MEALS FOR THE POOR - RECIPE AND MEAL PREPARED AND PROVIDED FOR POOR ON

 HER ESTATE AT NO COST BY MRS. SHORE  1797  

SOURCE: The Reports of the Society for Bettering the Condition and Increasing the Comforts of the Poor. Vol 1 1798 446 pp

10 Stewed Ox Head
10 Extract from an account of the manner and expence of making stewed ox's head for the poor. by Mrs Shore of Norton Hall in Derbyshire. pp 081-085 dated 29th October 1797

One of the members of the society has been very desirous of the particulars of the ox-head stew, which is given away at Norton Hall conceiving that they may be of service. The whole is divided into 52 messes, each mess containing a piece of meat, a piece of fat, and a quart of soup. The distribution of it has been continued since October 1792, once a week, and sometimes oftener, from October to May. The poor people receive it very thankfully, and generally reserve part of the mess for the second day. The manner of preparing it is as follows - Wash the ox's head very clean and well, and then put into 13 gallons of water; add a peck and a half of pared potatoes, half a quartern of onions, a few carrots, and a handful of pot herbs; thicken it with 2 quarts of oatmeal, and add pepper and salt to your taste :- set it to stew with a gentle fire, early in the afternoon, allowing as little evaporation as may be, and not skimming off the fat; but leaving the whole to stew gently over the fire, which should be renewed and made up at night. Make a small fire under the boiler at seven o' clock in the morning, and keep adding as much water as will make up the waste by evaporation, keeping it gently stewing till noon, when it will be ready to serve for dinner. The whole is then to be divided into 52 messes; each containing (by a previous division of the meat and fat) a piece of each and a quart of savoury nourishing soup.

The expence of the materials in the northern counties, where it has been tried, may be thus stated :-
Ox's head 1s-6d
Potatoes 7.5d
Onions etc 3.5d
Total 2s-5d

This amounts, exclusive of fuel and trouble, to rather more than a half-penny for each mess, or abt 2 pence a gallon; but ib the dearer parts of ENG, the articles being purchased by retail the mess may cost as much as 3 farthings or a penny.

The beef and other bones, and crusts of bread, of the family may be added to the stew; and will improve the soup, without any additional expence.

Observations.
The above is submitted to the consideration of those house-keepers who have not yet adopted a similar charity, as a cheap and useful mode of relieving their poor neighbours, and of gradually teaching them a better system of diet, than they at present possess. The sum of 2s-5d a week for 7 months (amounting to £3-12s-6d a year) in the cheap parts of ENG, and a few shillings more in others, is the expence of a charity, which may retain on its lists 52 poor persons, and supply them with the comfort of two meals a week.

This receipt was tried by a gentleman to whom I gave the receipt, in September last, at Auckland workhouse, and was, as I understand extremely liked by the poor. Though the expence was very small, yet the quantity produced being a great deal more than the people of the workhouse could use, the cottagers near the workhouse were desired to send for messes of it; and had, in consequence, the benefit of a plenteous and unexpected meal. It is now inserted in their table of diet, to be made once a week for the benefit of the poor, both in and out of the workhouse. This dish requires more attention, and more conveniences for cookery, than are to be found in a cottage. It would be a good thing if part of every workhouse was converted into a parochial cook's shop, to furnish the poor, who receive no other relief, with cheap and nourishing dishes, which they have neither the mens, skill, or inclination to make.

       

Contact:  [email protected]     Patrick Paskiewicz

Teach college USA.  BA  Philosophy, MA English Drama and Literature EMU.  Born 1950, before Al Gore invented Internet. Peddling ny completed book to publishers, Who Murdered Nurse Florence Nightingale Shore?, an investigation into the unsolved murder of English army nurse, Miss Florence Nightingale Shore, goddaughter and relative of Miss Florence Nightingale.  

Battled some renal cell carcinoma , but have good prognosis. Next project may look at another person on my tree, early feminist/ adventurer/explorer/writer Patricia Elizabeth Ramsay Laye.