5. Waste in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
"More waste is often occasioned by the want of judgement, or of necessary care in this particular, than by any other cause" (55)
What the Victorians ate in the 19th century varied between the rich and the poor. The rich could dine in significant banquets and house management was serious business. When the railway began to expand, fresh and locally grown produce could be transported to urban areas. Innovations for food packaging such as tinned condensed milk, soups and vegetables meant food could be kept longer without it spoiling. Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management introduced the Victorian middle class to "the latest manufactured food products, to a wide range of foreign recipes, and to fashionably different modes of dining" (vii). But aside from extravagance and generous dinners, there are signs of frugality in meal planning and in the prevention of food waste. As Day says in an article published in the 2002 Oxford Symposium On Food and Cooking, "when it came to waste within the home, both servants and mistresses were equally accountable" (69). Mrs Beeton, the domestic goddess figure, teaches her reader how a home is to be run: from managing children, hiring servants, to storing food in their kitchen.
Beeton establishes a close relationship with her readers through specific advice and instructions. As The Mistress, or, like the "commander of an army" (7) and the "leader of an enterprise" (7), your duty is to delegate work and see that everything is in order. For example, as the mistress of a dinner party, "a separate room or convenient buffet should be appropriated for refreshments" (25). An authoritative voice is constructed through the verb "should" because it indicates obligation. Like a parent figure, she tells her readers what they should do and whether they follow her advice or not is entirely up to them, but still, they ought to do it. Unlike Dana Shultz, who is on first name terms with her readers and establishes a friendly and equal relationship, Mrs Beeton is someone to look up to. She asserts duty upon her reader and tells them how to be a good host.
Flip through Mrs Beeton's and select any one of her original(!) recipes and the general structure is, title, a list of ingredients, "Mode", "Time", "Average Cost", "Sufficient for..." and "Seasonable". The segments make it easier for the reader to select a recipe that is suitable for them. For example, the average cost for the recipe Baked Tomatoes "in full season, [is] 9 [pennies] per basket" (253). This is the first sign of frugality which brings together the advice of budgeting in meal planning - a sign of preventing waste and being economical. Secondly, the use of "sufficient" in "Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons" (253) suggests the recipe makes just enough for the number served. There is no excess to be wasted. And the quantity can be adjusted for more or fewer servings needed. In contrast, if the verb "serves" is used, such as it "serves 5 or 6", it suggests there is a bigger supply of the dish and it is not cooked just enough to feed a specific number of mouths. Finally, "Seasonable" is also a sign of frugality. This is because usually food at this time is cheapest to buy and is most fresh on the market. Perfect to save money and eat healthy food.
Beeton's authoritative voice is maintained in the course of the cookbook. In the recipes, they go straight into listing all the ingredients before providing the instructions. Through the directions such as, "take off the stalks from the tomatoes" (253) or "put the butter and flour into a saucepan" (279), they are like commands. There are no personal opinions like in Dana Shultz's recipes where she will give suggestions like "add 1tbsp of honey... but I didn't find it necessary" or any sensory descriptions of the food. Rather, the directions are similar to Madeleine Olivia's short and simple imperatives such as "stop buying stuff" and "go vegan" in her 30 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Waste post.
Mrs Beeton is serious in providing tips to prevent waste by buying produce when it is in season and storing it carefully. For instance, "a well-ventilated larder, dry and shady, is better for meat and poultry, which require to be kept for some time" (55) and she says "it is advisable that animal food should be hung up in the open air till its fibres have lost some degree of their toughness" but she states it can't be kept too long until the flavour deteriorates. In order to not waste the meat, Mrs Beeton says it is "better" for meat to be kept in a suitable place so it will soften, but not too long that it becomes spoiled. She provides more tips on storing produce, when to take out produce and to not buy bruised rumps and edgebones of beef. Ultimately, "All these things ought to enter into the consideration of every household manager, and great care should be taken that nothing is thrown away, or suffered to be wasted in the kitchen, which might, by proper management, be turned to a good account" (55). Being economical in the kitchen meant preventing waste, saving fuel and produce, but most importantly, it is good management.
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| Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861) Picture from Dine Girl |
What the Victorians ate in the 19th century varied between the rich and the poor. The rich could dine in significant banquets and house management was serious business. When the railway began to expand, fresh and locally grown produce could be transported to urban areas. Innovations for food packaging such as tinned condensed milk, soups and vegetables meant food could be kept longer without it spoiling. Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management introduced the Victorian middle class to "the latest manufactured food products, to a wide range of foreign recipes, and to fashionably different modes of dining" (vii). But aside from extravagance and generous dinners, there are signs of frugality in meal planning and in the prevention of food waste. As Day says in an article published in the 2002 Oxford Symposium On Food and Cooking, "when it came to waste within the home, both servants and mistresses were equally accountable" (69). Mrs Beeton, the domestic goddess figure, teaches her reader how a home is to be run: from managing children, hiring servants, to storing food in their kitchen.
Beeton establishes a close relationship with her readers through specific advice and instructions. As The Mistress, or, like the "commander of an army" (7) and the "leader of an enterprise" (7), your duty is to delegate work and see that everything is in order. For example, as the mistress of a dinner party, "a separate room or convenient buffet should be appropriated for refreshments" (25). An authoritative voice is constructed through the verb "should" because it indicates obligation. Like a parent figure, she tells her readers what they should do and whether they follow her advice or not is entirely up to them, but still, they ought to do it. Unlike Dana Shultz, who is on first name terms with her readers and establishes a friendly and equal relationship, Mrs Beeton is someone to look up to. She asserts duty upon her reader and tells them how to be a good host.
 |
| Recipe for Baked Tomatoes |
Flip through Mrs Beeton's and select any one of her original(!) recipes and the general structure is, title, a list of ingredients, "Mode", "Time", "Average Cost", "Sufficient for..." and "Seasonable". The segments make it easier for the reader to select a recipe that is suitable for them. For example, the average cost for the recipe Baked Tomatoes "in full season, [is] 9 [pennies] per basket" (253). This is the first sign of frugality which brings together the advice of budgeting in meal planning - a sign of preventing waste and being economical. Secondly, the use of "sufficient" in "Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons" (253) suggests the recipe makes just enough for the number served. There is no excess to be wasted. And the quantity can be adjusted for more or fewer servings needed. In contrast, if the verb "serves" is used, such as it "serves 5 or 6", it suggests there is a bigger supply of the dish and it is not cooked just enough to feed a specific number of mouths. Finally, "Seasonable" is also a sign of frugality. This is because usually food at this time is cheapest to buy and is most fresh on the market. Perfect to save money and eat healthy food.
Beeton's authoritative voice is maintained in the course of the cookbook. In the recipes, they go straight into listing all the ingredients before providing the instructions. Through the directions such as, "take off the stalks from the tomatoes" (253) or "put the butter and flour into a saucepan" (279), they are like commands. There are no personal opinions like in Dana Shultz's recipes where she will give suggestions like "add 1tbsp of honey... but I didn't find it necessary" or any sensory descriptions of the food. Rather, the directions are similar to Madeleine Olivia's short and simple imperatives such as "stop buying stuff" and "go vegan" in her 30 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Waste post.
Mrs Beeton is serious in providing tips to prevent waste by buying produce when it is in season and storing it carefully. For instance, "a well-ventilated larder, dry and shady, is better for meat and poultry, which require to be kept for some time" (55) and she says "it is advisable that animal food should be hung up in the open air till its fibres have lost some degree of their toughness" but she states it can't be kept too long until the flavour deteriorates. In order to not waste the meat, Mrs Beeton says it is "better" for meat to be kept in a suitable place so it will soften, but not too long that it becomes spoiled. She provides more tips on storing produce, when to take out produce and to not buy bruised rumps and edgebones of beef. Ultimately, "All these things ought to enter into the consideration of every household manager, and great care should be taken that nothing is thrown away, or suffered to be wasted in the kitchen, which might, by proper management, be turned to a good account" (55). Being economical in the kitchen meant preventing waste, saving fuel and produce, but most importantly, it is good management.
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