Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2006/January 2007 | Page 64

Osborne House serves
a sweet festive feast
for Christmas visitors
Queen Victoria’s dining table
will be resplendent with
Victorian dessert delicacies
– from wobbling jellies
and elaborate architectural
cakes to intricate miniature
confections – as the stunning
centrepiece of a feast of
festive decorations bedecking
Osborne House for special
Christmas guided tours.
Created for English Heritage by food
historian, author and broadcaster
Ivan Day, the table will be set for
dessert in the style Queen Victoria,
Prince Albert and members of 19th
century aristocracy would have
recognised it. Four giant jellies,
including a “his and hers” pair
created for the wedding in 1863 of
Edward Prince of Wales and Princess
Alexandra of Denmark, have been
painstakingly recreated by Ivan
using the original Victorian moulds.
When sliced horizontally like a stick
of rock, one jelly has the Danish flag
running through it, while the other,
for the Prince, depicts a white star of
Brunswick.
A timbale in the form of a beehive,
complete with bees made from
pistachios, currants and flaked
almonds, cakes for dipping in
sweet wine and a cast ornamental
‘croquembouche’held together with
caramelised sugar, decorate the
table. There are even walnuts tied
with silk ribbon – Victorian servants
spent hours carefully cracking the
nuts in two perfect halves before
removing the hard inner membrane
and reassembling them for sensitive
society diners! A silver epergne
with cascading fruit and flowers and
foliage dressed by floral architect
James James-Crook complete the
abundant table.
Dishes on the royal dining room’s

64

sideboard, as they appeared in
photographs taken in the 1890s,
have also been recreated by Ivan
in his Cumbrian kitchen, with a
traditional boar’s head taking pride
of place.
“I didn’t aim to do a perfectly
faithful reproduction of the
Christmas table at Osborne, but
to illustrate a typical scene with a
dessert course set as expected by
the upper echelons of 18th century
society”, said Ivan. All the dishes
have been made to last for the twomonth duration of the tours. “It
is easier to do this in the winter,
since there are no insects or high
temperatures t o worry about”, he
added.
James
James-Crook,
whose
companyPineappleheadsspecialises
in themed arrangements, has
decorated two huge Christmas
trees in the style favoured by Queen
Victoria and Prince Albert. Garlands
of dried herbs wind up the main
staircase and decorate mantelpieces,
there are ferns in fireplaces and
arrangements of old fashioned
roses and violets in rooms and
corridors. “As visitors arrive, they
will see a 15 foot tree at the end of
the entrance hall and be greeted
by lovely scents from oranges and
cinnamon sticks,” said James. “We
have tried to be as authentic as we
can but we haven’t gone to extremes
– records show that Victorian table
arrangements could be pretty
exotic, even including a small lake
as a centrepiece with real ducks
swimming on it!”
Those on guided tours will also
have the opportunity to meet a
member of Queen Victoria’s ‘below
stairs’ staff and hear about their
daily life. Real gifts given to Queen
Victoria by her family will be on
display and knowledgeable guides
will provide a vivid insight into

festive life at Osborne House.
“With this amazing period
decoration, the house will look
absolutely stunning this year – a real
feast for the eyes for visitors taking
tours. Always popular, the tours
are a very intimate way of seeing
the house without crowds and
discovering how the Victorian royal
family and their staff celebrated
Christmas,” said Head of Visitor
Operations Dean Pascall.

Tours take place on Wednesdays
to Sundays from 10am to 4pm
(last tour 2.30pm) and cost £9.50
for adults, £7.10 for concessions
and £4.80 for children under 16.
They are free for English Heritage
members and children under 5.
Booking is strongly recommended
– call 01983 200022.
Guided Victorian Christmas
tours Wednesdays to Sundays
November 11 – January 7

Ivan Day looking very happy with the results

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