Mrs Beetons Household Management Wonderful Colour Illustrations

Isabella Mary Beeton was born 12th March 1836 in London, England.

In 1856, Isabella married and shortly after she began writing articles on cooking and household management for her husband, Samuel who was a publisher.

By October 1861, a series of Isabella's monthly magazine supplements were published as a single volume - The Book of Household Management containing over 1,100 pages.

Isabella Beeton died young at only 28 after contracting a fever.

The picture above is from a 2006 BBC television broadcast "The Secret Life of Mrs Beeton" with Anna Madeley in the lead role.

By 1909 and the release of the new edition of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, Mrs Beeton had been considered "the guide, philosopher and friend of countless happy homes." ....."Her Household Management had appeared amongst the wedding presents of a bride as surely as the salt cellars, and thousands of thousands of grateful letters testify that it has often proved the most useful gift of all"

source: preface of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management - 1909

I love this quote from the preface of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management 1909:

"I must frankly own that, if I had known beforehand the labour which this book has entailed, I should never have been courageous enough to commence it. What moved me, in the first instance, to attempt a work like this, was the discomfort and suffering I have seen brought about by household mis-management I have always thought that there is no more fruitful source of family discontent than badly-cooked dinners and untidy ways."

Did you know: Mrs Beeton was from a family with 21 children? Mrs Beeton was the eldest of 4 from her mothers first marriage. After the death of Mrs Beetons father, her mother remarried a widower with 4 children of his own, and together the couple went on to have 13 more children of their own.

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Mrs Beeton states:
"The average cook imagines that the the goodness of a soup depends upon the weight of meat she puts into it, and upon the size of the fire over which it is boiled."

Mrs Beeton's states that there are "between 500 and 600 different soups." These range from stocks for all kind of soups - Bone Stock, Brown Stock, Fish Stock etc. to Broths such as Sheeps Head Broth. I particularly like some of the more unusual named soups such as:
Good Womans Soup, Benevolent Soup & Sour Cherry Soup.

Mrs Beetons recipe for Custard for soup:

Ingredients. - 2 whole eggs, 2 yolks of eggs, 1 gill of white stock, salt and pepper.

Method
Beat up the eggs in a basin, add the stock, and season with salt and pepper and a little grated nutmeg.
Strain this into a well -buttered plain tin mould; stand it in a stew pan containing a little boiled water, cover the mould with a buttered paper, and let it poach in a moderately heated oven for 20 minutes.
When done, take out the mould and put it in a cool place.
Turn out when cold, and cut the custard into dice, cubes or other fanciful shapes (known as Royal).

Use for garnish in clear or thick soups.

Sufficient for 3 or 4 quarts of soup.

.

Ingredients
1 quart of white stock, 1 white-heart lettuce, 1 thick slice of cucumber (the length of which must equal the breadth of the cucumber, so that a square block may be cut), a little tarragon and chervil (these may be omitted when not easily procurable), 1 oz. of butter, the yolks of 2 eggs, 1/4 of a pint of cream or milk, salt and pepper.

Method
Wash and shred the lettuce finely, cut the block of cucumber lengthwise into thin slices, and the slices into match-like strips. Melt the butter, and fry the vegetables for 5 or 6 minutes, then add the stock, salt and pepper, and boil slowly until the lettuce is tender (10 to 15 minutes). Beat the yolks of the eggs, add to them the cream or milk.

Let the soup cool slightly, then pour in the yolks and cream, and stir until the soup thickens, but it MUST NOT BOIL or the eggs will curdle.

Time to prepare and cool, about 40 minutes.
Sufficient for 4 persons.

Mrs Beeton states:
The quality of fish depends very much on the nature of their food, As a rule, fish caught in the open sea are preferable to those living off headlands or in an island sea, with slow current and shallow water."

Chapter 11 is titled FISH and contains the average prices & general directions for preparing and cooking fish dishes. I enjoyed the section on "Reptiles as Food" which goes on to describe Turtles and edible frogs as food.

Fish

A recipe from Mrs Beeton for Fish Pie.
Ingredients:
1lb each of cold fish and mashed potatoes, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs, and 4 ozs of finely-chopped suet, enough milk to reduce the mixture to the consistency of very thick batter, salt and pepper.

Method:
Chop the fish coarsely, mix it with the potatoes and suet, add a liberal seasoning of salt and pepper, the eggs and milk, and beat well.
Turn to a greased pie dish, and cook in a moderate oven for 75 minutes to 90 minutes.

Serve in the dish in which is is baked.

Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.

Mrs Beeton's recipe for Baked Conger Eel

Ingredients
2lb of conger eel, suet-force (sauce), butter or fat & flour.

Method
Wash and dry the fish thoroughly, stuff it with the prepared forcemeat, and bind it with tape. Melt the butter or fat in a baking dish or tin, put in the fish, and baste it well. Bake gently for 1 hour, meanwhile basting occasionally with fat, and dredging the surface with flour.
Serve with the gravy poured round, or, if preferred, with tomato, brown caper, or a suitable fish sauce.
Time to bake, 1 hour. Suitable for 4 or 5 persons.

Coloured plate from Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management:

1. Red Mullet,
2. Grayling,
3. John Dory,
4. Mackerel,
5. Cod,
6. Whiting,
7. Salmon,
8. Herring,
9. Plaice,
10. Flounder
11. Gurnet,
12. Crayfish

Mrs Beeton's recipe for Cod Pie.

Ingredients
1 and a half pounds of cold cod, 1 dozen oysters (tinned may be used), 1/2 a pint of melted butter sauce, 1/2a lb of short paste or mashed potatoe, salt and pepper, nutmeg.

Method
Take off the beards of the oysters, simmer them for a few minutes in a little water, then strain and mix with the oyster liquer (from fresh oysters). Cut the oysters into 2 or 4 pieces, according to size ; divide the fish into large flakes, put half of it into the dish, lay the oysters on the top, season with salt and pepper, grate on a little nutmeg, add the melted butter sauce, and cover with the rest of the fish. Make the short crust paste, or when a potatoe covering is preferred, season the potatoe with salt and pepper, and warm and stir in a saucepan, with a small piece of butter, and 2 or 3 tablespoons of milk. Bake about 1/2 an hour in a moderate oven.
Time - from 1 to 1 & 1/2 hours.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Coloured plate from Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management,:

1. Scallops au Gratin,
2. Red Mullet,
3. Turbot,
4. Cod Steak,
5. Fried Sole,
6. Mayonnaise of Salmon,
7. Salmon au Naturel,
8. Brown Trout,
9. Smelts.

Mrs Beeton's recipe for Fish Cakes from Tinned Salmon

Ingredients
1 tin of salmon, 1 lb of mashed potatoe, milk, 1 egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, frying fat, parsley.

Method
When using cold potatoe stir it over the fire with a little milk until hot and smooth. Chop the fish coarsely, add it to the potatoe, season to taste and stir over the fire until thoroughly mixed, adding a little milk if too dry. Let the mixture cool on a plate, then shape into small round cakes, coat carefully with egg and breadcrumbs, and fry in hot fat until lightly browned. Drain well, and serve garnished with crisply-fried parsley.

Time - Altogether, 1 and a half hours.

Coloured plate from Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management:

1. Oyster Patties,
2. Whiting,
3. Turbot,
4. Whitebait,
5. Mackerel,
6. Mayonnaise Salmon,
7. Lobster,
8. Crab

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Ingredients
2lb of conger eel, suet-force (sauce), butter or fat & flour.

Method
Wash and dry the fish thoroughly, stuff it with the prepared forcemeat, and bind it with tape. Melt the butter or fat in a baking dish or tin, put in the fish, and baste it well. Bake gently for 1 hour, meanwhile basting occasionally with fat, and dredging the surface with flour.
Serve with the gravy poured round, or, if preferred, with tomato, brown caper, or a suitable fish sauce.
Time to bake, 1 hour. Suitable for 4 or 5 persons.

Coloured plate from Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management:

1. Red Mullet,
2. Grayling,
3. John Dory,
4. Mackerel,
5. Cod,
6. Whiting,
7. Salmon,
8. Herring,
9. Plaice,
10. Flounder
11. Gurnet,
12. Crayfish

Mrs Beeton's recipe for Cod Pie.

Ingredients
1 and a half pounds of cold cod, 1 dozen oysters (tinned may be used), 1/2 a pint of melted butter sauce, 1/2a lb of short paste or mashed potatoe, salt and pepper, nutmeg.

Method
Take off the beards of the oysters, simmer them for a few minutes in a little water, then strain and mix with the oyster liquer (from fresh oysters). Cut the oysters into 2 or 4 pieces, according to size ; divide the fish into large flakes, put half of it into the dish, lay the oysters on the top, season with salt and pepper, grate on a little nutmeg, add the melted butter sauce, and cover with the rest of the fish. Make the short crust paste, or when a potatoe covering is preferred, season the potatoe with salt and pepper, and warm and stir in a saucepan, with a small piece of butter, and 2 or 3 tablespoons of milk. Bake about 1/2 an hour in a moderate oven.
Time - from 1 to 1 & 1/2 hours.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

Coloured plate from Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management,:

1. Scallops au Gratin,
2. Red Mullet,
3. Turbot,
4. Cod Steak,
5. Fried Sole,
6. Mayonnaise of Salmon,
7. Salmon au Naturel,
8. Brown Trout,
9. Smelts.

Mrs Beeton's recipe for Fish Cakes from Tinned Salmon

Ingredients
1 tin of salmon, 1 lb of mashed potatoe, milk, 1 egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, frying fat, parsley.

Method
When using cold potatoe stir it over the fire with a little milk until hot and smooth. Chop the fish coarsely, add it to the potatoe, season to taste and stir over the fire until thoroughly mixed, adding a little milk if too dry. Let the mixture cool on a plate, then shape into small round cakes, coat carefully with egg and breadcrumbs, and fry in hot fat until lightly browned. Drain well, and serve garnished with crisply-fried parsley.

Time - Altogether, 1 and a half hours.

Coloured plate from Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management:

1. Oyster Patties,
2. Whiting,
3. Turbot,
4. Whitebait,
5. Mackerel,
6. Mayonnaise Salmon,
7. Lobster,
8. Crab

"The book has been copiously illustrated in the most useful manner. Hundreds of photographic reproductions of actual dishes, processes, and materials have been included. No expense, however great, has been spared in obtaining the best possible results. The numerous coloured plates have been faithfully reproduced from nature, and printed in fourteen colours in the highest style of lithographic art."

Smaller savoury meals that are served ahead of the main course.

Coloured plate from Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management:

1. Toulouse Party,
2. Fillets of Beef,
3. Beef Gallantine,
4. Zephires of Duck,
5. Mutton Cullets in Aspic,
6. Saute of Veal,
7. Chartreuse of Pheasant,
8. Curried Veal,
9. Chicken Medaillons,
10. Veal Stew.

Mrs Beeton states:
"Roasting, baking, boiling, stewing, braising, frying, and grilling are the usual methods of cooking animal food. To explain the philosophy of these simple operations, we must notice the effects that are produced by heat on the principle constitutents of flesh."

Chapter 14 is titled: "GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON QUADRUPEDS" and contains general notes on Mammalia and the different breeds of cattle and their characteristics.

Coloured Plate from Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management:

1. Sirlion of Beef,

2. Boiled Beef,

3. Aitchbone of Beef,

4. Roast Ribs of Beef

Coloured plate from Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management:

1. Leg of Mutton,

2. Saddle of Lamb,

3. Shoulder of Mutton,

4. Boiled Leg of Mutton and Turnips

Coloured plate from Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management:

1. Haunch of Venison,

2. Leg of Pork,

3. York Ham,

4. Calfs Head

Mrs Beeton states:
Few domestic animals are so profitable or so useful to man as the much maligned pig, and no other yields him a more varied or more luxurious repast."

Coloured Plate from Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management:

1. Side,
2. Forelock,
3. Collar,
4. Streaky,
5. Prime Back,
6. Small Back,
7. Flank Long Back,
8. Gammon,
9. Corner,
10. York Ham,
11. Mild Cured Ham.

One of Mrs Beeton's recipes for Chicken Salad:

Ingredients: Cold Chicken (roast tor boiled) cut into joints or pieces if boned ; to 4 tablespoonfuls allow 2 tablespoonfuls of finely shredded celery, 1 tablespoonful of finely shredded white of hard boiled egg, 4 tablespoonfuls of Mayonaisse sauce, 1 dessertspoonful of salad oil, 1 dessertspoonful of vinegar, a half a teaspoonful of salt. a quarter of a teaspoonful of pepper.

For garnishing: pickled gherkins, capers, fillets of anchovy, stoned french olives, lettuce.

Method:
Mix the shredded chicken, celery, and white of egg together, in a bowl, stir in the salad oil and vinegar, season with the salt and pepper and let
the mixture stand for 1 hour.
When ready to serve, stir in the Mayonaisse sauce, range the salad in a dish on a bed of fresh lettuce, garnish with the surface with the gherkins, capers, anchovys, olives and if liked, the yolks of eggs, previously rubbed through a fine sieve.

Sufficient for 5 persons.

Mrs Beeton states:
"All water birds should be eaten as fresh as possible, because their flesh is oily and soon becomes rank. Most game is kept until putrefaction has commenced, it being thought that the flavour is thereby developed."

Coloured Plate from Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management:

1. Pheasants,

2. Plovers,

3. Wild Duck,

4. Roast Hare.