Good Food Blog
Owning a Piece of Culinary History
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 â 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?


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