At a time when housekeeping required a superior level of managerial acumen, Lady Grisell Baillie ran her home, family and servants with efficiency and attention to detail that would do credit to a Regimental quartermaster. Her household book can be found at archive.org, and ought to shame those of us who gripe about having to spend a couple of hours per week on shopping, cleaning and bill-paying.
Certainly I’ve never had to worry about the constables taking away my cook. Not that I’ve ever had a cook, but it sounds like they were more trouble than they were worth. Lady Grisell went through eight in one year.
Great fun to read, either online or can be downloaded in a variety of formats including .pdf and .epub.
Thanks for this gem! I am collecting cookbooks from before 1900 to see how people cooked and what they ate. I eat organic only, and the beef isn't as fatty. Cooks used to lard the beef (put pieces of bacon over them) to increase the flavor of grass fed beef (the only type there was at the time) It still tastes wonderful now!
ReplyDeleteThis is not the Grisell Baillie you refer to this is her Daughter who married Lord Murray of Stanhope, she is shown holding a piece of music her Mother Grizell wrote and was feted as a great beauty with a wonderful singing voice. I wrote and researched for Lord Haddington at Mellerstain and if you would like to know more let me know. I did research both the songs Grizell senior wrote and had a harpist record them for me.
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Curator
Ferniehirst Castle
Jedburgh
Thank you for this information. Do you know where I can find a painting of the Grizell Baillie who wrote this book?
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