|  | Anyone who has ever struggled to lay a dinner table, not sure whether to put the side plate on the left or the right of the place setting, or the dessert spoon above or below the dessert fork, will be able to relate to the pressures faced by society hostesses from bygone eras.
In former times, a dinner party was not so much an enjoyable occasion, but more a military operation.
A new exhibition opening Saturday 14th June at the Coalport China Museum, near Ironbridge, Shropshire will depict how food fashions, technology and dining etiquette have changed from 1772 through to 1926 and influenced the shapes of tableware. Visitors to ‘Feast for the Eyes?’ will learn that additives are not just a 21st century concern but back in the 1800s we used to add snail juice to milk to make it frothy and alum (like chalk) to bread to make it whiter. Etiquette demanded that blancmange and jelly could only be eaten with a fork and women were never supposed to ask for wine! Notable advances in food production, such as the canning process which was perfected in the Victorian period, and international influences on food fashions will also be revealed. Like us the Victorians were fond of curry, one of the many recipes in the 1888 Mrs Beeton’s was for curried Kangaroo Tails. Two period table settings will show dining customs from different walks of life, one set with a high society desert service and the other a working family’s supper. Changing food fashions for all daily meals will be portrayed with displays of Coalport China, Caughley Porcelain and Salopian Art Pottery while amongst the more unusual items will be a wine glass cooler known as a Monteith, Asparagus Servers, Ice Pailes, Sorbet Cups and Chocolate Pots. A range of displays featuring period table settings will reflect the changes in dining etiquette, tastes and social customs.
It will also illustrate the myriad courses, dozens of pieces of silver, glass and unusual fine China that were required to create the most impressive of social occasions. Amongst the more unusual pieces on display at Coalport will be a wine glass cooler known as a Monteith, Asparagus Servers, Ice Pales, Sorbet Cups and Chocolate Pots.
Younger visitors will also be catered for with a range of childrenÂ’s activities from creating menus for a top level dinner party to designing a centrepiece for a Victorian table. Entry to the exhibition is included in the cost of admission to Coalport China Museum which is one of the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums.
A Passport Ticket – which also allows entry into all the museums – costs £12.95 per adult, £8.25 per child/student, £40 per family and £11.25 for visitors aged 60 and above.
The Passport lasts indefinitely and visitors can return at any time in the future to see sites they have missed.
Alternatively, single entry tickets into Coalport China Museum are available. |
