Green Pottage with Herbs from the Twickenham Garden
A creamy, verdant pottage thickened with bread and egg yolk, perfumed with sorrel, spinach, and fine herbs from the kitchen garden, lifted by a hint of nutmeg. The quintessential domestic dish, simple but refined.
A creamy, verdant pottage thickened with bread and egg yolk, perfumed with sorrel, spinach, and fine herbs from the kitchen garden, lifted by a hint of nutmeg. The quintessential domestic dish, simple but refined.
Sir, I confess to you without pretense: a man whose body is as frail as mine must spare his stomach as much as his mind. My garden at Twickenham yields these herbs that my cook melts into a good broth, bound with breadcrumbs and an egg yolk, until it takes that fine emerald colour. I grate a little nutmeg over it, for the palate, like the verse, demands seasoning with measure. Taste it warm: it nourishes without overwhelming, and leaves the soul free enough to rhyme.
- •Veal or capon broth — a full pot (base)
- •Sorrel and spinach from the garden — two good handfuls (main greens)
- •Parsley, chervil, spring onion — a mixed bunch (fine herbs)
- •Stale breadcrumbs — a good slice (thickener)
- •Egg yolks — two (creamy thickener)
- •Fresh butter — a knob (fat)
- •Nutmeg — grated (signature spice)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Green Pottage with Herbs from the Twickenham Garden
A creamy, verdant pottage thickened with bread and egg yolk, perfumed with sorrel, spinach, and fine herbs from the kitchen garden, lifted by a hint of nutmeg. The quintessential domestic dish, simple but refined.
Why this dish? Pope took pride in his Twickenham garden, which he designed himself with his famous grotto; he harvested fruits, vegetables, and fine herbs for his table. This green pottage, a staple of the daily English meal, highlights the horticulture he cherished as much as his verses.
Sir, I confess to you without pretense: a man whose body is as frail as mine must spare his stomach as much as his mind. My garden at Twickenham yields these herbs that my cook melts into a good broth, bound with breadcrumbs and an egg yolk, until it takes that fine emerald colour. I grate a little nutmeg over it, for the palate, like the verse, demands seasoning with measure. Taste it warm: it nourishes without overwhelming, and leaves the soul free enough to rhyme.
Ingredients (period version)
- Veal or capon broth — a full pot (base)
- Sorrel and spinach from the garden — two good handfuls (main greens)
- Parsley, chervil, spring onion — a mixed bunch (fine herbs)
- Stale breadcrumbs — a good slice (thickener)
- Egg yolks — two (creamy thickener)
- Fresh butter — a knob (fat)
- Nutmeg — grated (signature spice)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Chicken broth — 1 litre (base)
- Fresh spinach — 200 g (greens)
- Sorrel — 100 g (or watercress) (tangy greens)
- Parsley + chervil + chives — 1 small bunch (fine herbs)
- Stale white bread — 2 slices (thickener)
- Egg yolks — 2 (thickener)
- Butter — 30 g (fat)
- Nutmeg — 1/4 nutmeg, grated (spice)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the spinach, sorrel, and chopped fine herbs; cook for a few minutes until wilted.
- Pour in the hot broth, add the crumbled bread, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Blend (or pound through a sieve as in the old days) to obtain a smooth green velouté.
- Off the heat, whisk the egg yolks with a ladleful of the cooled pottage, then stir back into the saucepan without boiling.
- Grate the nutmeg, season with salt, and serve hot with buttered croutons.
How it was made : Bread- or egg-thickened 'pottages' had been the backbone of the English meal since the Middle Ages; by the 18th century, cookbooks like Hannah Glasse's give many 'of herbs' versions. The egg yolk liaison, inherited from the French cuisine admired by the aristocracy, marks the refinement of the table.
The contemporary twist : Serve it chilled in summer as a velouté, with a drizzle of olive oil and a few raw sorrel leaves — a 'Twickenham garden' in a glass.
Sources : Hannah Glasse, *The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy* (1747)
Alexander Pope · Charactorium
