Author: Susanna Ives

Romance author, onsignment fashionista, kdrama junkie, jazz type, occasional runner, coffee lover.
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Hot Regency Fashion Trends for Winter 1816

From  Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions,  by Rudolph Ackermann, Frederic Shober. 1816

Promenade dress. A high dress of cambric muslin trimmed at the bottom with a single flounce of work. The body, which is composed entirely of work, fits the shape without any fullness. A plain long sleeve, finished by a triple fall of narrow lace. Over this dress is worn the Angouleme pelisse, composed of crimson velvet, lined with white sarsnet, and trimmed with a single welt of crimson satin, a shade lighter than the pelisse. The body is made exactly to the shape; the back is of course a moderate breadth, and without fullness; for the form of the front we refer our readers to our print; it is confined at the waist, which is very short, by a narrow velvet band, edged to correspond. A small collar, of a novel and pretty shape, stands up and supports a rich lace ruff, which is worn open in front of the throat. The sleeve has very little fullness, and that little is confined at the wrist by three narrow bands of puckered satin. Bonnet a la Rouale, composed of white satin, very tastefully intermixed with a large bunch of fancy flowers, and tied under the chin by a white satin ribbon, which is brought in a bow to the left side ; a full quilling of tulle finishes the front. Black silk ridicule, exquisitely worked in imitation of the ends of an India shawl, and trimmed with black silk fringe. White kid gloves, and black walking shoes.

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Regency Menu for Four

I struggled writing this post.  I wanted to simply list some menus and recipes from The French Cook, or, The Art of Cookery, by Louis Eustache Ude from 1815.  Unfortunately, the recipes in the original book are difficult to locate because the dish names on the menus don’t match the recipes. After spending  more time on this little project than I intended, I  found a second addition of the book from 1822. Everyone must have complained to Ude, so he made an easy to read version. However, he used the same images for the courses as he did in the original edition, despite switching to English for the dish names, as well as changing some of the dishes. So, I doubt there is a direct correspondence from the French to the English in this post, but I have tried to blend the two editions together to match the illustrations.

I shall endeavor to include more menus in the coming days. If you want to look up the actual recipes, I suggest the 2nd edition of The French Cook on Google Books. Also, Nancy Mayer has a great explanation of table Settings and removes on her site. Bill of fare for a dinner of four entries in summer time.

First course

  • Le Potage printannier,  or spring soup.
  • Les tranches de cabilleau, sauce aux huitres,  or crimp cod and oyster sauce.

 Two removes

  • La poularde à la Montmorencie,  or fowl la Mcntmorenci, garnished with a ragout a I’Allcmande. 
  • Le jambon de Westphalie, à l’essence,  or ham glazed with Espagnole.

Four entrées

  • La fricassée de poulets aux champignons, or fricassee of chicken and mushrooms.
  • Les côtelettes d’Agneau sautés, sauce à la Macédoine, or lamb chops saute, with asparagus, peas, &c. 
  • Le sauté de filets de poulets gras, au suprême, or fillets of fat chicken, saute au supreme. 
  • Les tendrons de veau glacés aux laitues, à l’essence or petits pdtes of fillet of fowl a la bechamelle.

Second course

  • Le chapon, or fowls roasted, garnished with water cresses.
  • Les cailles, or six quails

Four entrées

  • Les pois à la Françoise.
  • La gelée de fraises.
  • Les asperges en bâtonets, or asparagus with plain butter.
  • Les puits d’amour garnis de marmalade, or orange jellies in mosaiques. 
* Later edition includes Cauliflower with veloute sauce and Petit gateaux d’ la Manon.

Two removes of the roast.

  • La tart de groseilles rouges.
  • Le soufflé au citron, or souffle with lemon.
* Later edition includes Ramequin d la Sefton.
First Course

Second Course

Ude writes, “From the above statement it will be easy to make a bill of fare of four, six, eight, twelve, or sixteen entrees, and the other courses in proportion”