66 BRITISH RURAL LIFE AND LABOUR. 



DERBYSHIRE, WEST. 



Breakfast. Oatmeal porridge, milk, bacon, coffee, bread. 

 Dinner. Beef or mutton or pork, stews, potatoes, and other 

 vegetables. Tea. Bread, butter, or cheese, tea. Supper. 

 Sometimes porridge, or cold meat, or both. Note. A good 

 many men keep pigs. Most have large gardens, sometimes big 

 enough to grow all the potatoes and the other vegetables re- 

 quired by the family. The allotment system is but sparsely 

 adopted. It generally happens that the labourers can grow 

 pretty well all the potatoes they need on the employer's land. 

 Nearly all the men belong to benefit societies. 



DEVONSHIRE. 



WEEKDAYS Breakfast. Home - cured bacon and fried 

 potatoes, tea, eggs (if about eighteen a shilling) ; or it may be, 

 in another set, bread cut in small slices and soaked in hot 

 milk, followed by fried bacon and hot potatoes. Dinner. 

 Meat (fresh or salt), hot or cold vegetables, suet pudding ; or 

 hot pies (vegetables and bacon) if the men are near home ; 

 otherwise, cold potatoes and meat pasty, cider. Supper. A 

 pasty, or fried fish, potatoes, tea ; or it may be, both for tea and 

 supper, fried potatoes and bacon, followed by cake or bread and 

 treacle or butter, tea. SUNDAYS Breakfast. Sometimes same 

 as weekdays, but often tea, potatoes, or turnip pasty ; or bread, 

 butter, cake, tea. Dinner. Small joint, fresh meat (baked 

 with potatoes), and other vegetables ; or roast fresh meat, 

 potatoes, or other vegetables ; apple tart when in season. 

 Tea. Bread, butter, cake, tea ; or for tea and supper, cake, 

 bread, butter, jam, and now and then cream, tea. Note. The 

 men generally keep pigs and have gardens and allotments. 

 They usually belong to benefit societies and other clubs. Another 

 correspondent writing from North Devon says : " Breakfast is 

 taken early, before going to work. It consists usually of fried 

 potatoes and a rasher of bacon ; or bread fried in dripping. 

 They have an early lunch, locally called ' namett/ which is 

 often a cake with some saffron and currants, or a piece of bread 

 and cheese. For dinner, about 12.30 to i p.m., they usually 

 have a small loaf with a piece of bacon or other meat in the 

 centre, called ' Toad in a hole,' or a pasty. They get a jug of 

 tea if within reach of their homes or the farmhouse. Farm 

 cider is given in some cases, but it is being generally given up. 

 For Sundays, they usually buy a piece of fresh meat. For 

 supper, they generally have fried potatoes and bacon, or other 

 meat. During the season, herrings are used a good deal. No 

 meat is usually taken at tea-time except at harvest, when the 

 living is more liberal. The women then generally bring out the 

 dinners to the harvest-fields, usually meat and vegetables ; and 

 also tea at four o'clock, consisting of bread, butter, or cake, and 

 tea. Most men keep a pig and salt it." 



