Recipes Here's a selection of Mrs Beeton's Christmas recipes which were popular in Wales at the turn of this century:

CHRISTMAS CAKE
(Mrs. Beeton's Recipe Number 1754)
5 teacupfuls of flour,
1 teacupful of melted butter,
1 teacupful of cream,
1 teacupful of treacle,
1 teacupful of moist sugar,
2 eggs,
½oz. of powdered ginger,
½lb. of raisins,
1 teaspoonful of carbonate of soda,
1 tablespoonful of vinegar.

Mode:- Make the butter sufficiently warm to melt it, but do not allow it to oil (sic); put the flour into a basin; add to it the sugar, ginger, and raisins, which should be stoned and cut into small pieces. When these dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed, stir in the butter, cream, treacle, and well-whisked eggs, and beat the mixture for a few minutes. Dissolve the soda in the vinegar, add it to the dough, and be particular that these latter ingredients are well incorporated with the others; put the cake into a buttered mould or tin, place it in a moderate oven immediately, and bake it from 1 ¾ to 2¼ hours.
Time:- 1 ¾ to 2¼ hours.

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CHRISTMAS PLUM-PUDDING (Mrs. Beeton's Recipe Number 1328)
1½lb. of raisins,
½lb. of currants,
½lb. of mixed peel,
¾lb. of bread crumbs,
¾lb. of suet,
8 eggs,
1 wineglassful of brandy.

Mode:- Stone and cut the raisins in halves, but do not chop them; wash, pick, and dry the currants, and mince the suet finely; cut the candied peel into thin slices, and grate down the bread into fine crumbs. When all these dry ingredients are prepared, mix them well together; then moisten the mixture with the eggs, which should be well beaten, and the brandy; stir well, that everything may be very thoroughly blended, and press the pudding into a buttered mould; tie it down tightly with a floured cloth, and boil for 5 or 6 hours. It may be boiled in a cloth without a mould, and will require the same time allowed for cooking. As Christmas puddings are usually made a few days before they are required for table, when the pudding is taken out of the pot, hang it up immediately, and put a plate or saucer underneath to catch the water that may drain from it. The day it is to be eaten, plunge it into boiling water, and keep it boiling for at least 2 hours; then turn it out of the mould, and serve with brandy-sauce. On Christmas day a sprig of holly is usually placed in the middle of the pudding, and about a wineglassful of brandy poured round it, which, at the moment of serving, is lighted, and the pudding thus brought to table encircled in flame.

Time:- 5 or 6 hours the first time of boiling; 2 hours the day it is to be served.
Sufficient for a quart mould for 7 or 8 persons.

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TAFFY (Everton Toffee)
(Mrs. Beeton's Recipe Number 1597)
1 lb. of powdered loaf sugar,
1 teacupful of water,
¼ lb. of butter,
6 drops of essence of lemon.

Mode:- Put the water and sugar into a brass pan, and beat the butter to a cream. When the sugar is dissolved, add the butter and keep stirring the mixture over the fire until it sets, when a little is poured on to a buttered dish; and just before the toffee is done, add the essence of lemon. Butter a dish or tin, pour on it the mixture, and when cool, it will easily separate from the dish. Butter-Scotch, an excellent thing for coughs, is made with brown, instead of white sugar, omitting the water, and flavoured with ½oz. of powdered ginger. It is made in the same manner as toffee.
Time:-18 to 35 minutes.
Sufficient to make 1lb. of toffee.

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TURKEY SOUP
- a Seasonable Dish at Christmas (Mrs. Beeton's Recipe Number 188)
Ingredients:-
2 quarts of medium stock No. 105 (see below),
the remains of a cold roast turkey,
2 oz. of rice-flour or arrowroot,
salt and pepper to taste,
1 tablespoonful of Harvey's sauce or mushroom ketchup.

Mode:- Cut up the turkey in small pieces, and put it in the stock; let it simmer slowly until the bones are quite clean. Take the bones out, and work the soup through a sieve; when cool, skim well. Mix the rice-flour or arrowroot to a batter with a little of the soup; add it with the seasoning and sauce, or ketchup. Give one boil, and serve.
Time:- 4 hours.
Sufficient for 8 persons.

MEDIUM STOCK (Mrs. Beeton's Recipe Number 105)
4 lbs. of shin of beef, or 4 lbs. of knuckle of veal, or 2 lbs. of each;
any bones, trimmings of poultry, or fresh meat,
½ lb. of lean bacon or ham,
2 oz. of butter,
2 large onions each stuck with 3 cloves;
1 turnip,
3 carrots,
½ a leek,
1 head of celery,
2 oz. of salt,
a teaspoonful of whole pepper,
1 large blade of mace,
1 small bunch of savoury herbs,
4 quarts and ½ pint of cold water.

Mode:- Cut up the meat and bacon or ham into pieces about 3 inches square; rub the butter on the bottom of the stewpan; put in ½ a pint of water, the meat, and all the other ingredients. Cover the stewpan, and place it on a sharp fire, occasionally stirring its contents. When the bottom of the pan becomes covered with a pale, jelly-like substance, add 4 quarts of cold water, and simmer very gently for 5 hours. As we have said before, do not let it boil quickly. Skim off every particle of grease whilst it is doing, and strain it through a fine hair sieve.
This is the basis of many of the soups afterwards mentioned, and will be found quite strong enough for ordinary purposes.
Time:- 5 hours.

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