Brandy Butter. Brandy An Excellent Sauce For Plum Pudding

This recipe hails from the mid-19th century kitchen of Colonel Charles Ellice, penned during his career as an officer of the British military. Ellice’s manuscript cookbook traveled with him through postings—likely even accompanying him to India—and is festooned with Highland scenes and jottings in various hands. Such books were treasured, living documents, spanning recipes for luxury holiday dishes like this brandy butter, to practical breads and even 'medical receipts.' The brandy butter, in particular, would have been reserved for grand occasions—Christmas or Twelfth Night—served alongside the indulgent plum pudding beloved of the Victorian era. The inclusion of both brandy and sherry signals a recipe fit for celebration, each spirit lending its own warmth and flirtatious bouquet to the finished sauce. It was a way to elevate humble ingredients into a richly festive treat.

In the 1850s, kitchen implements were utilitarian but effective. The butter and sugar would be beaten together using a wooden spoon in a large earthenware or china basin—no electric beaters in sight! Sugar was sold in hard, conical loaves ('lump sugar'), so it would be broken into small pieces or pounded before use. Measuring glasses were comparatively coarse and sauce ingredients were likely judged by eye, but glassware did exist for spirits. The cook would rely upon well-practiced arm-work and a sense of texture and taste over precise timings.