and instead of wholemeal flour, you could use plain flour or a mix of half wholemeal and half white flour.

Ingredients for wheatmeal pudding in bowl.
Wheatmeal pudding batter in oven dish.
Baked wheatmeal pudding baked and removed from oven dish.

I do recommend giving this pudding a go as it is a very easy pudding and makes for a great budget-friendly dessert that is nice and filling, so it will easily satisfy hungry tummies! Although the recipe is for one, I was only able to eat half, so technically it would be good for two servings. I did not have any cream in my fridge, so I simply spooned a few tablespoons of oat milk over the pudding, as that was what my family used to do when I was little. It was very nice, but you could also enjoy the pudding with some hot custard or cold cream.]

Wheatmeal pudding out of oven dish and up side down to show the baked insides.
A slice of wheatmeal pudding in serving bowl with cream and silver spoon.

Day 3.

CARROT SOUP.

1 carrot, 1 potato, and 1 small onion cut up small, 1 pint of water, a little butter, and pepper and salt to taste. Cook the vegetables in the water till quite tender, rub them through a sieve, adding a little water if necessary; return to saucepan, add seasoning and butter, boil up and serve.

LENTIL CAKES.

2 oz. of picked and washed Egyptian lentils, 1 small finely chopped and fried onion, 1 dessertspoonful of cold boiled vermicelli, 1 egg, some breadcrumbs, seasoning to taste. Stew the lentils with the onion in just enough water to cover them; when cooked, they should be a thick purée. Season to taste, add the vermicelli, and form into 1 or 2 cakes, dip in egg and breadcrumb, and fry in vege-butter, or butter. Serve with potatoes and green vegetables.

TAPIOCA PUDDING.

1 oz. small tapioca, 1/2 pint of milk, sugar to taste. Put the tapioca into a small pie-dish, let it soak in a very little water for half an hour, pour off any which has not been absorbed. Pour the milk over the soaked tapioca, and bake it in the oven until thoroughly cooked. Eat with or without stewed fruit.

Day 4.

CLEAR SOUP (Julienne).

3/4 pint vegetable stock, 1 tablespoonful dried Julienne (vegetables), a little butter, pepper and salt to taste. Cook the Julienne in the stock until tender, add butter and seasoning and serve.

HAGGIS. [vegetarian]

2 oz. of wheatmeal, 1 oz. of rolled oatmeal, 1 egg, 1/4 oz. of oiled butter, 1/2 gill milk, a teaspoonful of grated onion, a pinch of herbs, pepper and salt to taste. Beat up the egg, mix it with the milk, and add the other ingredients. Turn the mixture into a small greased basin, and steam the haggis 1-1/2 hours. Serve with vegetables.

GROUND RICE PUDDING.

1 oz. of ground rice, a scanty 1/2 pint of milk, sugar and flavouring to taste, 1/2 egg. Boil the milk, stir the ground rice into it; let it simmer for 10 minutes, then add sugar and flavouring and the 1/2 egg well beaten; turn the mixture into a small pie-dish, and bake in the oven until a golden colour.

Day 5.

CLEAR TOMATO SOUP.

2 tablespoonfuls of tinned tomatoes, or 1 fair-sized fresh one, 1 small finely chopped and fried onion, a teaspoonful of vermicelli, pepper and salt to taste, 1/2 pint of water. Boil the tomatoes with the onion and water for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain all the liquid; return to the saucepan, season and sprinkle in the vermicelli, let the soup cook until the vermicelli is soft, and serve.

MACARONI WITH CHEESE.

2 oz. of macaroni or Spaghetti, a little grated cheese, pepper and salt to taste. Boil the macaroni in as much water as it will absorb (about 1/2 pint). Season to taste. When tender serve with grated cheese and vegetables.

WHEATMEAL BATTER.

2 oz. of meal, 1 oz. of desiccated cocoanut, 1 gill of milk, 1 egg, sugar to taste, 1/4 oz. of oiled butter. Make a batter of the egg, milk, and meal, add the other ingredients, and bake the batter in a small buttered pie-dish.

Day 6.

LENTIL SOUP.

2 oz. of Egyptian lentils, 2 oz. each of carrots and turnips cut up small, 1/2 oz. of onion chopped fine, 1/2 oz. of butter, seasoning to taste, 1 pint of water. Cook the vegetables and lentils in the water until quite tender, then rub them through a sieve. Return to the saucepan, add butter and seasoning, boil up, and serve with sippets of toast.

RICE AND TOMATOES.

1/4 lb. rice, 1/2 pint water, 1/4 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste, 1 large tomato or two small ones. Set the rice over the fire with the water (cold) and the butter and seasoning; let it simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice fairly tender. It will take 20 minutes. Meanwhile place the tomatoes in a small dish, sprinkle with pepper and salt, place a little bit of butter on each, a few spoonfuls of water in the dish, and bake them from 15 to 25 minutes. Spread the rice on a flat dish, place the tomatoes in the middle, pour the juice over, and serve.

WHEATMEAL AND SAGO PUDDING.

1 dessertspoonful of sago, 1 ditto of wheatmeal, 1/2 pint milk, sugar and flavouring to taste. Boil the sago and wheatmeal in the milk until the sago is well swelled out. Flavour to taste, pour the mixture into a little pie-dish, and bake the pudding until a golden colour.

Day 7.

POTATO SOUP.

1/2 lb. of potatoes, 1 pint of water, 1 small onion, a piece of celery, a little piece of butter, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, pepper and salt to taste. Peel, wash, and cut up small the vegetables, and cook them in the water till quite tender. Rub the mixture through a sieve, add the butter and seasoning, boil up, mix in the parsley, and serve.

CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN.

1 small cauliflower, 1 oz. of grated cheese, 1 tablespoonful of breadcrumbs, 1/2 oz. of butter, pepper and salt. Boil the cauliflower until tender, cut it up and arrange it in a small pie-dish; sprinkle over the cheese and breadcrumbs, dust with pepper and salt, place the butter in little bits over the top, and bake the cauliflower until golden brown. Serve with white sauce. (See “Sauces.”)

APPLE PIE.

2 medium-sized cooking apples, sugar and cinnamon or lemon peel to taste. Some paste for short crust. Pare, core, and cut up the apples, and fill a small pie-dish with them; add sugar and cinnamon to taste, and a little water. Cover with paste, and bake in a fairly quick oven until brown, then let cook gently for another 1/4 hour in a cooler part of the oven.

Day 8.

POTATO SOUP (2).

2 medium-sized potatoes, 1 small onion chopped fine, and fried a nice brown in butter or vege-butter, 1/4 pint milk, 3/4 pint water, 1 piece of celery, pepper and salt to taste. Peel, wash, and cut up the potatoes, and cut up the celery. Boil with the water until tender. Rub the vegetables through a sieve, return the soup to the saucepan, add seasoning, milk, and onion; boil up and serve.

SWEET CORN TART.

2 tablespoonfuls of tinned sweet corn, 1/4 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste, 1 egg, some paste for crust. Beat up the egg and mix with the sweet corn, season to taste. Roll out the paste and line a plate with it, turn the sweet corn mixture on to the paste, and bake the tart until a light brown. Serve with brown sauce or tomato sauce.

RICE PUDDING.

1 oz. of rice, 1/2 pint of milk, sugar and flavouring to taste. Wash the rice and put it into a pie-dish. Bring the milk to the boil, pour it over the rice, add the sugar and any kind of flavouring, and bake the pudding till the rice is tender.

Day 9.

RICE CHEESE SOUP. [LEIGH TESTED RECIPE]

1 dessertspoonful of rice, 3/4 pint water, 1/4 pint milk, 1 oz. grated cheese, 1/4 oz. butter, seasoning to taste. Cook the rice in the milk and water until tender, then add the cheese, butter, and seasoning, and let the soup boil up until the cheese is dissolved.

Rice cheese soup in a soup bowl with spoon lifting up some soup.
Rice cheese soup with a sprinkle of paprika.

[Note from Leigh – This rice cheese soup is a very easy, budget-friendly recipe (only two heaped teaspoons of rice for one portion!), and I really enjoyed having it for my lunch. I used smoked cheese and seasoned the soup with salt, black pepper, and a good dash of smoked paprika on top. I had 2 slices of wholemeal bread on the side, and I was easily filled up all afternoon. I do recommend this soup recipe as you can flavour it with any seasonings you like. To make this soup dairy-free or vegan, use vegan cheese, dairy-free milk, and vegan butter or margarine. Review by Leigh, blog author]

VEGETABLE PIE.

2 oz. each of potato, carrot, turnip, celery, tomato (or any other vegetable in season), a small onion, 1/2 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste, 1 teaspoonful of sago. Chop fine the onion and fry it. Boil all the vegetables, previously washed and cut up, in 1/2 pint of water. When they are quite tender, put all in a pie-dish, adding seasoning to taste. Add enough water for gravy, and sprinkle in the sago. Cover with short crust, and bake in a moderately hot oven.

[Note: I think you could easily replace the sago with rolled oats, old-fashioned oats, or oatmeal, as many old recipes for pies, especially during wartime, used oats to thicken the gravy or sauce.]

STEWED PRUNES AND GRATED COCOANUT.

Stew some Californian plums in enough water to cover them well. If possible, they should be soaked over night. Grate some fresh cocoanut, after removing the brown outer skin, and serve separately.

[Note: Cocoanut is an old word for coconut]

Day 10.

ASPARAGUS SOUP.

1/2 dozen sticks of asparagus, 1/2 pint water, 1/4 pint milk, 1 level dessertspoonful of cornflour, 1/4 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste. Boil the asparagus in the water till tender, add the seasoning, and the cornflour smoothed in the milk, boil up and serve.

MACARONI WITH CAPER SAUCE.

2 oz. macaroni, 1/4 pint white sauce (see “Sauces”); 1 teaspoonful capers chopped small, enough of the caper vinegar to taste. Boil the macaroni in 1/2 pint of water until tender. Make the white sauce, then add the capers and vinegar. Serve with vegetables.

PRUNE BATTER.

8 or 10 well-cooked Californian plums, with a little of the juice, 2 oz. of fine wheatmeal, 1/2 oz. of butter, 1 gill of milk, and 1 egg. Make a batter of the milk, meal, and egg, oil the butter, and stir it in. Place the prunes in a little pie-dish, pour the batter over, and bake until a nice brown.

Day 11.

TOMATO SOUP.

1 teacupful of tinned tomatoes, or 6 oz. of fresh ones, 1 teaspoonful of cornflour, 1 small onion, pepper and salt to taste, and a little butter. Chop the onion up fine, and cook the tomatoes and onion in enough water to make 1/2 pint of soup. When cooked 15 minutes rub the vegetables through a sieve; return to the saucepan, boil up, thicken with the cornflour smoothed with a spoonful of water, and add a little piece of butter; serve with sippets of toast.

BREAD STEAK. [LEIGH TESTED RECIPE]

One slice of Wholemeal bread, a small finely chopped onion, a little milk, half an egg beaten up, pepper and salt, a little piece of butter. Dip the bread in milk, then in egg; melt the butter in a frying pan, fry the bread and onion a nice brown, sprinkle with seasoning and serve with potato and greens.

[Note from Leigh- I have tested this recipe, and it was very nice indeed. I have written a separate blog post for this recipe, so for photos and more information, do have a look at that.]

Victorian bread steak cooking in fry pan, featured image

SEMOLINA PUDDING.

1 oz. of semolina, 1/2 pint of milk, sugar and vanilla to taste. Boil the semolina in the milk until well thickened, add sugar and flavouring, pour the mixture into a little pie-dish, and bake until a golden colour.

Day 12.

BREAD SOUP.

1 slice of Allinson bread, 1 small finely chopped onion fried brown, a pinch of nutmeg, pepper and salt to taste. Boil the bread in 3/4 pint of water and milk in equal parts, adding the onion and seasoning. When the bread is quite tender, rub all through a sieve, return soup to the saucepan, boil up, and serve.

RICE AND MUSHROOMS.

1/4 lb. of rice, 1/4 lb. of mushrooms, a little butter and seasoning. Cook the rice in 1/2 pint of water, as directed in recipe for “Rice.” Peel and wash the mushrooms, place them in a flat tin with a few spoonfuls of water, a dusting of pepper and salt and a bit of butter on each. Bake them from 15 to 20 minutes, spread the rice on a flat dish, place the mushrooms in the middle, pour over the gravy, and serve.

BREAD PUDDING. [LEIGH TESTED RECIPE]

3 oz. of bread, 1 oz. sultanas, 1/2 doz. sweet almonds chopped fine, 1 well-beaten egg, cinnamon and sugar to taste, 1/2 oz. of butter, a little milk. Soak the bread in milk, and squeeze the surplus out with a spoon. Mix all the ingredients together, add the butter oiled, pour the mixture into a buttered pie-dish, and bake the pudding from 30 to 45 minutes.

[Note from Leigh –

This bread pudding recipe is so handy as it prepares one portion that is really big enough to feed two. The bread pudding tastes very good, has a lovely texture, and is nice and filling. It is quite nice sliced and eaten as it is, or you can enjoy it with some hot custard, cream, or ice cream.

For this recipe, I used two slices of ordinary wholemeal bread sourced from the Co-op. However, do weigh your bread as you may need more or less than I used. I replaced the sultanas with dried currants, used 1/2 a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and added 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar. I soaked the bread in about 160 millilitres of milk for about 10 minutes, mushing the bread into the milk before using a tablespoon to squeeze out the excess. I ended up pouring about a tablespoon away.

I baked the bread pudding at 180°C for about 45 minutes or just under. When the recipe calls for “butter oiled,” it simply means melted butter – you can also use margarine if preferred. Before baking, I sprinkled some Demerara sugar over the bread pudding, which gave the top a very nice crunchy texture. I also enjoyed this pudding cold.

I do recommend trying out this Victorian bread pudding recipe as it is very tasty, and I will be preparing it again since it’s such a useful way to use up a few slices of bread.]

Bread pudding baked and in oven dish.
Bread pudding removed from oven dish and sliced into two portions and on serving plate.

Day 13.

ONION SOUP.

1 small Spanish onion, 1 medium-sized potato, 1/4 oz. of butter, pepper and salt and a pinch of mixed herbs, a little milk. Cut up the vegetables and cook them in 1/2 pint of water, adding a little herbs. When tender, rub the vegetables through a sieve, return the soup to the saucepan, add the butter and seasoning, and serve.

MACARONI AND TOMATOES.

2 oz, of macaroni, 1/2 teacupful tinned tomatoes, 1-1/2 gills of water, a little grated cheese. Cook the rice in the water and tomatoes until tender, add seasoning, and serve with grated cheese and vegetables.

STEAMED PUDDING.

2 oz. wheatmeal, 1 oz. of sago, 1 egg, 1/2 oz. of oiled butter, 1 oz. sultanas, 1/2 saltspoonful of cinnamon, sugar to taste. Soak the sago over the fire in a little water; when almost tender drain off any water that is not absorbed, mix it with the other ingredients, pour the mixture into a soup-or small basin, tie with a cloth, and steam the pudding for an hour. Serve with white sauce.

Day 14.

GREEN PEA SOUP.

1/2 teacupful green peas, 1/4 oz. of butter, 1 spray of mint, a teaspoonful of fine meal, a little milk, pepper and salt to taste. Boil the green peas in 1/2 pint of water, adding seasoning and the mint. When the peas are tender, take out the mint, add the butter, smooth the meal with a little milk, and thicken the soup. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes, and serve.

VERMICELLI RISSOLES.

2 ozs. of vermicelli, 1 oz. of grated cheese, 1 egg well beaten, a few breadcrumbs, seasoning to taste, 1 gill of water, a little butter, or vege-butter. Boil the vermicelli in the water until tender and all the water absorbed. Then add seasoning, the egg, the cheese, and a few breadcrumbs, if the mixture is too moist. Form into 2 or 3 little cakes, place little bits of butter on each, and bake them a golden brown.

TRIFLE.

2 sponge cakes, 1 gill of custard, a little jam, a few ratafias, 1/2 oz. of chopped almond. Cut the sponge cakes in half, spread them with jam, arranging them in a little pie-dish, sprinkling crumbled ratafias and the almonds between the pieces of cake. Pour the custard over, let it all soak for half an hour, and serve.

Day 15.

SPLIT PEA SOUP.

2 oz. of split peas cooked overnight, 3 oz. of potatoes cut into pieces, a piece of celery, a slice of Spanish onion chopped up, seasoning to taste. Soak the peas in water overnight, after picking them over and washing them. Set them over the fire in the morning, and cook them with the vegetables till quite tender. Then rub all through a sieve. Return to the saucepan, add pepper and salt, and a little water if necessary; boil up, and serve with sippets of toast.

HOT-POT.

1/2 lb. potatoes, 3 oz. Spanish onion peeled and sliced, 1/2 teacupful tomatoes, 1/2 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste. Arrange the potatoes, onions, and tomatoes in layers in a small pie-dish, and sprinkle pepper and salt between the vegetables. Cut the butter in little bits, and scatter them over the top. Fill the dish with boiling water, and boil the hot-pot for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, adding a little hot water if needed.

BAKED APPLES AND WHITE SAUCE.

Wash and core a good-sized apple, fill the core with 1 or 2 stoned dates, and bake it in the oven in a dish or tin with a few spoonfuls of water until well done. Serve with sauce.

Day 16.

LEEK SOUP.

1 leek, 1/4 lb. potatoes, 1/2 pint water, 1 gill of milk, 1/4 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste. Peel, wash, and cut up the leek and potatoes, and cook them till tender in the water. Then rub the vegetables through a sieve. Return to the saucepan, add the milk, butter, and seasoning, boil up, and serve.

SAVOURY CUSTARD.

1-1/2 gills of milk, 1 egg, 1 oz. of grated cheese, a pinch of nutmeg, pepper and salt to taste. Proceed as in savoury custard, and serve with potatoes and greens.

CHOCOLATE BLANCMANGE.

1/2 pint of milk, 1 teaspoonful N.F. cocoa, 1 oz. of half cornflour and fine wheatmeal, sugar and vanilla essence to taste. Bring the milk to the boil, mix cocoa, flour, and wheatmeal, and smooth them with a little water. Stir the mixture into the boiling milk, sweeten and flavour, keep stirring, and allow to cook 5 minutes. Pour into a wetted mould, and allow to get cold. Turn out, and serve.

Day 17.

TURNIP SOUP.

1/4 lb. turnip, a small onion, and 2 oz. of potato, a little butter and seasoning, 1/2 pint water. Wash, peel, and cut up the vegetables, and cook them in the water until tender. Rub them through a sieve, return the mixture to the saucepan, add butter and seasoning, boil up, and serve.

POTATO BATTER.

1 gill of milk, 1 egg, 2 oz. wheatmeal, 1 oz. of vege-butter, 6 oz. cold boiled potatoes. Fry the potatoes in the butter, make a batter of the milk, meal, and egg, mix it with the potatoes, add seasoning, pour the mixture in a little pie-dish, and bake the savoury for half an hour.

LEMON MOULD.

1 oz. of tapioca, 1/2 pint of water, juice and rind of 1/4 lemon, 1 large tablespoonful of golden syrup. Boil the tapioca until quite tender, with the Lemon rind, in the water. Take out the rind, add the syrup and lemon juice, mix well, pour the mixture into a wetted mould, turn out when cold, and serve.

Day 18.

APPLE SOUP.

1 large cooking apple, 1 small finely chopped onion, seasoning and sugar to taste, a little butter, 1 teaspoonful of cornflour, 1/2 pint of water. Peel and cut up the apple, and cook with the onion in the water till quite tender. Rub the mixture through a sieve, return to the saucepan, add the butter, seasoning and sugar, thicken the soup with the cornflour, and serve.

RICE CHEESECAKES.

2 oz. rice, 1 gill water, 1 oz. of grated cheese, seasoning, a pinch of nutmeg, 1 egg, a little wheatmeal, and some vege-butter, or butter. Cook the rice in the water until quite dry and soft, mix the egg—well beaten—seasoning, and cheese with the rice, and form the mixture into small cakes. Roll in wheatmeal, and fry them a golden brown. Serve with vegetables and brown sauce.

PLUM PIE.

1/2 lb. ripe plums, sugar to taste, some paste. Wash the plums and put them in a small pie-dish, pour 1/2 teacupful of water over them, add sugar, cover the plums with a short crust, and bake the pie a golden brown.

Day 19.

CELERY SOUP.

1/2 stick celery, 1/2 small onion, 1/4 oz. butter, 1 potato, pepper and salt. Wash, peel, and cut up the vegetables, and cook them in 1/2 pint of water till tender. Rub through a sieve, return to the saucepan, season with pepper and salt, add the butter, boil up, and serve.

APPLE AND ONION PIE.

6 oz. apples, 1/4 lb. Spanish onions, 1 hard-boiled egg, a little butter, pepper and salt to taste, some paste for a short crust. Peel and cut up the apples and onion, stew gently with a little water. When nearly tender, season and add the butter, turn the mixture into a small pie-dish, quarter the egg, and place the pieces on the mixture, cover with a crust, and bake the pie 1/2 hour.

MACARONI PUDDING.

2 oz. macaroni, 1/2 pint milk, 6 eggs, sugar and flavouring to taste. Boil the macaroni in water until tender. Cut into little pieces and place in a little pie-dish; beat the milk, add the egg, well beaten, carefully with it, add sugar and flavouring, pour the custard over the macaroni, and bake until set. Serve with stewed fruit.

Day 20.

BUTTER BEAN SOUP.

2 oz. of butter beans soaked overnight in 1 pint of water, 1/2 small onion cut up small, 2 oz. carrot, 2 oz. celery, 1/2 oz. butter. Cook all the vegetables until tender, adding water as it boils away. When all is tender, rub the vegetables through a sieve, return to the saucepan, season with pepper and salt, add the butter, boil up the soup, and serve.

SAUSAGES. [vegetarian]

1 teacupful of breadcrumbs, 1 egg well beaten, 1/2 small onion chopped fine, 1/2 saltspoonful of herbs, 1/2 oz. butter, seasoning to taste. Oil the butter and mix it with the breadcrumbs, egg, onion, herbs, and seasoning. Make the mixture into sausages, roll them into a little breadcrumb, and fry them brown in a little vege-butter.

ROLLED WHEAT PUDDING.

1 oz. rolled wheat, 1/2 pint milk, 1 tablespoonful of currants and sultanas mixed, sugar to taste. Cook the rolled wheat in the milk for fifteen minutes, then add the fruit, and let simmer another 15 minutes. Pour the mixture into a small pie-dish, and bake in the oven until golden brown.

Day 21.

FRENCH SOUP.

1 small onion chopped fine, 1 oz. of cheese shredded fine, 1 slice of dry toast, 3/4 pint of water, a little milk, pepper and salt to taste. Break up the toast, and set all the ingredients over the fire; cook till the onion is tender, add 1/2 gill of milk, and serve.

VEGETABLE PIE.

1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut in pieces, 1/2 Spanish onion chopped up, 1 tomato, 1/2 oz. butter, pepper and salt, some paste for crust. Stew the potatoes and onion in a little water; when tender, cut up the tomato and mix it in, season and add the butter; place the vegetables in a small pie-dish, cover with paste, and bake 1/2 hour or until golden brown.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING.

1/2 oz. ground rice, 1/2 pint milk, 1 teaspoonful N.F. cocoa, a little vanilla, sugar to taste, and 1 egg. Boil the rice in the milk for 5 minutes, let it cool a little, mix in the egg, well-beaten, cocoa, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the mixture into a small pie-dish, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Day 22.

SORREL SOUP.

1 potato, 1 small onion, 1 good handful of sorrel washed and chopped fine, a little butter, pepper and salt, 1/2 pint water, 1 gill milk. Peel, wash, and cut up the potatoes and onion, boil in the water till tender, and rub through a sieve. Return the mixture to the saucepan, add the milk, sorrel, butter, and seasoning. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, and serve.

SAVOURY BATTER.

2 oz. fine wheatmeal, 1 gill of milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoonful finely chopped parsley, 1/2 small grated onion, 1/4 oz. butter, pepper and salt. Make a batter of the meal, egg, and milk, mix in the other ingredients, pour the mixture into a buttered pie-dish, and bake the batter 1/2 hour.

STEWED FRUIT AND CUSTARD.

Any kind of stewed fruit. Custard: 1 gill of milk, sugar and vanilla to taste, and 1 egg. Heat the milk, beat up the egg, and stir the milk into it gradually; pour the mixture into a small jug, place this in a saucepan of fast-boiling water, keep stirring until the spoon gets coated, which shows that the custard is thickening. Remove the saucepan from the fire immediately, and continue stirring the custard until it is well thickened. Then cool it, placing the jug in cold water. When cold, serve with stewed fruit.

Day 23.

GREEN PEA SOUP.

1/2 teacupful green peas, 1 or 2 finely chopped spring onions, a little butter, pepper and salt, a dessertspoonful of meal, and 1 gill of milk. Cook the green peas and spring onions in 1/2 pint of water until quite tender. Add the butter and seasoning, thicken the soup with the meal (which should be smoothed with the milk), and boil the soup for a minute or two before serving.

MUSHROOM TARTLETS.

1/4 lb. mushrooms, 1/2 oz. butter, pepper and salt, 1/2 oz. vermicelli, cooked and cold, a little paste for short crust. Stew the mushrooms in the butter, after having dried them and cut into pieces. When they are cooked mix them well with the vermicelli. Line a couple of patty pans with the paste, and bake the tartlets until golden brown. Serve with vegetables.

EVE PUDDING.

1 teacupful of breadcrumbs, 1 small apple, peeled, cored, and chopped fine, 1/2 oz. citron peel chopped fine, 1 oz. sultanas, 1/2 oz. oiled butter, 1 egg well beaten, the juice and rind of a small half-lemon, sugar to taste, and a few finely chopped almonds. Mix all the ingredients, pour the mixture into a small buttered basin, cover and steam for 1 hour. Serve with sweet sauce.

Day 24.

MUSHROOM SOUP.

2 oz. mushrooms cut up small, 1/2 small onion chopped fine, 1 dessertspoonful of fine wheatmeal, pepper and salt, 1/2 oz. of butter, a little milk. Stew the mushrooms and onions together in the butter until well cooked, add 1/2 pint of water, and cook the vegetables for 10 minutes. Add seasoning, and the meal smoothed in a little milk. Let the soup thicken and boil up, and serve with sippets of toast.

BUTTER BEANS RISSOLES.

2 oz. butter beans, 1 tablespoonful of cold mashed potatoes, 1/2 small onion chopped fine, a pinch of herbs, 1/2 oz. of butter, seasoning to taste. Soak the beans in butter over night, fry the onion in the butter. Boil the beans in as much water as they absorb until quite tender. Then pass them through a nut-mill or mash them up, and mix with the fried onion, mashed potatoes, herbs, and seasoning; form into little rissoles, roll in breadcrumbs, place them on a buttered tin, place a few bits of butter on the top, and bake in the oven until a nice brown. Serve with vegetables.

RATAFIA CUSTARD.

1/2 pint hot milk, 1 egg well beaten, 1 oz. ratafia broken up, sugar and flavouring to taste. Mix the ingredients, pour the mixture into a small buttered pie-dish, and bake the custard in a moderate oven until set.

Day 25.

CLEAR SOUP WITH DROPPED DUMPLINGS.

Make 3/4 pint of clear soup, and proceed for dumplings as follows: 1 egg, 1 tablespoonful of milk, 1 teaspoonful of fine wheatmeal. Beat up the egg, add the milk and smooth the meal with it, flavour with nutmeg. Gradually drop the mixture into the boiling soup, let cook for a minute, and serve.

SAVOURY SAUSAGES. [vegetarian lentil sausages]

1/2 teacupful of breadcrumbs, 1 well-beaten egg, 1/2 teacupful cold lentil purée 1 small finely chopped onion tried brown. Mix the ingredients, adding seasoning. Form into sausages, roll them in a little wheatmeal, and bake them a nice brown in the oven. Serve with vegetables and sauce.

BAKED CUSTARD.

1/2 pint hot milk, 1 egg, a little sugar and flavouring. Beat the egg, mix it with the milk, sweeten and flavour to taste; pour the custard into a small pie-dish, and bake until set.

Day 26.

PARSNIP SOUP.

1/2 lb. parsnip, 1/4 lb. potato, 1/2 small onion, 1/4 oz. butter, pepper and salt, a little milk. Cut up the vegetables, cook them until tender, then rub through a sieve, return the mixture into a saucepan, add butter and seasoning, and as much milk as needed to make up the quantity of soup. Boil up and serve.

GROUND RICE CUTLETS.

2 oz. ground rice, 1 egg, 1/2 pint milk, a little nutmeg, a pinch of herbs, 1/2 oz. grated cheese, seasoning, and breadcrumbs. Boil the ground rice in the milk until stiff, add the egg, well beaten, and the other ingredients. Butter a flat tin and sprinkle with breadcrumbs, spread the mixture on the tin, sprinkle well with fine breadcrumbs, scatter bits of butter on the top, and bake until golden brown. Cut into pieces, dish up, and serve with vegetables and tomato sauce.

FRUIT TART.

Line a couple of patty pans with paste for short crust. Partly bake, then fill with any kind of stewed fruit, and finish baking. Serve hot or cold.

Day 27.

CHESTNUT SOUP.

1/2 lb. chestnuts, 1/2 small grated onion, pepper and salt to taste, 1/4 oz. butter, 1/4 pint milk, 1 teaspoonful of cornflour. Boil, peel, and mash the chestnuts, and set them over the fire with the onion, milk, 1/2 pint of water, and the butter. When it has boiled up, bind the soup with the cornflour, boil up, and serve.

MACARONI SAVOURY.

2 oz. of cold boiled macaroni cut small, 1/2 oz. grated cheese, 1 gill milk, 1 egg, 1 oz. fine wheatmeal, 1/2 oz. butter, seasoning to taste. Make a batter with the milk, egg, and meal, mix together with the macaroni, cheese, and the butter, previously oiled, season to taste; turn the mixture into a small pie-dish, and bake until a golden brown.

APPLE PUDDING.

1/2 lb. apples, 1 saltspoonful of cinnamon, sugar to taste, and some paste as for a short crust. Peel, core, and out up the apples. Line a pudding basin with paste, fill the basin with the apples, add sugar and cinnamon, cover with paste, and steam the pudding for 1 to 11/2 hours.

Day 28.

SEMOLINA SOUP.

1/2 gill of milk, 1 gill water, 1/2 oz. semolina, a very small piece of mace, 1/4 oz. butter, 1/2 oz. grated cheese, pepper and salt to taste. Bring the milk and water to the boil with the mace, thicken with the semolina; cook gently for 10 minutes, remove the mace, add cheese, butter, and seasoning, and serve.

MACARONI CUTLETS.

2 oz. cold boiled macaroni, 1 egg, a pinch of herbs, halt a small grated onion, pepper and salt, breadcrumbs, and butter, or vege-butter. Beat the egg well, and mix it with the macaroni cut in small pieces. Add the herbs, onion, seasoning, and as much breadcrumb as needed to keep the mixture together. Shape into cutlets, dip in egg and breadcrumb, and fry a nice brown. Serve with vegetables.

GOOSEBERRY FOOL.

6 oz. gooseberries, 1 tablespoonful of cream, sugar to taste. Cook the goose-berries in 1/2 gill of water; when soft enough to pulp, add sugar to taste; rub the fruit through a sieve, let get cold, and mix the gooseberries with the cream. Serve with rusks.

[Note: I would imagine a nice shortbread biscuit would go well if you are not partial to rusks!]

Day 29.

CURRY RICE SOUP.

1 oz. rice, 1 pint milk and water (equal parts), 1 saltspoonful of curry, 1/4 oz. butter, 1 oz. finely chopped onion, salt to taste. Cook the rice with the onion, curry, and seasoning in the milk and water, until the rice is quite tender; add the butter, and serve.

SWEET CORN AND TOMATOES.

1 teacupful of sweet corn, 1/2 teacupful tinned tomatoes, 1/2 oz. butter, seasoning to taste. Stew together, and serve with baked potatoes.

PUMPKIN TART.

3/4 lb. pumpkin, juice of 1/2 a lemon, sugar to taste, some paste for short crust. Line a plate with paste. Meanwhile, stew the pumpkin, cut into dice, with a little water until tender. Add sugar and Lemon juice, and cover the paste, which should have been previously brushed over with white of egg, and bake the tart until the crust is done.

Day 30.

CELERY SOUP.

1/2 stick celery, 1/2 gill milk, 1 dessertspoonful of meal, pepper and salt, a little piece of butter. Cut the celery into pieces, set it over the fire with 4 pint of water, let it cook until quite tender, rub it through a sieve; return to the saucepan, add pepper and salt to taste; smooth the meal with part of the milk, add the rest and thicken the soup; boil it up for a few minutes before serving.

[Note: “Meal” refers to flour, so you can use wholemeal flour, white flour (all-purpose flour), or even cornflour, which is also known as cornstarch in the US.]

BEETROOT FRITTERS.

1 small beet, 1 egg, 2 tablespoonfuls of meal, 1 gill of milk, pepper and salt, a little Lemon juice. Cut the beetroot into small dice, make a batter with the milk, meal, and egg, mix the beet with it, adding seasoning to taste. Let some butter or oil boil in the frying-pan, drop the batter by spoonfuls into the boiling fat; fry a golden brown, and serve the fritters with vegetables and brown sauce.

BANANA PUDDING.

3 bananas, 1 gill of milk, 1 egg, a teaspoonful of lemon juice. Peel and slice the bananas, and cook in the milk until they will mash up well. Rub them through a sieve, add the egg, well beaten, and the lemon juice; pour the mixture into a small pie-dish, and bake in a moderate oven until the custard is set.

WHOLESOME COOKERY MEAL SUGGESTIONS

[Please note: These meal suggestions are a product of the time they were published, and much of the dietary advice may be outdated. Do not take it as truth! It is interesting to read historical menus, meal suggestions, and the dietary beliefs of the time, but it’s also important to validate any information with appropriate professionals.]

BREAKFASTS.

As breakfast is the first meal of the day, it must vary in quantity and quality according to the work afterwards to be done. The literary man will best be suited with a light meal, whilst those engaged in hard work will require a heavier one. The clerk, student, business man, or professional man, will find one of the three following breakfasts to suit him well:—

No. I.—Allinson wholemeal bread, 6 to 8 oz., cut thick, with a scrape of butter; with this take from 6 to 8 oz. of ripe, raw fruit, or seasonable green stuff; at the end of the meal have a cup of cool, thin, and not too sweet cocoa, or Brunak, or a cup of cool milk and water, bran tea, or even a cup of water that has been boiled and allowed to go nearly cold. An egg may be taken at this meal by those luxuriously inclined, and if not of a costive habit. The fruits allowed are all the seasonable ones, or dried prunes if there is a tendency to constipation. The green stuffs include watercress, tomatoes, celery, cucumber, and salads. Lettuce must be eaten sparingly at this meal, as it causes a sleepy feeling. Sugar must be used in strict moderation; jam, or fruits stewed with much sugar must be avoided, as they cause mental confusion and disinclination for brain work.

No. II.—3 to 4 oz. of Allinson wholemeal or crushed wheat, coarse oatmeal or groats, hominy, maize or barley meal may be boiled for 1/2 an hour with milk and water, a very little salt being taken by those who use it. When ready, the porridge should be poured upon platters or soup-plates, allowed to cool, and then eaten with bread. Stewed fruits may be eaten with the porridge, or fresh fruit may be taken afterwards.

When porridge is made with water, and then eaten with milk, too much fluid enters the stomach, digestion is delayed, and waterbrash frequently occurs. Meals absorb at least thrice their weight of water in cooking, so that 4 oz. of meal will make at least 16 oz. of porridge. Sugar, syrup, treacle, or molasses should not be eaten with porridge, as they are apt to cause acid risings in the mouth, heartburn, and flatulence.

In summer, wholemeal and barleymeal make the best porridges, and they may be taken cold; in autumn, winter, and early spring, oatmeal or hominy are the best, and may be eaten lukewarm. When porridges are eaten, no other course should be taken afterwards, but the entire meal should be made of porridge, bread, and fruit. Neither cocoa nor any other fluids should be taken after a porridge meal, or the stomach becomes filled with too much liquid, and indigestion results. To make the best flavoured porridge, the coarse meal or crushed grain should be stewed in the oven for an hour or two; it may be made the day before it is required, and just warmed through before being brought to the table. This may be eaten with Allinson wholemeal bread and a small quantity of milk, or fresh or stewed fruit.

No. III.—Cut 4 to 6 oz. of Allinson wholemeal bread into dice, put into a basin, and pour over about 1/2 a pint of boiling milk, or milk and water; cover the basin with a plate, let it stand ten minutes, and then eat slowly. Sugar or salt should not be added to the bread and milk. An apple, pear, orange, grapes, banana, or other seasonable fruit may be eaten afterwards. No other foods should be eaten at this meal, but only the bread, milk, and fruit.

Labourers, artisans, and those engaged in hard physical work may take any of the above breakfasts. If they take No. I., they may allow themselves from 8 to 10 oz. of bread, and should drink a large cup of Brunak afterwards, as their work requires a fair amount of liquid to carry off some of the heat caused by the burning up of food whilst they are at work. If No. II. breakfast is taken, 6 to 8 oz. of meal may be allowed. If No. III. breakfast is eaten, then 6 or 8 oz. of bread and 2 pint of milk may be taken.

N.B.—Women require about a quarter less food than men do, and must arrange the quantity accordingly.

II.

MIDDAY MEALS.

The meal in the middle of the day must vary according to the work to be done after it. If much mental strain has to be borne or business done, the meal must be a light one, and should be lunch rather than dinner. Those engaged in hard physical work should make their chief meal about midday, and have a light repast in the evening.

LUNCH.—One of the simplest lunches is that composed of Allinson wholemeal bread and fruit. From 6 to 8 oz. of bread may be eaten, and about 1/2 lb. of any raw fruit that is in season; afterwards a glass of lemon water or bran tea, Brunak, or a cup of thin, cool, and not too sweet cocoa may be taken, or a tumbler of milk and water slowly sipped. The fruit may be advantageously replaced by a salad, which is a pleasant change from fruit, and sits as lightly on the stomach.

Wholemeal biscuits and fruit, with a cup of fluid, form another good lunch. A basin of any kind of porridge with milk, but without sugar, also makes a light and good midday repast; or a basin of thin vegetable soup and bread, or macaroni, or even plain vegetables. The best lunch of all will be found in Allinson wholemeal bread, and salad or fruit, as it is not wise to burden the system with too much cooked food, and one never feels so light after made dishes as after bread and fruit.

Labouring men who wish to take something with them to work will find 12 oz. of Allinson wholemeal bread, 1/2 lb. fresh fruit, and a large mug of Brunak or cocoa satisfy them well; or instead of cocoa they may have milk and water, lemon water, lemonade, oatmeal water, or some harmless non-alcoholic drink.

Another good meal is made from 1/2 lb. of the wholemeal bread and butter, and a 1/4 lb. of peas pudding spread between the slices. The peas can be flavoured with a little pepper, salt, and mustard by those who still cling to condiments. 12 oz. of the wholemeal bread, 2 or 3 oz. of cheese, some raw fruit, or an onion, celery, watercress, or other greenstuff, with a large cup of fluid, form another good meal. 1/2 lb. of coarse oatmeal or crushed wheat made into porridge the day before, and warmed up at midday, will last a man well until he gets home at night.

Or a boiled bread pudding may be taken to work, warmed and eaten. This is made from the wholemeal bread, which is soaked in hot water until soft, then crushed or crumbled, some currants or raisins are then mixed with this, a little soaked sago stirred in; lastly, a very little sugar and spice are added as a flavouring. This mixture is then tied up in a pudding cloth and boiled, or it may be put in a pudding basin covered with a cloth, and boiled in a saucepan. A pleasing addition to this pudding is some finely chopped almonds, or Brazil nuts.

III.

DINNERS.

As dinner is the chief meal of the day it should consist of substantial food. It may be taken in the middle of the day by those who work hard; but if taken at night, at least five hours must elapse before going to bed, so that the stomach may have done its work before sleep comes on.

A dinner may consist of many courses or different dishes, but the simpler the dishes and the less numerous the courses the better. A person who makes his meal from one dish only is the wisest of all. He who limits himself to two courses does well, but he who takes more than three courses lays up for himself stomach troubles or disorder of the system. When only one course is had, then good solid food must be eaten; when two courses are the rule, a moderate amount of each should be taken; and it three different dishes are provided, a proportionately lighter quantity of each. Various dishes may be served for the dinner meal, such as soups, omelettes, savouries, pies, batters, and sweet courses.

The plainest dinner any one can eat is that composed of Allinson wholemeal bread and raw fruit. A man in full work may eat from 12 to 16 oz. of the wholemeal bread, and about the same quantity of ripe raw fruit. The bread is best dry, the next best is when a thin scrape of butter is spread on it. If hard physical work has to be done, a cup of Brunak, cocoa, milk and water, or lemon water, should be drunk at the end of the meal. In winter these fluids might be taken warmed, but in summer they are best cool or cold. This wholesome fare can be varied in a variety of ways; some might like a salad instead of the fruit, and others may prefer cold vegetables.

A few Brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, some Spanish nuts, or a piece of cocoanut may be eaten with the bread in winter. Others not subject to piles, constipation, or eczema, &c., may take 2 oz. of cheese and an onion with their bread, or a hard-boiled egg. This simple meal can be easily carried to work, or on a journey. Wholemeal biscuits or Allinson rusks may be used instead of bread if one is on a walking tour, cycling trip, or boating excursion, or even on ordinary occasions for a change.

Of cooked dinners, the simplest is that composed of potatoes baked, steamed, or boiled in their skins, eaten with another vegetable, sauce, and the wholemeal bread. Baked potatoes are the most wholesome, and their skins should always be eaten; steamed potatoes are next; whilst boiled ones, especially if peeled, are not nearly so good.

Any seasonable vegetable may be steamed and eaten with the potatoes, such as cauliflower, cabbage, sprouts, broccoli, carrot, turnip, beetroot, parsnips, or boiled celery, or onions. Recipes for the sauces used with this course will be found in another part of the book; they may be parsley, onion, caper, tomato, or brown gravy sauce.

This dinner may be varied by adding to it a poached, fried, or boiled egg. As a second course, baked apples, or stewed fresh fruit and bread may be eaten; or Allinson bread pudding, or rice, sago, tapioca, or macaroni pudding with stewed fruit.

Persons troubled with piles, varicose veins, varicocele, or constipation must avoid this dinner as much as possible. If they do eat it they must be sure to eat the skins of the potatoes, and take the Allinson bread pudding or bread and fruit afterwards, avoiding puddings of rice, sago, tapioca, or macaroni.

IV.

EVENING MEAL.

Evening meal or tea meal should be the last meal at which solid food is eaten. It should always be a light one, and the later it is eaten the less substantial it should be. Heavy or hard work after tea is no excuse for a supper. This meal must be taken at least three hours before retiring. From 4 to 6 oz. of Allinson wholemeal bread may be allowed with a poached or lightly boiled egg, a salad, or fruit, or some kind of green food. The fluid drunk may be Brunak, cocoa, milk and water, bran tea, or even plain water, boiled and taken cool.

Those who are restless at night, nervous, or sleepless must not drink tea at this meal. Fruit in the evening is not considered good, and when taken it should be cooked rather than raw. Boiled celery will be found to be lighter on the stomach at this meal than the raw vegetable. When it is boiled, as little water as possible should be used; the water that the celery is boiled in may be thickened with Allinson fine wheatmeal, made into sauce, and poured over the cooked celery; by this means we do not loose the valuable salts dissolved out of the food by boiling.

Mustard and cress, watercress, radishes, and spring onions may be eaten if the evening meal is taken 4 or 5 hours before going to bed. Those who are away from home all day, and who take their food to their work may have some kind of milk pudding at this meal.

Wheatmeal blancmange, or cold milk pudding may occasionally be eaten those who are costive will find a boiled onion or some braized onions very useful. Boil the onion in as little water as possible and serve up with the liquor it is boiled in. To prepare braized onions, fry them first until nicely brown, using butter or olive oil, then add a cupful of boiling water to the contents of the frying pan, cover with a plate, and let cook for an hour. This is not really a rich food, but one easy of digestion and of great use to the sleepless.

Those who want to rise early must make their last meal a light one. Those troubled with dreams or restlessness must do the same. Very little fluid should be taken last thing at night, as it causes persons to rise frequently to empty the bladder.

V.

SUPPERS.

Hygienic livers will never take such meals, even if tea has been early, or hard work done since the tea meal was taken. No solid food must be eaten. The most that should be consumed is a cup of Brunak, cocoa, lemon water, bran tea, or even boiled water, but never milk. In winter warm drinks may be taken, and in summer cool ones.

VI.

DRINKS.

LEMON WATER is made by squeezing the juice of 1/2 a lemon into a tumbler of warm or cold water; to this is added just enough sugar to take off the tartness. Some peel the lemon first, then cut in slices, pour boiling water over the slices, grate in a little of the peel, and add sugar to taste.

BRUNAK.—Take 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoonfuls of Brunak for each large cupful required, mix it with sufficient water, and boil for 2 or 3 minutes to get the full flavour, then strain and add hot milk and sugar to taste. Can be made in a coffee-pot, teapot, or jug if preferred. May be stood on the hob to draw; or it you have any left over from a previous meal it can be boiled up again and served as freshly made.

COCOA.—This is best made by putting a teaspoonful of any good cocoa, such as Allinson’s, into a breakfast cup; boiling water is then poured upon this and stirred; 1 tablespoonful of milk must be added to each cup, and 1 teaspoonful of sugar where sugar is used, or 1 or 2 teaspoonfuls of condensed milk and no extra sugar.

BRAN TEA.—Mix 1 oz. of bran with 1 pint of water; boil for 1/2 an hour, strain, and drink cool. A little orange or lemon juice is a pleasant addition. When this is used as a drink at breakfast or tea, a little milk and sugar may be added to it.

CHOCOLATE.—Allow 1 bar of Allinson’s chocolate for each cup of fluid. Break the chocolate in bits, put into a saucepan, add a little boiling water, put on the fire, and stir until the chocolate is dissolved, then add rest of fluid and boil 2 or 3 minutes. Pour the chocolate into cups, and add about 1 tablespoonful of fresh milk to each cup, but no extra sugar. The milk may be added to the chocolate whilst boiling, if desired.

error: Content is protected !!