The Sun.
London, England, 1869-11-22 00:00:00

A DINNER FOR A PE!INY.

Whik,complaints of the prevailing high prices resound
on every side, and householders and housekeepers are
loudly bewailing the increasing inaccessibility of the
necessaries of life, it is not a little surprising to be told
that it is possible to get a wholesome, palatable, and
nourishing dinner for—a penny! Yet that such is the
case is abundantly proved by those who have partaken of
the Bouillon and Irish stew provided by Mr. Tallerman, of
Norton Folgate, London. At present the privilege of dining
for a penny appears to be restricted to the metropolis, and
considering what is the depth and extent of London
destitution, the provinces need not begrudge it the wel-
come opportunity. We can hardly doubt, however, that a
system which is at once profitable to the originator and
advantageous to the public requires only to be thoroughly
known to be largely extended throughout the country.
Mr. Tollerman's dinners, as may be supposed, are founded
on Australian meat, but Australian meat is no longer what
it was when its importation was first thought of, and
being skilfully cooked, is admitted en all hands to be really
excellent. The Dining Rooms at Norton Folgatc have only
been opened a few months, and the bill of fare contains three
items— Pea-soup, made from Australian beef stock, and bread
ld; Irish stew, composed of Australian meat, with English
vegetables, ld.; and sausage roll and saveloy, elegantly
termed a " nugget," ld. In this manner some adventurous
and hungry wights enjoy the luxury of a three-course
dinner for 3d. Mr. Tallerman, like other great inventors,
did not attain success at once. On the first day on which
he opened his rooms there were four customers, one of
whom ate three platefuls, and then wanted his money
back. Many who came in asked if the meat were Austra-
lian, and on being answered in the affirmative, walked
contemptuously out. Some idea of the prejudice formed
by the working classes against this meat may be gathered
from the following story. A working man bought a piece of
meat from Mr. Tallerman, and when he took it home and told
his wife what it was, she threw it in the dust bin. The next
week he brought another piece, and told her it came from
Spitalfields market. She thought it excellent, and for
several weeks the husband bought the meat at Norton-
Folgate, and the wife praised it. But no sooner did he let
the secret out than her prejudice revived as strongly as
ever, and she refused to have more of it. The majority
are, however, less obstinate, and though new comers to the
dining-rooms make a great pretence of "just trying what
it is like," the result of the experiment is always satisfac-
tory, if we may judge from figures. The four maletmtents
of the first day have risen into 1,100 diners, a great many
taking their dinners on the premises. The crowd at mid-
day is overwhelming. On one day 40s. were taken in
pennies between half-past twelve and half-past one. It is
I no great wonder under these circumstances that Mr. Tal
lerman thinks of enlarging his field of action, and is in.
treaty for the City of London theatre, which he proposes
to convert into a monster eating-house, accommodating
1,600 persons. A branch establishment has been opened in
Islington, where 100 diners assembled before four days
were over. The working classes predominate among the
feasters, and we are happy to find that the lady
who threw the moat in the dust-bin, and who,
when " convinced against her will," remained "of
the same opinion still," by no means represents
her class. Working men's wives have discovered that a
meat dinner at the rate cf one penny per head is by no
means to be despised, and those who dine on the spot aro
generally luxurious enough to lake a second course. But
among the customers are men of other ranks, and City
clerks find their way to Norten Folgate. More than half
a ton of Australian meat is daily consumed, together with
2i cwt. of vegetables, and three sacks of potatoes. Three
hundred sausage rolls and five gross of ".nuggets"—so called
to get rid of the popular suspicions attaching to the
manufacture of saveloys—form about the average con-
sumption. The meat is cooked in four large steam
boilers each holding sixty gallons, and M. Tallerman has
so far succeeded in conquering prejudice that 1.5 cwt. of pre-
served meat has been sold retail in one day across his
counter. Several public institutions, including the Boys'
Home at Bristol, and the Cripples' House, London, are
regular customers. The meat is only 41c1. per lb. and will,
it is said, be further reduced in price. With "famine
fever" threatening our masses, and poverty and privation
threatening classes which have hitherto lived in compara-
tive comfort, the extension of these dining rooms to most
of our large towns would be an immense boon. As an assis-
tant in the crusade against intemperance a liberal supply
of good, well-cooked food will also be extremely
valuable. A suggestion has recently been made by Mr.
Robinson, of Onslow-square, London, who has paid a visit
to the Norton-Folgate establishment, and been greatly
impressed with the quality and quantity of the penny
dinners. He proposes in face of the winter before us and
the certain consequent distress, that kitchens and eating-
re( xr s or the sale of such meals should be established in
several plaits of London, and he has made arrangements
with Mr. Tallcl man for an unlimited supply. He asks the
public to assist him in hiring suitable rooms for the next
four or five months, and in providing the necessary fittings.
A kitchen and eating-room in Lambeth have been placed
at his disposal free of charge. The dinners aro not to be
eleemosynary, but paid for on the Norton-Folgate scale of
a penny a plate, and certainly this appears to be a very

practical and sensible scheme for helping our impoverished
working classes to got through the dreaded but inevitable

winter,