Having attained some knowledge of the constituent parts, prices, and season for different kinds of food, the house-mother will have less difficulty in arranging the daily bill of fare.

She should visit the kitchen to give the cook her orders, directly after breakfast - or before that meal, if it be habitually a late one. The reason for making the hour early is, that much hindrance is put in the way of the cook if it is late, and also that tradesmen generally call early for orders.

The first thing to be done is to inspect the larder thoroughly. It will contain, doubtless, cold meat, suet, dripping, butter, cheese, eggs, etc., and the breadpan. This last should be uncovered and examined, for servants are apt to be neglectful and wasteful with regard to bread. No unnecessary pieces should be found in it. Only the crusts from having grated bread for puddings, cutlets, etc. are allowable. If these exist they should be soaked, beaten up with an egg, a little milk, and a few currants, and baked as a pudding - a very good one it is. Bread should never be used up to the last loaf, so that the household are obliged to eat new bread, which is not as wholesome as one-day old bread, and is also extravagant. The difference between eating new bread and stale being one loaf in five more of the new. If by accident the bread has accumulated, and the house-mother finds a stale roll or stale loaf too many and too hard, the freshness of both may be restored by dipping them in hot water, and putting them in the oven, when they will be as fresh as ever.

Home-made bread is best and cheapest, the weight of water used in making it being saved.

Moreover, home-made bread keeps fresh longer than baker's bread, and may be eaten pleasantly the third or even fourth day. There is also a greater chance of escaping adulteration of alum, etc. etc. The housemother can guess tolerably well what quantity of bread will be required, so that it may not run out suddenly, and should order it accordingly. The average quantity is about a quartern loaf for each person, but in some families (if ladies only) less will be required, and a small or half loaf of 2lbs. will be found sufficient.

The Flour-bin next requires examination. In it is kept the flour used for puddings and cooking generally. It should be kept dry - about a quartern of flour a week is sufficient, unless the family is large. Flour should be bought of the miller. Firsts are required for puddings and tarts; Seconds (or even whole meal) are much better and more wholesome for bread. The baker should be asked occasionally whether bread has fallen; and the price should be ascertained by the housekeeper.

Next comes the Dripping. This should be nicely clarified, and kept in clean white basins ready for use. It is of great value in housekeeping. The mode of clarifying it is this: Put it as it comes from the meat into a basin, pour boiling water over it, and stir it round; set it to cool. When it is hard and cold, lift the cake which will have formed off the sediment, and put it in the basin, or basins, for use. Cover from dust. Dripping is used for basting, frying, making plain meat pie-crusts, and plain family cake. The poor buy it at yd. or 8d. a pound for eating on bread instead of butter. It is in grand households the cook's perquisite. Then, of course, the cooking has to be done with butter or lard. The value of allowing the dripping in a large household is estimated at from 10l. to 15l, in addition to the wages. We have heard of a cook refusing to give up the privilege for an extra 10l. a year.

Eggs - the bowl of eggs should be examined, and the number used accounted for by the cook.

If Poultry is kept, the eggs are generally put into the store-room, dated, and given out as required, a certain number being kept for winter. When bought at the egg merchants a few only should be purchased at a time, in case of their proving bad. To try the freshness of eggs see pp. 244. As eggs may be wastefully used, it is well for the housemother to recollect or keep a memorandum of what puddings, cutlets, etc. she has had during the week. These minutiae of housekeeping are really important, and should be jotted down for the sake of remembrance. We have found it a good way to enter the dinner ordered daily in a memorandum-book. This both checks expenditure and saves the dreary monotony of a frequent repetition of the same dishes.

Ham should be kept under a wire cover. When very low and dry it can be grated off into a jar and kept for ham toast - an excellent breakfast dish. The bone suffices to flavour pea soup.

Bones of all kinds should be inquired for, as they will otherwise disappear and be wasted. Every bone (not left on a plate) should be stewed down in the stockpot for gravy, or stock for soup. With a slight covering of meat they may be devilled. Next comes the cold meat. Cold beef may be re-warmed as Breslau de Boeuf (see Model Cookery), as Camielon de Bceuf, or curried, minced, and served with poached eggs, scalloped with bread crumbs, etc. etc., or served in cold slices, steeped in a mixture of vinegar and mustard, and garnished with slices of hard egg or beetroot. It may also be made into croquettes, olives, or cakes.

Cold mutton may be re-warmed as hash or curry.

Cold lamb is best eaten as it remains with lettuce.

Cold veal is best minced; it also curries well; scalloped it is excellent, or it makes good blanquettes.

Cold pork can be curried.

Cold salt beef makes excellent bubble and squeak, or curry, or cold slices, as above.

Cold rabbit can be fricasseed or curried.

Cold fowls may be fricasseed, minced, curried, or put into a mayonaise.

Cold hare is better jugged - which is our English way of braising - than it is the first day. It may also be hashed.

Cold turkey - the white meat may be minced, and legs broiled and laid in it; or it makes a capital fricassee.