Sheep's Kidneys

This kept us going until a dish of sheep's kidneys appeared, swimming in their own gravy, with little rolls of nicely grilled bacon and tufts of parsley between each. I found there was a secret about the cooking of these. Two small basins were placed in readiness in front of the kitchen fire, one empty, the other half full of clarified butter; each kidney was then held before the glowing coal over the empty basin for ten minutes, being occasionally dipped into the heated butter. A little white dish stood at the corner of the table, containing three half lemons, larded with cayenne; a squeeze of the juice from these added piquancy to this tempting dish.

Making Coffee

On Friday morning I was down early, as it was my custom to grind the coffee and make it myself, in order to be sure that no chicory was popped in. I found the kettle already boiling, the pot well warmed, and the coffee ground, I had simply to pour the water on it. The table was perfectly arranged as before; at one end stood a mould of some kind of jelly, with a wreath of watercress around it. This jelly, as I afterwards discovered, was made of knuckle of veal in the following manner: Knuckle of Veal in Jelly.

Chop well a small knuckle of veal, about three pounds in weight, put it into a clean stewpan, with enough water to cover it, add a blade of mace, one onion, a teaspoonful of Jamaica peppercorns, and a sprig of thyme, all tied in a muslin bag. Simmer for two hours, remove the bag. Then with two forks pull the meat from the bone, season with a mustard-spoonful of made mustard, the juice of a lemon, a dash of cayenne, a tablespoonful of mushroom ketchup, and pepper and salt to taste. Pour the whole into a well-oiled mould, and set it in a cold place for twelve hours. It will turn out perfectly the next morning. Dish on an ornamental paper.

Tomatoes On Toast

As soon as we were seated, a dish of tomatoes served on well-buttered squares of toast was brought in. The tops of the tomatoes had been taken off, some of the seeds removed, and the cavity filled with parsley finely chopped, some picked leaves of sweet herbs, a little cold grated ham, and a lump of butter, all mixed together with a raw egg; they had then been dipped into a light batter and fried quickly. These I ascertained had been placed ready for cooking the previous night.

Sardine Salad, Grilled Bloaters, Haddock, Etc

On Saturday my curiosity for novelties led me to appear a little earlier than usual. In the centre of the table, piled in one large block on a dish, was a sardine salad, with little heaps of freshly skinned shrimps around it. Another dish consisted of bloaters which had been blanched, boned, and, with the roes, prepared the previous night. In the morning the fillets had been dipped into heated butter, dusted over with white pepper, and grilled. The roes were trailed through a little salad oil and placed in the oven on a tin while the bloaters were cooking. A fillet of the fish and a roe were then laid on squares of toasted bread, well buttered, and a little lemon juice and cayenne sprinkled on top. These were arranged on an ornamental paper, garnished with tufts of watercress.

On Sunday morning, instead of our usual breakfast of dried haddock, there was a dish filled with rolled fresh herrings with the tails sticking up. They had been pickled in highly spiced vinegar, with finely sliced onions scattered here and there, and, like the mackerel, left to cook in the oven all night.