🍰 Read a Rhyme

It’s always interesting to think about what people in history ate and drank. It’s one of the ways that we can understand their lives better.

We are lucky because Martha Lloyd, Jane Austen’s friend who lived with her here in Chawton, kept a wonderful handwritten ‘Household book’ full of recipes. It gives us some clues about what the Austen women liked to eat!

One of our favourite recipes from the book is called ‘A receipt for a Pudding’. It was written by Mrs Austen, Jane’s mother, and it is all in rhyme. The recipe is for a type of bread pudding, so you could try making it, but we think it’s lovely just to read aloud! Download it below ⬇️

We like to imagine Jane Austen enjoying this pudding. We know she had a sweet tooth – she is even thought to have coined the word ‘sponge-cake’!