Early Settlers' Household Lore

by Mrs. N. Pescott, R. Paul Learmonth (Illustrator)

The facts of life 1850-style.If you'd like to know the correct method of hand-wringing wet sheets, or how to cook Wally's Murray Cod in wet sand, or how to tan easily, or how to get a good complexion, or any of a thousand and more extraordinary things, you'll find them in this book.200 pages of recipes, hints on correct etiquette, snippets of poetry, homilies of the time, and excerpts from diaries and letters. These give you a much better picture of how people lived and thought in those days than you could get from any history book. And, what's more, in a much more amusing way.The book was compiled by Mrs. Loma Pescott and the Ladies of Sovereign Hill in Ballarat - and all royalties will go to the Sovereign Hill Historical Museum. The material was donated by descendants of early settlers, and is all remarkably true!With this book at your elbow in the kitchen, your family will be astonished at some of the dishes you'l be able to make for them! And who knows how many of the 1850 remedies will still work today? Excuse us, while we whip up a batch of Auntie Bessie's Buns...But first, we'd better look at our leech in the bottle to see what the weather will be like tomorrow...

Genres: Nonfiction

199 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic snapshot into the past. How to cook from absolute scratch, and the constraints of economy and lack of refrigeration. One of the best books I've read in ages!