An Afternoon with Jane Austen • Thurs Jan 16 at 12pm
Doors open at 11:30am to take in the Regency era
tabledecor and exhibit. Learn about the fascinating nine year "Regency Era" associated with the writings of Jane Austen as we honor her 250th birthday.
HeART Gallery is brewing up an exciting afternoon with themed luncheon, speaker/author Carrie Bebris of Cleveland, Regency card party games and a touch of tea cups, roses and violets reminiscent of Austen's
beloved Hampshire countryside.
Martha Lloyd, an Austen family friend, kept a recipe book (which can still be seen at Jane Austen's House Museum at Chawton in Hampshire), recording all the favorite recipes of the Austen family and their circle, including a delightfully silly rhyming recipe for pudding, written in Mrs Austen's hand.
Recipes for the lunch taken from Lloyd's book include "White Soup", based on chicken stock, cream and cauliflower. It was traditionally served for supper at balls. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Bingley promises to hold his ball “as soon as Nicholls had made White Soup enough”.
The Regency table would have been covered with layers of table cloths. One was taken off between each course, until the table was down to polished wood for the final desert course. This often led to awkward pauses as everything was removed and the guests waited until the entire table was re-laid.
While tablecloths will not be removed for the HeART Gallery event, table settings will include vintage china and a hostess to help serve the food. A ‘remove’ referred to a dish which would be replaced, when served, by another dish to fill the space. After the dish was replaced, a Regency hostess would have said ‘you see your dinner’ to indicate that the course was complete and no more dishes would arrive until the next course. Several Regency dining traditions will be observed and explained throughout the luncheon.
A second course of Vegetable Pie will include a simple mix of leeks, carrots and peas with a decadent sauce. Vegetables were called Pot Herbs by Jane Austen. Mutton, raised on Jane Austen’s father’s farm, was often added to make a "Sweet Lamb" pie.
Lunch will conclude with fruity desserts: Bing Cherries in Cream Gelatin and a Raspberry Almond Tart. Author Carrie Bebris will talk about her Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery series, in which the married Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice become entangled in intrigue with other Austen characters. The afternoon will end in the beautiful Parlor room for tea and Regency card games. To attend, make reservations to kate@stpaulstoledo.org. Seats are limited. HeART Gallery is located in St Paul's Lutheran Church, 428 N Erie, Toledo with free parking adjacent to the building which is handicap accessible.