Victorian Culinary Delights ~ January 2026

Dr Judith Hill, freelance lecturer and researcher, talked about how, in Victorian times, all classes based their diets on what was grown seasonally,  with wealthier people supplementing their diet with more expensive food items.

Country houses had large kitchen gardens which supplied their kitchens with with a wide range of food through the year, ranging from standard vegetables and fruit, sometimes out of season, to more exotic produce such as pineapples  grown in heated glass houses which were considered status symbols.

Kitchens were usually distant from the main house in case of fire, and meals were often delivered to the dining room via tunnels and dumb waiters.

Gardeners were vital to the quality and quantity of food, and the valued kitchen staff for food preparation and cleanliness of the kitchens.  

At the other extreme, slum dwellers in cities did not fare so well with limited food choices, little meat, and poor cooking facilities in crowded conditions. 

Major changes came after 1876 when Acts of Parliament improved safety.