Encore for Jane

On Tuesday, February 19, we waved goodbye to Jane-uary with an encore presentation of “The Torments of Rice Pudding and Apple Dumplings” at the Plaza Library. Over 100 people dipped into Earl Grey tea and blueberry scones and then sat down to hear Sheryl Craig discuss the different foods and customs of Jane Austen’s time period and those that appeared in her novels.

  Aside from the interesting tidbits  regarding table  settings and specific dishes; Sheryl also talked about the various mealtimes in Austen’s novels. She pointed out that when a gentleman was taken with one of the ladies, he was less likely to sit next to her and more likely to sit across from her. Sheryl also mentioned that while ladies were seated first, they’d sit wherever they liked and leave the menfolk to take up the empty places at the table. (I think this was a ploy to sit near the desserts.)

Sheryl talked at length about the first celebrity chef, Antonin Careme, who lived during Jane Austen’s time. She certainly would have heard of him as he was the personal chef to the Prince Regent. At the time he was most well known for baking Napoleon’s wedding cake. He made French cooking fashionable and French chefs were highly prized in Regency society.

Sheryl also talked about Jane Austen’s mysterious china pattern and the kitchen restoration project at Chawton House. In the future, Sheryl said, hopefully, staff at the Jane Austen house will cook Regency era food using cooking methods of the early 19th century.

After the program Sheryl shared with me what she does with all the speaking fees she receives from various Jane Austen events. She donates them the to the Jane Austen kitchen restoration. Once the kitchen is complete, Sheryl deserves more than a fireplace brick with her name on it, she should receive her own delicately engraved tea cup and saucer.