Friday, 3 November 2017

A Great Feast was held


I’ve spent a busy morning chopping veg for a dinner we’re having tonight. It’s modest enough: a Lebonese lentil soup, Beef Carbonade, Swede, diced carrots, and Duchess potatoes, Apple and orange tart, Chocolate and orange cake, and cheeseboard. Modest enough compared to the celebrations held in honour of the Viscount Lascelles.

In 1845 young Henry Lascelles came of age and married Lady Elizabeth de Burgh, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Clanricarde - double event that demanded serious feasting. 



A Ball was held in the candlelit Long Gallery, clearly a fire hazard but not with the Estate's personal fireservice to hand.

The ceiling to the Long Gallery

All very nice but in this case, my interest lies in the kitchens. 
This is our kitchen
A four ringed hob
And one double oven. No scope here to roast an ox


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Below are those of Harewood House.
They must have bought up every copper pan in the country.

I was intrigued by this very old range powered by the charcoal you can see underneath



And to the left is some kind of weird knife cleaning/sharpening contraption. 
To the left the biggest pestle and mortar I've ever seen.


And below, not some kind of C16th torture but a dairy maid's harness. We have our milk delivered. 



1 comment:

Maria Zannini said...

Wow! No wonder they needed entire legions of servants to clean, cook, fetch, and carry.

It reminds me too how hard the work must've been.

Fascinating (and beautiful) as it is, I much prefer your modern kitchen. My days of polishing copper and cooking on charcoal are over. :)