The Opelousas courier., 1890-08-23
FARM LIFE IN ENGLAND
HOW THE ENGLISH YEoMAN
SLEEPS AND WORKS.

His Choice ola Wicklow He Brings
Up His Children-Recipes for
Home Dishes.
As q rule, says a writer Ia the New
York Herald, an English farmer marries
his wife in precisely his own class,
choosing her for her domestic virtues.
She may have been, as in one case I have
in mind, the daughter of a village trades
mar or small inn keeper. Mrs. Us
father kept a thoroughly respectable road
side tavern ON which King Georges head
had been painted fifty years before her
fathers time by a travelling artist who
was locked up in IN attic room with ma
terials to work his way out. Before he
left he had decorated a wooden chimney
piece with his brush and the remnants of
his colors, and as a result years later the
mantle and its admirable work was sold
to q c~onnaisseur for $3.50. From this
thrifty household Mr.. Y. took his
rosy checked, bright eyed, capable wife
whose best recommendations were her
good temper and skill in culinary mat
ters-genulne farmhouse cookery, such
as I give recipes for below, being her spe-
cialty. Market days had always seen
her fathers table crowded with farmers,
teamsters, etc., for the regular shilling
dinner and .'Polly's'' light, deft hand
at a pudding, or q roast, a ''pasty'' or q
a tsslipr was well known and appre-
ciated. Moreover, she could cut and
trim, salt and hang IT pack a piece of
meat with the best, and her ssclotted
| cream and butter were famous. Sc
away went eighteen-year-old Polly to a
small, snug little farmhouse Of gray stone,
with asqueer stack Of chimneys-an odd
wing at one side and the most pictur-
esque of.latticed windows, which looked
, forth m a tidy farm-a barnyard well
stocked with fowl-some good acres of
grain and an orchard that yielded well.
At the back of the house was a running
stream and bit of delightful old gar
/ den. Little time il wasted over senti-
ment among these people, although they
never under any circumstances which
have come tony knowledge lose all feel
ing of ronlance-the women do not fade
as they grow older like SO many of our
farmers wives, nor do the men sink into
the q~ueruIous and unhealthy condition
which I verify believe is the result Of the
miserable cookery existing in nearly all
the homes of our working classes.
And how, it will be asked, do the
English farming people Iiyea Taking
the family T cite as IN example their
!, general daily menu was as follows:
Breakfast Tin summer at about half past
Eve and in winter shortly before seven)
consisted of bacon, cold or hot, some
times eggs nicely fried or cooked up with
cold potatoes, after q receipt I will
presently give. Tea or milk for the
young people-of whom in ten years
there were seven at H farm, the
p home-and beer for the master Of
the houses ON wash days Mistress Polly
had her glass as well, and the woman
who wasihired to assist her was allowed
the The potato-egg dish wax
made as follows: The eggs, beaten with
q light, swift. hand, had added to them
pinch of salt, pepper and a bitof chopped
parsley and trile Of onion. The cold
potatoes were then lightly whipped VI
with two or three tablespoonfuls Of
milk; the whole mixed together and
fried la lard orsbutter a nice brown. Let
any one try this receipt never published
and she will o testify to its being 9
capital addition for any home lunch q
breakfast.
Sometimes IN surnne when the mer
we're hard at work in the fields slices OF
= niis.snches'' of bread andibacon and aug
/ II aps-stald be sent out to them about
10 O'Clock, and at noon came the dinnel
for all the family, as well as any sshands'
employed, the latter occupying . table Z
themselves lin 4 sort Of sshousei place q
hal outside the kitchen. Sometimes porl
or bacon with greens and apudding made
up the dinner. One day in the Weel
there would be cold roast meat and
pudding, another saw a pasty pie ant
boiled vegetables set forthsagain bullock
heart stuffed with some pudding, mea
pie and dnmplings, o. sagain roast NUT
ton with d fruit pasty, and inevitably
drink all around of cider or beer, in colo
OF wet weather mullediand most palata
Bile.
About 5 o'clock tea was served, which
always consisted of bread and jam, witt
tea. sent out to the feldsifor the men as
/ rule and served for the family indoors
the children being soon after trundled of
to bed, the elders partaking Of q supper
Of bread and cheese and beer or eide
sbout 8 or 8 O'clock, In all little nors
han & quart Of beer would be drunk, In
deed seldom that amount, and It wa
home brewed.
And now for some Of Mistress Polly
famous receipts which Ihave searched II
vain to find in any cookery, or receip
book, public Of private.
Her cold bacon, especially when eater
with soft boiled eggs, was delicious, aDe
prepared as follows: First,it was soakee
fof d couple Of hours IN warm water
then al rusty parts and rind scrapet
clean. Then LET it come gradually to
hoil In cold water, skinned all the tim
and simnered until done. Now il wa
skinned; then bread crumbs sifted oyc
1t and put d while in the oven, afte
which away It went to the larder to &c
cold for supper or the next day. break
fast, unless 4 portion vJas served hot fo
dinner.
Another capital dish vas . sort 9
ssewed beef. The bons was cut out ct
steak az 4 rolnd and the meat sprinkiet
With red pepper. Then It was rolled an.
tied IN and put into s stewing pan, wei
covered with stock, vegetables, = toucl