Ham Toast

This recipe originates from the personal manuscript cookbook of Colonel Charles Henry Ellice, assembled during his military career—spanning the mid-to-late 19th century, including significant time stationed in colonial India. The book features handwritten recipes, sketches of Highland landscapes, and an extensive index—a testament to both culinary practicality and the spirit of travel and improvisation that marked Victorian British officers’ lives. Such recipes reflect a blend of British comfort food traditions adapted for global mobility, incorporating readily available ingredients (eggs, bread, ham) with subtle enhancements (good stock). The dish typifies the ingenuity of officers dining away from home, merging home comforts with the adaptability necessitated by service abroad.

The original preparation would have called for basic kitchenware typical of a well-equipped 19th-century officer’s mess: two small stew pans (saucepans) for the eggs and ham, likely made of tin or copper, and a simple toasting fork or wire rack set over an open fire or hot coals. A wooden spoon or spatula would facilitate gentle stirring of the eggs, while toasting bread would require careful attention to avoid burning, given the lack of modern toasters. A serving knife would spread the butter and assemble the finished toast.