Owning a Piece of Culinary History

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Posted at 10:23AM, 22 July 2009 by Carol Wilson - Food writer

One of my passions is collecting vintage culinary moulds. I particularly love the intricate shape and polished gleam of old copper jelly moulds, but I also own some interesting moulds made of porcelain, stoneware, pewter, tin, wood and glass.

These moulds date back to a time when all kinds of foods were moulded into seemingly infinite shapes Ã¢ÂÂ bread dough, gingerbread, biscuits, butter, jelly, desserts, sugar paste, savoury terrines, brawn, ice cream and beautiful ice sculptures intended as splendid table centrepieces, took the form of Biblical or patriotic characters, castles, flowers, animals, birds, fish, etc.

Desserts were moulded into a variety of spectacular and extraordinary shapes in beautiful vivid colours

An elaborately shaped jelly or cream dessert had pride of place as a table centerpiece in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the days before instant gelatine, was invented, making jelly was a laborious process, achieved by boiling calf's foot liquor and adding it to meat or fish stock or wine, along with other flavourings such as sugar and spices and then clarifying it by straining through a jelly bag with two egg whites. Consequently I think it's incredible that jellies and desserts were moulded into such a variety of spectacular and extraordinary shapes in beautiful vivid colours and were often striped, or gilded with gold or silver leaf , or multilayered in stunning stained glass colours.

Of course these moulds were not intended to be ornaments, but as utensils to be useand it is quite difficult to find pieces in pristine condition. Antique and vintage moulds usually show signs of wear- wood for instance might be warped and brass and copper may well be scratched or dented. But if, like me, you collect them because you enjoy owning a piece of culinary history, rather than for their monetary value, a few minor flaws won't lessen the pleasure of owning them.

Over the last few years jelly moulds have steadily increased in price and now can cost anywhere from just a few pounds to many hundreds of pounds depending on age, condition and shape. A Victorian pottery jelly mould costs around £40-£50, while an intricately shaped multi-tiered copper mould from the same period may cost around £500.

There are specialist dealers who sell antique moulds - from simple old wooden butter moulds to hugely expensive Georgian porcelain curd cheese moulds. I sometimes come across pottery and glass moulds at car boot sales and jumble sales, the best places to find a bargain.

Do you own a fascinating piece of culinary history?

Comments

smitty

23 July, 3:53PM
smitty

We've inherited a lovely old pottery rabbit mould which is great for a children's party jelly. Its always an anxious time when it comes to turning it out!

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miniminx

23 July, 4:16PM
miniminx

my granny's pudding basin :). not, perhaps, the stuff of time team, but it's played a starring role every christmas since WWI. and almost forgot: her cast iron ginger gem irons too!!!

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MindyaCalling

31 July, 2:31PM
MindyaCalling

I have bone spoons for eating your boiled eggs and a larger bone spoon for your Oatmeal or Breakfast Oats, these belonged to my Scottish Mother in Law. I have my mums mixing bowl, in use daily.

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Chris Pakett

31 July, 11:52PM
Chris Pakett

We have a set of fish knives and forks that have never been out of the box for three generations. Bye the way, does anyone know of such sets ever being used for eating fish ?

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Jane

5 August, 4:25PM
Jane

I have been very lucky to have inhertited a couple of glass jelly moulds, pastry bowl,a wind up whisk,butter pats, and my favourite is my nanas rice pudding bowl. I use them often and think they are much better quality than the ones they sell these days. its lovely to have that feeling of using something that she also used to cook for her family

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shez

7 August, 4:21PM
shez

I have my Nana's Royal Doulton meat plate which is beautiful but my fave item is her glass lemon squeezer. Far better than the plastic ones available now.

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poppysuze

8 August, 1:52PM
poppysuze

I use a mixing bowl that was my Moms, she recently gave it to me. It had been used regularly and is over 50 years old, I remember her using it when I was a child, apparently she won it at bingo!

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