Recipe Manuscript

The Best Pottage Mrs Cliffe

Name: The Best Pottage Mrs Cliffe
Prep time: PTPT15M
Cook time: PTPT1H30M
Yield: 6
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 250g dried peas (yellow or green split peas); 1 litre water; 500g mutton bones or stewing cuts (substitute: beef or chicken bones if needed); 300g veal (substitute: beef or chicken); 1 lamb head and heart (optional, or 150g lamb meat); 50g fresh parsley; 50g sorrel (or substitute: extra spinach or lemony greens); 50g fresh spinach; 125g unsalted butter; 75–100ml double cream (or substitute: spinach juice); 25g fresh mint (optional, for bouquet); 100g French bread, cubed (optional); Salt, to taste

1687

From the treasured pages of Receipt book

Unknown Author

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Intermediate Dinner Lunch

Original Recipe • 1687

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

The Best Pottage Mrs Cliffe

"Steep the pease in warm water or then boyle them verry well and strain the pulp from the husks through a C... and sive then have good sweet broth ready made of Mutton and veal of any sort of flesh meat in Summer we commonly make it of a lambs head and heart mix the broth and the pulp of the pease together set them on the fire and when they boyle have ready of parseley Sorrill and Spinage of each a good handfull which must be well strung & broken between your hands but not cutt at all with a knife put them into a sanspan with about a quarter of a pound of sweet Butter and 3 or 4 spoonfulls of the broth so set them boyle very gently together keeping it for the most part stirring they make the Bards far much softer and smoother then boyling them in the broth and so by degrees to keep the butterr from swiming put your yerbs into the pottage also a piece more of butterr and so much good thick Cream as will make them a find yellow but not too thick some put in a piece of meat as big as nutmeggs and a bunch of mint when it fasts enough some french bread but have one boyle after the butterr herbes and cream is in for if they boyle to long twill endanger their oyling in the pottage we put some juce of Spinage in the room of Cream and so to your taste this is exactly as we make them."

Note on the Original Text

Recipe writing in the 17th century was highly narrative and assumed a degree of kitchen knowledge. Quantities were seldom exact, using approximations like 'a good handful' or 'as much as will make it a find yellow'. Instructions stress technique—breaking herbs by hand, careful simmering, and stirring to prevent butter from 'swimming' (separating). Period spelling is variable: 'boyle' for boil, 'sive' for sieve, 'sanspan' for saucepan, 'yherbs' for herbs, and 'oyling' for a dish splitting. The casual, almost conversational style reflects a manuscript meant for domestic sharing rather than commercial publication.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Receipt book - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Receipt book (1687)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Unknown

Era

1687

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A charming culinary manuscript from the late 17th century, brimming with recipes that blend hearty tradition and a dash of Restoration-era flair. Perfect for those seeking a taste of historic feasts and flavorful ingenuity.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe, titled 'The Best Pottage Mrs Cliffe', comes from a late 17th-century English manuscript, dating to around 1679–1694. During this period, pottage was a staple of English cuisine, serving as a nourishing everyday meal for all classes. This version is notably luxurious, thanks to the inclusion of meats like mutton, veal, or even lamb’s head, and the use of rich cream and plentiful butter. Summer was a time to celebrate fresh herbs and more delicate broths, hence the shift to lamb and abundant greens in the warmer months. We see here a period where the inclusion of French elements, such as using butter generously and garnishing with French bread, hints at the influence of contemporary continental cooking on English elite households.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Historically, this recipe would have involved several basic but essential kitchen tools: a large cauldron or kettle for simmering peas and broth over an open hearth or fire, a wooden or metal spoon for constant stirring, a coarse sieve or strainer (sometimes called a cullender or cloth) to separate the pea pulp from skins, and a small saucepan ('sanspan') for gently heating the herbs in butter. Herbs would have been torn by hand rather than cut with a blade, preserving texture and freshness. Serving would be with a ladle into large bowls, perhaps with chunks of bread.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 30 mins

Servings

Ingredients

9 oz dried peas (yellow or green split peas)
1 3/4 pints water
18 oz mutton bones or stewing cuts (substitute: beef or chicken bones if needed)
10 1/2 oz veal (substitute: beef or chicken)
1 lamb head and heart (optional, or 5 oz lamb meat)
1 3/4 oz fresh parsley
1 3/4 oz sorrel (or substitute: extra spinach or lemony greens)
1 3/4 oz fresh spinach
4 1/2 oz unsalted butter
2 1/2–3 1/2 fl oz double cream (or substitute: spinach juice)
1 oz fresh mint (optional, for bouquet)
3 1/2 oz French bread, cubed (optional)
Salt, to taste

Instructions

Begin by soaking 9 oz dried peas in warm water for several hours or overnight, then boil them in fresh water until very soft.
Pass the cooked peas through a fine sieve to make a smooth purée.
In the meantime, make a rich broth from 1 3/4 pints water, using about 18 oz mutton bones, 10 1/2 oz veal (or substitute with beef or chicken if needed), or in the summer, use a lamb's head and heart for extra depth.
Simmer until well-flavoured, then strain.
Combine the pea purée with the strained broth and bring gently to a simmer.
Prepare a handful each (about 1 oz each) of fresh parsley, sorrel, and spinach, tearing them by hand rather than cutting.
In a small pan, gently wilt these herbs in 3 1/2 oz unsalted butter with 3–4 tablespoons of the hot broth, stirring often so they become soft but not browned.
Add the herbed butter mixture into the pottage, followed by another knob of butter (about 1 oz) and enough thick double cream (about 2 1/2–3 1/2 fl oz) to tint the soup a rich yellow, but do not make it overly thick.
Optional: for a heartier meal, add small pieces of cooked meat (about the size of a nutmeg) and a tied bunch of fresh mint.
Some also add cubes of French bread before serving.
Allow only the briefest simmer after adding the butter, herbs, and cream to prevent the soup from splitting or 'oyling'.
Just before serving, you may add a splash of spinach juice as a lighter alternative to cream, adjusting salt to taste.

Estimated Calories

380 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Allow time to soak the peas in advance. Prep involves soaking peas, chopping meat and herbs, and getting ingredients ready. Cooking time covers boiling peas, making the broth, and simmering everything together. Each serving is hearty but not overly rich.