Food was kept in a larder (or pantry), which was usually north facing, well ventilated and with a stone or slate shelf on which to place dishes and bowls of food (carefully covered with crochet or muslin cloths).
Other larder shelves stored jams, jellies and chutneys. Large crocks of items preserved in vinegar or brine would be kept on the floor (again well covered). Often a meat safe would be found in the larder to hold any fresh or preserved meat (smoked meat was generally hung from hooks in the ceiling). The meat safe could be wooden with a mesh door to keep flies and rodents out or a muslin bag with wire rings inside it suspended from the ceiling in the hope rats and mice did not eat the contents.
Game birds and rabbits would often be strung up in the outside privy to ‘hang’ (make the meat tender) and to keep the flies away as the smell of ammonia from stale urine was thought to deter flies.
Sacks of flour and dried goods would often be infested with weevils and other insects, but these were not considered harmful and the products (with additions!) were still used. Biscuits were tapped hard on the table to remove any weevils before eating. Mousetraps would be scattered around the kitchen and would be emptied daily.
Flies were a major nuisance in summer and often food would contain maggots where the flies had managed to get through any protective covers. Wasp traps (often a simple jam jar filled with water and a bit of jam outside the door) were a necessity in summer. Later in the 19th century flypapers could be purchased (sticky strips of paper, that hung from ceilings to catch the flies and wasps)
Until the end of the 19th Century there was no such thing as canned or bottled food, and most people did not own a fridge until well into the 1940’s. Most food had to be bought in fresh each day, especially if the cottage owner did not have livestock or a small vegetable patch. Also by the start of the 19th century most people no longer baked their own bread, as cooking ranges had blocked many bread ovens up, so bread too had to be bought in daily. The shopping was usually carried home in a wicker-shopping basket.
Just as a note of interest many preservatives used by the Victorians were highly poisonous substances such as strychnine used to preserve rum and beer, and lead in cider. Not to mention other items added to preserving solutions for pickles, such as copper sulphate and of course red lead that was used to give colour to cheese! So next time you complain about preservatives in food, think of the poor Victorians!
If you are furnishing a pre 20th century dolls house therefore, don’t forget to put a larder in near the kitchen, or a small lean to outhouse and don’t forget the mousetraps and a cat or two to catch the mice!
We have a selection of miniatures suitable for preservation of food and cookery items on our web shop