To Make Curds

This recipe hails from the late 18th century, found within the handwritten collection of Elizabeth Smith, who flourished in the latter half of the 1700s. At this time, the making of curds was a practical art in English households, predating wide access to commercially produced cheeses and yogurts. Recipes like this one offered both a sweet dish and a means of preserving dairy, often enjoyed with sugar or fruit as a dessert or treat. Housewives and cooks prized such receipts (as they called recipes) for their thrift and reliable results.

In its day, this curd recipe would have required a large hearth pot or kettle to boil the water, a wooden spoon for stirring, and a hair sieve—a fine strainer made from horsehair, prized for its delicate filtration. Eggs would have been beaten with a whisk or fork in a large bowl, likely earthenware. Today, a stainless steel saucepan, metal or plastic whisk, and a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth make fine substitutes.