Felbrigg Hall

Two more ‘receipts’ (recipes) from Katherine Windham, Mistress of Felbrigg Hall, both sounding somewhat off-putting to modern ears![1]

To make Almond puddings in Guts

To a quart of good Cream boyled, put 3 or 4 Blades of mace & a nutmeg quarterd, yn[2] strain it out & when cold, put in 1⁄2 a pound of Almonds finely beaten with orenge flower water, & 2 peny loaves grated & siffed[3], a po[4] & 1⁄2 of good beefe Suet shread[5], a good quantety of marow in long peices, 2 spoon fulls of Rose or orenge flower water, 6 eggs but two whites, season it, with Suger to your palet, put in a little Salt, & a spoonful of mace finely beaten

let ye Guts be well cleaned & steept in Rose water 12 howers[6] before you use ym[7], fill ym & boyle ym, if you please may put in a little muske[8] or ambergreece[9], bruised & plumpt Curants in some of ym

To make Blacke Liver pudings

Take 3 two peny[10] white loaves, grate ym & sift ym thro a Culender, put ym in a clean milke pan, yn take a Hogs liver well boyled & cold, grate it & put in one handfull, yn take parsly, fennell, peniroyall, a small handfull, winter Savory, put marjerum, time, 1⁄2 a hand full, of each, leeke Blades 1⁄2 a handfull, slice ym fine, & mix ym, yn add two large nutmegs, a little salt & pepper a good deal of mace, the yolkes of 6 eggs, & as much cream or new milke as will wet it, your milke must be boyled & cold again, take as much beefe suet shread not to fine as much as of all ye other yngs together yn add as much hogs or sheeps blood, run thro a Culender as will Couler it not to deep

fill not yr skins to full, let ye water boyle, yn put in your pudings, let ym boyle 1⁄2 an hower preety fast, pricking ym as they rise, ye[11] will keep best hung in a dry place