Lovely, antique, Victorian, stoneware jelly or blancmange mould
Today, jelly is best known as a cheap dessert made using sugary, concentrated cubes bought in plastic packets. But, in the past, making jellies was an art form and only for the wealthy as the process required access to ice, which was a luxury. There was no powdered gelatin available and it took two or three days to extract gelatin from calves’ feet, so you needed a cook, plenty of time and space.
In the 1861 book Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management, you get an idea of what Victorians regarded as a delicious jelly. Isabella Beeton describes them as ‘solutions of gelatine in water, with wine, fruit and other additions’ and says ‘their clear, brilliant 'transparence' is one of their chief recommendations’. She goes on to suggest ‘adding a little gold or silver leaf’ and includes recipes for sweet jellies as well as some ‘nourishing’ savoury ones, such as ‘aspic jelly from calves’ feet’ and ‘ivory jelly’ for ‘invalids’ made with sherry, cloves and ivory dust. Yum!
Excellent condition. No chips, cracks or crazing. Please examine photos carefully as these are part of the condition description