Baker Street Elementary& The Victorian Web

Presents“The Life and Times in Victorian London”

Baker Street Elementary& The Victorian Web

The Life and Times in Victorian London# 043 – What the Poor Ate - - 06/08/201 7

Copyright 2017, Sherwood-Fabre, Fay, M

ason, Mason

Welcome to topic number 43… today Master Gregson and I will

be looking at the diets of the poor in our society.

You’re correct, Master Lestrade.

The consequences of poverty are most apparent in the diets

of the poor.

People in the 21 st Century will have preconceived

notions of the 'good old days' before the onslaught of pre-

packaged, processed, artificially colored, ‘convenience’ foods…

…and may have an image of John Bull, contentedly overweight from all the benefits of free trade and the beef and ale diet which distinguished the English from unfortunate foreigners.

But to enter the world of the Victorian working man's diet is like entering the world

of the savage — it is uncertain in supply, primitive in content, and unhealthy in effect.

Few of the poor have ovens and have to rely either on open- fire pan cooking, buy their hot food

out, or make do with cold meals.

Even at the turn of the century, social workers entering the homes of the poor to teach wives how to cook will be aghast to discover that the

family possessed only one pot…

…and that before stews and soups could begin cooking in the pot, it would have to be cleaned of the

baby's bath water, or worse.

In 1 904, an official committee of inquiry will be distressed to learn how

few of the poor will have sufficient utensils and appliances to cook at home.

Primitive or non- existent cooking facilities, lack of cheap fuel, poverty, ignorance,

and adulterated foods combined to produce a nation, not of John Bulls but…

…by today's standards, of pygmies, who were

undernourished, anemic, feeble and literally rickety.

In Wiltshire, admittedly one of the poorer counties, the Poor Law Commission has

found the standard fare consists of bread, butter, potatoes, beer, and tea, with some

bacon for those earning higher wages

If the rural poor ate birds, then the urban poor ate meat from animals not

fit for consumption.

Stocking weavers, shoe makers, needle women and silk weavers ate

less than one pound of meat a week and less than eight ounces of fats.

It was not until the last quarter of the 1 9th century that the working man's diet

will improve significantly.

Between 1 877 and 1 889 the cost of the average national weekly food basket of butter, bread, tea, milk and meat will fall by some 30%…

…and it will be in this period the first really appreciable nutritional

improvement occurred.

The cheaper food products which came in with the refrigerator - and then freezer- ships, the development

of inexpensive margarine…

…the fall in price of most consumer items, all served to increase both

the variety and quantity of the workmen's diet in this period.

A greater variety of foods and new methods of retailing also will lead to improvement in our diets toward the end of the century.

Yes, but we’ll be back with another topic

soon…So we have completed topic 43 in our series…

Original Source Material for for this topic:

• Wohl, Anthony. What the Poor Ate. http://www.victorianweb.org/science/health/health8.html

Baker Street Elementary“The Life and Times in Victorian London”

IS CREATED THROUGH THE INGENUITY & HARD WORK OF:

JOE FAYLIESE SHERWOOD-FABRE

GEORGE P. LANDOWRUSTY MASON &

STEVE MASON

WE ARE EXTREMELY THANKFUL TO LIESE AND GEORGE FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF THIS PROJECT…