IN the matter of food, people were not gourmets as a rule. The living was plentiful, but plain, and a dinner was never more than two courses; as wrote, 'two plain dishes, with two or three good natured, chearful, ingenious friends, would make me more pleased and vain than all that pomp and luxury can bestow;' and this sentiment pervaded the whole of society. Dinner is almost the only meal ever mentioned, and one looks in vain for details of breakfast or supper. They were taken, of course, but men, then, did not sufficiently deify their stomachs, as to be always talking about them: dinner was the meal of the day, and there is no doubt that the most was made of that opportunity. says: 'The English eat a great deal at dinner; they rest a while, and to it again, till they have quite stuff'd their Paunch. Their Supper is moderate: Gluttons at Noon, and abstinent at Night. I always heard they were great Flesh eaters, and I found it true. I have known several people in England that never eat any Bread, and universally they eat very little: they nibble a few crumbs, while they chew the Meat by whole Mouthfuls. Generally speaking, the English Tables are not delicately serv'd. There are some Noblemen that have both French and English Cooks, and these eat much after the French manner; but among the middling Sort of People they have ten or twelve Sorts of common Meats, which infallibly

Here, then, we have a very graphic, and evidently unbiassed, account of the cuisine of this reign. Two o'clock seems to have been the middle-class time of dining, but people with any pretension to fashion dined later. 'Why, does any Body Dine before Four a Clock in London ? For my Part, I think it an ill bred Custom to make my Appetite Pendulum to the Twelfth Hour. Besides, 'tis out of Fashion to Dine by Day light.' [1]  And , writing about says: 'All the noise towards six in the evening is caused by his mimics and imitators;' [2]  thus leading to the inference that, dinner being at four, and wine being plentifully drunk after it, they rose from table half drunk, and went noisily to the coffee-houses.

This, probably, was the case at such a place as Pontack's, which held the first rank among the restaurants of the time. It was situated in Abchurch Lane, and was said to have derived its name from Pontack, a president of the Parliament of Bordeaux, who gave his name to the best French clarets; but this could hardly be the case, as all contemporary writers call the proprietor Pontack. speaks in high terms of

There were others nearly as good.

At Locket's,

Charing Cross.

Brown's and at Pontack's enquire, What modish Kick shaws the nice Beaus desire, What famed Ragoust, what new invented Salate Has best pretentions to regale the Palate.

There were cheaper places, or ordinaries, than these to dine at. 'I went afterwards to Robin's, [8]  and saw People who had dined with me at the Five penny Ordinary just before, give Bills for the Value of large Estates;' [9]  and twopenny ordinaries are mentioned, but they must have been for the very poor.

In spite of what says, there was good cookery to be got, only it hardly came into ordinary life; and there are

Perhaps few people now would care to make Mr. Lamb's 'Patty of Calves' Brains.-The Calves Brains being clean, scald them, then blanch some Asparagus, and put it in a Sauce pan, with a little Butter and Parsley; being Cold, put the Brains in the Patty, with the Asparagus, five or six Yolks of hard Eggs, and Forc'd Meat; season it with Pepper and Salt. When it is bak'd, add the Juce of a Lemon, drawn Butter and Gravy. So serve it.'

Listen to 's ecstasies over our national dish-the PUDDING. 'The Pudding is a Dish very difficult to be describ'd, because of the several Sorts there are of it; Flower, Milk, Eggs, Butter, Sugar, Suet, Marrow, Raisins, &c., &c., are the most common Ingredients of a Pudding. They bake

Of fish he says: 'In Proportion Fish is dearer than any other Belly-timber at London ;' and as a matter of fact we hear very little about it as an article of food. The country, inland, was of

From Billingsgate the fish was distributed to the various stalls throughout London:-

You'll see a draggled Damsel, here and there, From Billingsgate her fishy Traffick bear.

When fishy Stalls with double Store are laid; The golden belly'd Carp, the broad-finn'd Maid, Red speckled Trouts, the Salmon's silver Soul, The jointed Lobster, and unscaly Soale, And luscious 'Scallops, to allure the Tastes Of rigid Zealots to delicious Fasts; Wednesdays and Fridays you'll observe from hence, Days, when our Sires were doom'd to Abstinence.

Our River , then, was really the habitat of good fish, for we read: 'A Sturgeon was taken the last Week in the River near Stepney, which the Lord Mayor sent as a Present to Her Majesty.' [13] 

It causes a sigh of regret to read of the great plenty, and wonderful cheapness, of real native oysters. They were then, as now, only considered fit to eat during the months with R

If where

Fleet Ditch

with muddy Current flows, You chance to roam; where Oyster Tubs in Rows Are rang'd beside the Posts; there stay thy Haste, And with the sav'ry Fish indulge thy Taste: The Damsel's Knife the gaping Shell commands, While the salt Liquor streams between her Hands.

And they were wonderfully cheap, sold in the streets by the wheelbarrow men at 'Twelve Pence a Peck.'

Pickled oysters were also imported from Jersey, and sold at 1s. 8d. per hundred. writes Stella [14]  how 'Lord Masham made me go home with him to night to eat boiled oysters. Take Oysters, wash them clean, that is, wash their shells clean; then put your oysters in an earthen pot, with their hollow sides down, then put this pot covered, into a great Kettle with water, and so let them boil. Your oysters are boiled in their own liquor, and (do) not mix water.'

Poultry, with the exception of game, was the same as now; the only importation from foreign parts, seemingly, being ortolans, which were brought over in September of each year. The English ortolan, too, was keenly relished by epicures. ' You have a coarse stomach, and to such a one, a Surloin of Beef were better than a dish of Wheat ears.' [15] 

For relishes, there were anchovies 8d. per 1b., neats' tongues and York hams 6d. per 1b.; but salt was somewhat dear. The home manufacture did not supply the whole demand, as now, and it was imported both from Portugal and France. Still, it was made at home. 'Whereas it hath been reported, that there was not a sufficient quantity of Salt made at Shirley wich, in the county of Stafford, to supply the customers that came for it. This is to give notice, that with the Additional Works, there is now twice the quantity made out of the new Pit, much better and stronger than was formerly.' [16] 

Bread, as usual, was made the subject of legislation, and the following proclamation was issued:-

'London May 3. ' GARRARD. MAYOR. 'Martis 2 do die Maii . Annoque Reginae 'Annae Magnae Britanniae &c. Nono. By Virtue of an Act Passed in the last Session of Parliament, Intituled, An Act to Regulate the Price and Assize of Bread, This Court doth Order and Appoint, That the Assize of all White, Wheaten and Household Bread, to be made of Wheat for Sale within this City and Liberties thereof, shall for the future be Penny, Two Penny, Six Penny, Twelve Penny, and Eighteen Penny Loaves, and no other; and that on every Loaf be fairly Imprinted or Marked, several Letters for Knowing the Price and Sort thereof, as followeth, that is to say Finest or White. Wheaten. Houshold. On every Penny Loaf I.F. I. W. I. H. Two Penny Loaf II. F. II. W. II. H. Six Penny Loaf VI. W. VI. H. Twelve Penny Loaf XII. W. XII. H. Eighteen Penny Loaf XVIII. W. XVIII. H. And in further Pursuance of the said Act, this Court doth appoint, That the Assize and Weight of the said Bread shall be as followeth. White. Wheaten. Household. Lb. Oz. Dr. Lb. Oz. Dr. Lb. Oz. Dr. The Penny Loaf to Weigh by 8.7. Avoirdepois or Common Weight The Two Penny Loaf - 8. 7. - 12. 1O. 1. 0. 14. The Six Penny Loaf - - - 2. 5. 15. 3. 2. 9. The Twelve Penny Loaf - - - 4. 11. 13. 6. 5. 2. The Eighteen Penny Loaf - - - 7. 1. 11. 9. 7 11. Whereof all Bakers and others concern'd are to take Notice, and to Observe the same under the Penalties in the said Act contained to be inflicted on all such who shall Neglect so to do.

'Note, That 16 Drams make One Ounce and 16 Ounces One Pound. 'GIBSON.'

And so they continued to regulate the price, according to the fluctuations of the corn market.

Milk was produced from cows kept in London, and was carried round by women, or milkmaids, as they were called.

On Doors the sallow Milkmaid chalks her Gains; Ah ! how unlike the Milkmaid of the Plains !

Before proud Gates attending Asses bray, Or arrogate with solemn pace the Way; These grave Physicians with their milky Chear, The Love sick Maid, and dwindling Beau repair.

There were several markets in London, each with its specialty.

Shall the large Mutton smoke upon your Boards ? Such Newgate's copious Market best affords; Would'st thou with mighty Beef augment thy Meal ? Seek Leaden hall; Saint James's sends thee Veal.

Thames

street gives Cheeses;

Covent Garden

Fruits; Moor fields old Books; and Monmouth Street old Suits.

Vegetables were principally supplied from the Lambeth market gardens, which are thus mentioned by [17] : 'When we first put off from Shore, we soon fell in with a Fleet of Gardeners bound for the several Market Ports of London; and it was the most pleasing Scene imaginable to see the Chearfulness with which those industrious People ply'd their Way to a certain Sale of their Goods. The Banks on each Side are as well peopled, and beautified with as agreeable Plantations, as any Spot on the Earth; but the itself, loaded with the Product of each Shore, added very much to the Landskip. It was very easie to observe by their Sailing, and the Countenances of the ruddy Virgins who

Neither nor viewed the Lambeth gardeners in such a couleur-de-rose aspect; and haply they described the scene more accurately. The former says: 'A scoundrel crew of Lambeth Gardeners attacked us with such a Volley of saucy Nonsence, that it made my Eyes stare, my Head ake, my Tongue run, and my Ears tingle.' tells us that ' the next diverting Scene that the River afforded us, was a very warm Engagement between a Western Barge, and a Boat full of Lambeth Gardeners, by whom Billingsgate was much outdone in stupendious Obscenity, tonitrous Verbosity, and malicious Scurrility, as if one side had been Daniel D-f-'s [18]  Party, and the other the ' And they both give examples of this bargee slang, which, it is needless to say, are utterly unfit for reproduction.

From these market gardens came the and [19]  the and those melons which the noted were consigned by Mr. Cuffe of Nine Elms to Sarah Sewell and Company, at their stall in Covent Garden.

says, 'Fruit is brought only to the Tables of the Great, and of a small number even among them. The Desert they never dream of, unless it be a Piece of Cheese.' That possibly was correct, but still a great deal of fruit was eaten. The of Feb. 20, , mentions the following -Pears: and the peach. We also see that

Wallnuts the Fruit'rer's Hand, in Autumn stain, Blue Plumbs, and juicy Pears augment his Gain; Next Oranges the longing Boys entice, To trust their Copper Fortunes to the Dice.

The foreign fruit market was, as now, near Billingsgate, and here were sold olives, raisins, currants, French 'Pruants,' and the choicer sorts of French dry fruits, 'Pears of Rousselet, of Champagne, Prunes of Tours, and Muscadine Grapes,' 'Candid Maderas Citrons, and Sweet Barbary Almonds.'

[1] The Basset Table.

[2] Tatler, No. 27.

[3] Works of T. Brown.

[4] An Account of the Behaviour, Confession and last Dying Speech of Sir John Johnson.

[5] Lying Lover.

[7] Prologue to Centlivre's Love's Contrivance.

[8] A Stock Jobbing Coffee House in Change Alley.

[9] Spectator, No. 454.

[10] England's Newest way in all Sorts of Cookery, etc., by Henry Howard, and 'Royal Cookery, or the Complete Court Cook, by Patrick Lamb, Esq. Near 50 years Master Cook to their late Majesties King Charles 2. King James 2. King William and Queen Mary, and to Her present Majesty Queen Anne.'

[11] There was 'the Royal Peace Pudding, Tickets 1s. each, Made on Thanksgiving Day, 1713, 9 feet long, 20 and one half inches broad, and 6 inches deep,' and there were the famous 12d. Marrow puddings. Blood Puddings were also in vogue. See Trivia :- ' Blood stuffed in Skins is British Christian Food, And France robs Marshes of the croaking Brood; Spongy Morells in strong Ragousts are found, And in the Soupe the slimy Snail is drown'd.'

[12] London Gazette, Oct. 31/Nov. 4, 1706.

[13] The English Post, June 5/8, 1702.

[14] Journal, March 6, 1712.

[15] The Virtuoso.

[16] Postman, June 9/12, 1705.

[17] Spectator, No. 454.

[18] Daniel Defoe.

[19] Potatoes in any large quantity were 1/2d. per 1b.