Eating With The Victorians

by C. Anne Wilson (Editor)

If we could be transported back some two hundred years to spend a day in the eighteenth century, one of the suprises for most people would be the difference in the timing and structure of meals. Luncheon had only recently become established when Victoria came to the throne, and her reign also saw the invention of the Great British Breakfast. Tea was added to Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management in 1880. The modern timetable for meals reflects the patterns which we established in the nineteenth century, and the story of Victorian meals is set out in the chapters of this book. It is arranged meal by meal, throughout the day, from breakfast to supper, and offers a new and revealing look at life in Victorian Britain.

Genres: Food and Drink, Victorian, Reference, Food History, Food

174 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

About the author

Constance Anne Wilson (in her published works C. Anne Wilson) is a British food historian. She was previously in charge of the special collection of cookery books at the Brotherton Library of the University of Leeds, Leeds, England.
She published the wide-ranging Food and Drink in Britain in 1973, and her more specialised The Book of Marmalade: its antecedents, its history and its rôle in the world today won the 1984 Diagram Prize for the oddest title of the year at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
In 2006 she published Water of Life: a history of wine-distilling and spirits; 500 BC - AD 2000.
She has edited several volumes of the proceedings of the Leeds Symposium on Food History and Tradition.

Reviews

[Mariah Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I got this book out of the university library on a whim, I had no idea how enjoyable and informative it would be. Learning about Breakfast, Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, High Tea, Dinner, and Supper not only made me feel like a Hobbit but also reinforced to me that the way we eat is a (delicious) social construct. If you've ever guiltily enjoyed watching Lords and Ladles, you will love this cute and nerdy little book.

[Christina Barzdukas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately less about the actual food and preparation, and more about the etiquette and naming conventions of meals.