ON Tuesday May 10 we were delighted to welcome back Paul Harding, we knew we were in for an excellent talk. His subject was The Victorian Kitchen and we were amused to hear that it was not his favourite time in History as he said it was so depressing, what with sending boys up chimneys and child labour. The Victorian era was one of great invention, The Railway , running water in some homes. This of course extended to the kitchens of the large houses where it was almost a trophy to have the latest gadget when friends came calling. Mrs Beeton wrote articles of house management in the newspaper which allowed women access to the newspaper. She eventually collated enough material to complete the two Mrs Beeton Books but,according to her husband she was not really much of a cook. Her books were full of tips ,latest gadgets and recipes.

Paul continued to relay his thoughts on the depressing era by talking about the possibility of arsenic poison from the wallpaper or lead poisoning from the ice boxes which had become fashionable. He was extremely amusing although I am sure it wasn’t for people who were affected. He brought a selection of items which would have been used in the Victorian Kitchen and needless to say we all recognised most of them, many not too different from some of our modern gadgets. He also mentioned how Health & Safety probably started during the Victorian era with the reforms leading to reduced wages as the work was not so dangerous. Finally he spoke about the variety of food available for those who could afford it, such as Birds Custard, Coleman’s Mustard and Typhoo tea. I for one, am glad I am living in this era.

The Guild meets again on Tuesday June 7 when our speaker will be Merleen Watson who will talk on Hearing dogs for The Deaf. We are very happy to welcome new members.

MARIAN COULTON