Ah, hello. You find us all at sixes and
sevens. It is the London season and the Braybrooke's and every family like theirs are making
their way from the country to London. The Braybrooke's London townhouse is in
Upper Brook Street, Mayfair and we are packing up the
kitchen. Oh it has its own kitchen of course but
I like to take some things with me and make sure the rest is secure. It's a
good opportunity to check everything and make sure it's
clean for our return.
I always keep a note of recipes in my own notebook.
Lord Braybrooke is partial to a good English pudding
and the likes of Francetelli or Soyer or Gouffe
are very good for French dishes but I often find myself
turning to Eliza Acton for Lord Braybrooke's favourites.
A good cook should always keep a notebook.
I started this when i was in Langley Hall
in Norfolk.
I'm always telling the maids that to work well in a kitchen you need to have
good instincts, good ingredients, good recipes and the
right equipment. Here in the kitchens at Audley End House
we have a lot of copper and it all has different uses. Take these
moulds for example. Here we have a mold that's ideal for
steaming puddings - both sweet and savoury. This one here is
for this one here is a savoy cake it has a distinct pattern and a flat top.
This one here is an ice bomb for making ice cream. The copper
should be bright and shiny. Pride in one's appearance
is vital both personally and professionally.
And I like to encourage the girls to make sure the copper is clean
and to take pride in it. An important part of the girls cleaning the copper
is to make sure that the inside is still tinned.
Copper can be dangerous and acidic foods cooked in it can turn green and
make you ill or even die. But not all of the copper
is tinned, this one here is untinned because it's a sugar pan.
You need to get the sugar really really hot and that would melt
the lining I've always used for cleaning copper
soft soap and salt rubbed on with a lemon
I make the girls clean in the same way even though
today you can buy copper cleaning product.
I'm not so sure it's as good
It's very important to wash off all the grease from the mould
and then dry it then cover it with the cleaner making sure you get into all the
nooks and crannies. And wipe it and then polish it with a
soft cloth.
Pudding cloths must be soaked rinsed and scolded and then dried completely.
No soap or soda should be used otherwise that will taint them.
Pans with residue may be soaked several times if needed
and a little soda added as necessary.
Frying pans can be scrubbed with stale bread
to remove any dirt but all must be washed with very hot water
and dried immediately.
For ceramics hot water is needed to remove fat
along with some soft soap.
We're not responsible for looking after the china or the glassware,
that's the stillroom maid under the supervision of Mrs
Warwick the housekeeper. Nor the silverware
that's Mr Lincoln the Butler. But I do insist that everything in the kitchen
is cleaned well immediately and then dried by the fire
and put away neatly.
I hope you've learned a little of something today.
But I really must get on. I've got packing to do
and a train to catch.