Today we delve back into the Central Library Stacks to bring you a recipe taken from English Housewifry Exemplified by Elizabeth Moxon, 1764.

The first page of the book tells us that the following are available.

In above four hundred and fifty receipts,
Giving directions in most parts of cookery;
And how to prepare various sorts of
Soops,
Made-dishes,
Pastes,
Pickles,
Cakes,
Creams,
Jellies,
Made-wines &c

With cuts for the orderly placing the dishes and courses; also bills of fare for every month in the year’ and an alphabetical index to the whole.

The book lauded itself as:

A book necessary for mistresses of families, higher and lower women servants, and confined to things useful, substantial and splendid, and calculated for the preservation of health, and upon the measures of frugality, being the result of thirty years practice and experience.

For those of you wishing to live a more frugal lifestyle we bring you recipe 117. How to Pickle a Pidgeon, do let us know how it turns out.

Take your Pidgeons and bone them, you must begin at the Neck when you bone them, and turn the Skin downwards, when they are boned season them with Nutmeg, Pepper and Salt, and sew up both the Ends, and boil them in Water and White Wine Vinegar, a few bay Leaves, and a little whole Pepper and Salt; when they are enough take them out of the Pickle, and boil it down with a little more Salt, when it is cold put in the Pidgeons, and keep them for use.

If pickled pidgeon is not your thing then do not fear this volume also contains:

An appendix containing, upwards of sixty receipts, of the most valuable kind, communicated to the Publisher by several Gentlewomen in the Neighbourhood, distinguished by their extraordinary skill in housewifry.
The returns of spiritual comfort and grief, in a devout soul.
Represented by the Intercourse of Letters to the Right Honourable Lady Letice, Countess of Falkland, in her Life Time.
Publish’d for the Benefit and Ease of all of labour under Spiritual Afflictions.

Anyone who loves to correct spelling and grammar on the Internet can on this occasion resist the urge as we have replicated everything as it appears in the original text. If you really can’t help yourself then please send all correspondence to Elizabeth Moxon, circa 1764

Leeds Library and Information Services – Special Collections