"...a bird will be the chief feature." [BLUE]
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| Traditional roast goose, as prepared Flora Spector (Mrs. Hudson) |
Many Sherlockians have a Christmas tradition of reading “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.” While this story has been discussed to death, there is one point that has always made me curious – the goose. For dinner, I mean, not its lack of a crop. How did one prepare it at the time? What was served with it? How did they decorate the table? How many courses were served? In other words, what was a Victorian Christmas dinner like?
The best source for this information is Mrs. Hudson herself,
of course. So, to find out the preferences and culinary expertise of Mrs.
Hudson, I contacted my good friend Flora Spector, PhD, who specializes in all
things Mrs. Hudson. Flora is a lifetime Victoriana aficionado and OCD when it
comes to period correct reproduction sewing, consulting and making sample gowns
for the movies, and television. She is a member of the Baker Street Builders (the
only one to create Mrs. Hudson’s flat and live in it), a member of The Regency
Irregulars, The Stormy Petrels, The John H. Watson Society, Sherlock Holmes
Society of London, the scion originator and former Gasogene of the White Rose
Irregulars, and a member of many other Sherlockian groups she cannot remember.
One of Flora’s specialties is hosting fantastic Sherlockian parties
serving authentic Victorian cuisine. At her parties, she acts as the
redoubtable Mrs. Hudson herself, even donning appropriate attire to serve Mr.
Holmes’ guests.
I asked Flora (er…Mrs. Hudson) what she would serve to Mr.
Holmes and Dr. Watson for the greatest year of them all, 1895. She wrote up a menu for me, complete with recipes (receipts
for those of us who speak British English). But how is all this fantastic fare
to be served? “Mrs. Hudson” agreed to sit down with me to answer my queries:
It’s 1895 and Mr.
Holmes had a terrific year this year with all his successful cases. How would
you help these gentlemen celebrate the holiday?
Well dear, as Mr. Holmes has increased his rent to me, I
have made it my mission to prepare for him and the good doctor a proper
Christmas dinner (that is assuming they do not get called out on a case). I always pick something up for him to give
the doctor, as Mr. Holmes forgets these things.
I also do the same for dear Mycroft Holmes. (Poor soul has no one to look after
him.)
I understand that
there’s a special way to decorate the table. What does that involve?
Lordy! Copious
amounts of work, plenty of starch and many hands to help lighten the
burden. First, we start with a silencer
cloth to be underneath a heavily starched Damask linen tablecloth. Plates and such are to be silent when
touching the table. This also protects the wood from the heat of some of the
dishes, as trivets do not always do enough.
Victorians had a lot
of tableware, including several different types of glasses, silverware, and
what have you. Will you use all of that for Mr. Holmes’ Christmas dinner?
Actually, yes. This is the ONE time of year I insist on
proper place settings. The birth of our Lord is too important a day not to
observe the niceties. Besides, I have
Aunt Bertha’s Asparagus tongs to use and this is one of the few times it is
appropriate. [Click here to see how Mrs. Hudson would set a Christmas table.]
How many courses are
part of your Christmas dinner, and how do you determine how many courses to
serve?
This year’s dinner is not being served as formal courses as
Mr. Holmes would never sit still long enough for that. I plan on serving
from the sideboard, (the good doctor has assured me that he will clear it off
ahead of time) and in this way it will be almost a buffet so I can go enjoy my
own holiday meal with my cronies. Generally there are a minimum of eight courses
in a formal dinner. For example, one might do the following:
- Appetizer/starters to tease the palette
- Soup
- Salad
- Main Course/beef or game
- Sides
- Fish Course
- Desserts and or Fruit
- Assorted appropriate wine/beverages for each aforementioned course
- Sherbet to cleanse the palette in between
- Coffee/Tea
After all this work,
would you sit down to enjoy the meal yourself?
Not with the boys, heavens no! I have a neighbor friend and my cats and the
dog to keep me company. We tend to
celebrate a bit more quietly then the boys upstairs.
How many servants do
you have to help you prepare and serve all this food?
For the holiday I get as much done BEFORE the big day as
possible so I can allow my servants the day off. Prior to Christmas day I have a maid of all
work, a part time cook (I make certain things myself you see) and the boots
boy.
I know Dr. Watson
likes to eat, but Mr. Holmes is a bit of a twig who likes to starve himself. Do
you think he’ll eat this really elaborate meal you’ve prepared?
No, I don’t expect he will eat terribly much. However, once
he and the doctor start talking, he tends to relax enough to enjoy the meal. He
does like it when I make a fuss over him.
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| Traditional Christmas pudding as prepared by Flora. |
Since Mr. Holmes’
schedule is rather erratic, how do you manage to feed him at all (never mind
Christmas….).
It is a challenge. I often make food that can be served at
room temperature or cold so it can keep until he is available. I also always have tea cakes and such around
and pot of soup on the stove along with rolls, biscuits and other handy carry
food. With a properly stocked larder
there isn’t much you cannot make at a moment’s notice.
Thank you, Mrs.
Hudson, for feeding the Master and for letting us learn about your terrific
culinary gifts. I think you’ve now made all our readers hungry!
For more on Mrs. Hudson and her interests, check out Flora's web site and blog at - http://mrs-hudson.com.
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