Olive-Branch Between France and England.
A present extraordinary to the King and Queen of the French was forwarded from London to Paris on the 21st of December by the well-known Gastronomic Regenerator, M. Soyer, of the Reform Club, and was presented to their Majesties on the 24th, in the morning, at the Palace of the Tuileries. Their Majesties were so delighted with the novelty and elegance of the composition, that after a long examination the King ordered it to be carried to the apartments of her Majesty the Queen of the Belgians, who was exceedingly pleased with it, and afterwards the whole of the royal family was summoned to see this bouquet; the sight was so new and unexpected that it met with their unanimous approbation. His Majesty then observed that such a welcome and graceful present from a foreign country had never before penetrated through France to the palace of its kings. Immediately after, by the orders of his Majesty, the sporting nosegay was carried by two gentlemen porters to the council of ministers then sitting at the Tuileries, and was admired by every one. It is reported that his Majesty intends to have a similar bouquet carved in wood for ornamenting the grand sideboard of the magnificent banqueting hall of the palace. To give an idea of the composition of this splendid innovation, the following description perhaps will be interesting to the public. The length of it was about ten feet, and wide in proportion. The frame was richly covered with Christmas holly, laurels, mistletoe, and evergreen, with a great variety of winter flowers. There were twenty-two heads of game, consisting of larks, snipes, woodcocks, black peweets, teal, French and English partridges, grouse, widgeons, wild ducks, black cocks, pheasants, a leveret, a hare, and golden plovers; the interstices were lightly filled with wheat and oats, the whole ornamented with tri-coloured ribands and small flags at the top—and to give a still more pleasing effect, fancy birds of beautiful plumage, so abundant in England, were spread in every part of this magnificent nosegay.
The following letter from his Majesty the King of the French, accompanied with a beautiful pin forming a bouquet of diamonds and pearls, was sent by his Majesty’s orders to the French Ambassador, and forwarded to Monsieur Soyer at the Reform Club.
Cabinet du Roi, Château des Tuileries; 1847.
Monsieur,
Le Roi a reçu votre ouvrage sur l’art culinaire, et le groupe de gibier dont vous lui avez fait hommage.
Je suis chargé, Monsieur, de vous transmettre les remercimens de sa Majesté pour cette double attention, et d’y joindre comme témoignage de sa satisfaction, le bijou que je m’empresse de vous remettre.
Recevez je vous prie, Monsieur, mes plus parfaites salutations.
Le Secrétaire du Cabinet,
CAMILLE FAIN.
Monsieur Alexis Soyer.
NUMBER OF STEWPANS AND OTHER KITCHEN UTENSILS
REQUIRED IN THE KITCHENS OF WHICH I HAVE GIVEN PLANS, COMMENCING WITH THE COMPLETE BATTERIE DE CUISINE OF THE REFORM CLUB.
| Utensils. | Reform Club Kitchen. | Kitchen of the Wealthy. | Kitchen at Home. | Kitchen of the Bachelor. | Cottage Kitchen. |
| Stewpans, the sizes fluctuating from six gallons to half a pint | 89 | 36 | 12 | 6, 1 holding a gall. | 4 |
| Stock-pots, varying from twelve gallons to two | 8 | 4 | 1 | 6 black saucepans | |
| Turbot kettles, one full size, and another two sizes smaller | 2 | 2 | 1 small | ||
| Long Fish-kettles, two large and two middling-sized ones | 4 | 2 | 1 rather larger | 1 rather wide. | 1 |
| Braising-pans, two large and two middling-sized | 4 | 2 | 1 | .. | |
| Preserving-pans (copper), one large round bottome and one large flat bottomed | 2 | 2 | 1 | .. | 1 flat |
| Egg bowls, one large and one middling-sized | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | bottomed |
| Baba and sponge-cake moulds | 2 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Large round copper pie-dishes for servants | 4 | 2 | |||
| Thick flat braising-pans with hermetic covers | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | |
| Sautépans, twenty deep, with thick bottoms, and ten others | 30 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Bain-marie-pans, varying from two gallons to a pint | 36 | 18 | 6 | 2 | |
| Pie-moulds for raised pies | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |
| Jelly and charlotte moulds | 24 | 12 | 4 | 1 | |
| Small bordure for aspic jellies | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | |
| Freezing-pots, with accessories | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Baking-sheets of various sizes | 12 | 12 | 2 | 2 | |
| Gridirons | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Salamanders | 2 | 1 | 1 small | 1 do. | 1 |
| Spoon drainers | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Spits of various sizes, including two with cradles | 12 | 6 | 2 | 2 | |
| Dripping-pans | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Steam copper cases for puddings and potatoes | 4 | 2 | |||
| Round copper fruit bowls with handles | 4 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Sugar-pans | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Soup ladles (small and cheap utensils) | 18 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Copper kitchen spoons, six of which are colander spoons | 36 | 18 | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| Wire baskets for frying | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Wire sieves | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Hair sieves | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Omelette-pans | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Small Jelly and driole moulds | 36 | 18 | 12 | 12 | |
| Tartelette-pans | 36 | 12 | 12 | 3 | |
| Tammies | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | |
| Jelly bags | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wooden spoons | 24 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| Paste brushes | 10 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Scissors | 2prs. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kitchen knives | 12 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Boxes of cutters for vegetables and pastry | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | |
| Trivets, four common, and two for gas stoves | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Meat saws, four large and two small | 6 | 3 | 2, 1 small | 2 | 2 |
| Cutlet bats | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Meat choppers, large | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Steak-tongs, two large and two small pairs | 4prs. | 2 | 1 large | 1 | 1 |
| Meat-hooks | 24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| Rolling-pins | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kitchen basins | 36 | 24 | 12 | 8 | 6 |
| Small pie-dishes for fruit and meat | 24 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| Kitchen table-cloths | 24 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
| Rubbers | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Fish napkins | 24 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Pudding-cloths | 18 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Round towels | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 |