By Nancy Martin-Young
JASNA-NC served up a presentation on the art of dining during the Regency period for the March 1st online meeting. The discussion was expertly led by historian Debbie Struble from The Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC, ably assisted by her fellow docent, Alice Ross. Regional Coordinator Linda Darden ran the meeting.
Austen novels are flush with scenes of dining, from the picnic at Box Hill to the white soup at Netherfield. During the Regency, dining was an art form. Dining occasions were opportunities to establish status and display wealth and social acumen.
Planning to attend such an occasion began with arranging for the appropriate attire. For women of a certain class, a trip to the modiste for a new outfit of rich silks and lace, coordinated with jewels, was de rigueur, for no lady could be seen in the same gown twice, Struble said. Gentlemen, too, dressed with care in their best coats, with lace at the throat, adorned with stickpins and fobs. A misstep in appropriate dress could have social consequences.
THE EVENT
The host and hostess would greet guests, who lingered in the drawing room until dinner was announced. A potpourri vase, like the ceramic one in the mint’s collection, would cover any household odors with the scent of dried flowers and herbs.
The host would escort the most senior lady to the table, while the hostess would join the most senior gentleman. Were the Prince of Wales and his mistress to be in attendance, they, of course, would take precedence. Prinny apparently had an enormous appetite, so it is fortunate that the meal would include from six to twelve courses.
Seating was a matter of social status. “Above the salt (cellar)” was reserved for higher status guests. Those of higher status sat closest to the host and hostess at either end of the table, while those seated in the middle were on the fringe. Guests chatted with people seated on either side of them, not across the table (unless they were expressly, albeit rudely, questioned).
Children remained in the nursery, where they could hone their fledgling dining skills in private.
In the formal dining room downstairs, a stylish Chippendale table would be covered with a tablecloth, and the serviettes provided meant no one would wipe on the cloth.
THE SERVICE
French service was typical in manor houses of the period. Servants placed the platters at the center of the table. Gentlemen served ladies to either side. The butler remained in the room to fill wine glasses.
Struble’s presentation included slides of various dinner services, from a salt-clay porcelain service in white to a Wedgwood wheat husk design created for Empress Catherine II of Russia. Once Wedgwood secured a patent and a stamp, its dinnerware was more accessible to the rising middle class. The very wealthy would order custom designs from the potter, to include perhaps the family crest or a scene of the manor park.
Plate size varied depending on the meal. Luncheon or nuncheon plates were smaller than dinner plates.
Wealth was on display in the finest houses, such as Rosings, in the form of silver services. The presentation included slides of a magnificent tureen and a Hester Bateman teapot.
MENUS
During the Regency, the use of ice allowed menus to expand. No longer was dining restricted to the heavier country fare of meat, fowl, and fish from the farm. Now more delicate dishes like oysters, scallops, and sole, accompanied by lighter vegetables such as asparagus and peas, were prepared by French chefs. Their talents produced rich sauces and confections. Fruit and dessert menus expanded, since estate hothouses grew fruits, some imported from Caribbean plantations.
For those guests who stayed overnight, a hunt breakfast buffet allowed gentlemen to make a portable sandwich, while ladies rose late and nibbled toast.
If a dining occasion took place in town, the smaller space and smaller kitchens meant no huge fireplaces for roasting, so food had to be prepared on more modern ovens and stoves.
BALLS
Austen novels prove that balls matter, as it’s at a ball that Lizzie meets Darcy, Henry Tilney secures an introduction to Catherine, and Franny finally dances with Edmund. Dinner at a ball in the Regency period would be served at midnight. Not all guests would dance. For the elderly or disinclined, side tables, such as the example included in the slide presentation, could be opened into a gaming table.
After the dance, cold cotillion-style food would be served.
AFTERMATH
After the social occasion, guests set the ink on their thank-you notes with fine-grained salt shaken from a pounce pot, such as the blue and white ceramic vessel included in the slide show.
The enthusiastic response from the Janeite attendees proved that this presentation on the art of dining was exactly their cup of tea.