Mary Anning at the table

In a modest family in Lyme Regis at the beginning of the 19th century, meals were not divided into starter-main course-dessert. The day was organized around the *breakfast* in the morning (bread, cheese, sometimes oatmeal porridge), the *dinner* taken at midday (the real hot meal: fish or, on good days, meat), and the *tea* in the evening, lighter and sweeter. Apart from these was the *crib* — a term used by quarrymen and coastal folk for the basket of cold provisions taken to work. Mary, who spent her days on the cliffs of the Jurassic Coast with hammer in hand, lived by the rhythm of this crib slipped into her wicker basket. Drinks (small beer, cider, tea when one could afford it) accompanied each moment.

Two resources that the sea and countryside of Dorset offered at low cost: mackerel and herring landed beneath the cliffs, and tart apples pressed into farmhouse cider. The entire table of the Annings revolves around these two local pillars, supplemented by bread, regional cheese (including the famous Dorset Blue Vinny), and garden vegetables.