Charles Babbage at the table

In 19th-century London bourgeois households, the day revolved around an increasingly late evening dinner. It began with soup, followed by fish, then a roast joint served with boiled vegetables, and ended with puddings, sweet or savory. Spiced hot wines (negus, mulled wine) accompanied long reception evenings. Potted meats allowed for travel or a well-stocked table in any season.

Victorian English cooking is recognizable by two markers: grated nutmeg (and its husk, mace) which perfumes soups, mulled wines and puddings, and beef suet which gives puddings that soft, nourishing texture typical of the island. Sweet or savory, the pudding is the soul of Babbage's table.