For Bread, Pastry, Cakes, Puddings,
Scones, &c.
108, CANNON STREET, LONDON,
and CARROW WORKS, NORWICH.
PICKLES AND PRESERVES.
CHAPTER I.
THE STILL-EOOM.
In former days there were few houses of any pre-
tension to gentility and housewifery (and in those
times the two words were usually far more closely
coupled than they are at present), that did not
boast a still-room of some sort, in which the ladies
of the household, matrons and maids, concocted the
conserves, marchpanes, waters, essences, &c., which
then had to be home-made if required at all. The
room took its name from the still used in distilling
the many odds and ends needed by the lady of the
house, who not only provided the culinary wants of
her household, but was also responsible for as many
of the ailments of her tenants as did not actually in-
volve the attendance of the surgeon ; and, unless
she is greatly belied, very weird and (to use her own
word) somewhat “ ugsome ” were the drugs she
compounded. Now-a-days the name still remains,
B
2
PICKLES AND PRESERVES.
but tlie room is shorn of much of its previous im-
portance, and is simply the scene of the still-room
maid’s labours, in preparing the coffee, setting out
the dessert, and, in short, is little more than an
adjunct to the housekeeper’s room.
But the old still-room was the scene in former
years of the arduous work, engaged in by the mistress,
or, in her default, by the housekeeper, in preparing
the pickles, jams, compotes, sweets, biscuits, &c., re-
quired for the family, and so it may well serve as
the heading for this introductory chapter. It were
well, in the country especially, if every lady could
set aside a room which might be given up to this
work, as then it could be carried on without dis-
turbing the cook’s equanimity. That good lady, not
unnaturally, rather discountenances the invasion of
her premises by the ladies of the family, whose
culinary views she knows from sad experience to be
“ death on theory, but mighty little on practice,” as
an injured cook was once heard to mutter, as she
bowed out of her kitchen some young ladies who had
kindly undertaken to show her the latest ideas on “ the
theory of cooking.” The usual result of such visits
only too generally is a fearful litter, and a • isplay of
dirty pots and pans (very likely some burnt or other-
wise irretrievably injured), which will ensure the
kitchenmaid from the danger of idle hands for some
hours to come. Incidentally it may be observed
that the lady-cook would effect far more good would
she remember the old kitchen rule and “ clear up as
she goes.” The right way of cleaning pots involves
so little time or labour, that even were her cookery
THE STILL-ROOM.
3
unsuccessful, her cleanliness and dainty order would
go far to reconcile even the most conservative cook
to her “ new-fangled notions.”
Whether, however, you set up a still-room, or elect
to confide your preserves, &c., to “ cook,” one point
must be carefully attended to, and that is the
presence of the requisite utensils. These should be
kept strictly for the one special purpose of preserve-
making, and the small extra expense this will entail
will be amply repaid by the pleasure derived from
the home-made conserves.
Page 1
Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
For Bread, Pastry, Cakes, Puddings, Scones, &c.
108, CANNON STREET, LONDON, and CARROW WORKS, NORWICH.
THE STILL-EOOM.
In former days there were few houses of any pretension to gentility and housewifery (and in those times the two words were usually far more closely coupled than they are at present), that did not boast a still-room of some sort, in which the ladies of the household, matrons and maids, concocted the conserves, marchpanes, waters, essences, &c., which then had to be home-made if required at all. The room took its name from the still used in distilling the many odds and ends needed by the lady of the house, who not only provided the culinary wants of her household, but was also responsible for as many of the ailments of her tenants as did not actually involve the attendance of the surgeon ; and, unless she is greatly belied, very weird and (to use her own word) somewhat “ ugsome ” were the drugs she compounded. Now-a-days the name still remains,
B
but tlie room is shorn of much of its previous importance, and is simply the scene of the still-room maid’s labours, in preparing the coffee, setting out the dessert, and, in short, is little more than an adjunct to the housekeeper’s room.
But the old still-room was the scene in former years of the arduous work, engaged in by the mistress, or, in her default, by the housekeeper, in preparing the pickles, jams, compotes, sweets, biscuits, &c., required for the family, and so it may well serve as the heading for this introductory chapter. It were well, in the country especially, if every lady could set aside a room which might be given up to this work, as then it could be carried on without disturbing the cook’s equanimity. That good lady, not unnaturally, rather discountenances the invasion of her premises by the ladies of the family, whose culinary views she knows from sad experience to be “ death on theory, but mighty little on practice,” as an injured cook was once heard to mutter, as she bowed out of her kitchen some young ladies who had kindly undertaken to show her the latest ideas on “ the theory of cooking.” The usual result of such visits only too generally is a fearful litter, and a • display of dirty pots and pans (very likely some burnt or otherwise irretrievably injured), which will ensure the kitchenmaid from the danger of idle hands for some hours to come. Incidentally it may be observed that the lady-cook would effect far more good would she remember the old kitchen rule and “ clear up as she goes.” The right way of cleaning pots involves so little time or labour, that even were her cookery
THE STILL-ROOM.
unsuccessful, her cleanliness and dainty order would go far to reconcile even the most conservative cook to her “ new-fangled notions.”
Whether, however, you set up a still-room, or elect to confide your preserves, &c., to “ cook,” one point must be carefully attended to, and that is the presence of the requisite utensils. These should be kept strictly for the one special purpose of preservemaking, and the small extra expense this will entail will be amply repaid by the pleasure derived from the home-made conserves.