Funeral Biscuits

Or general something lovely to dunk whatever the occasion...

‘…in some parts of Yorkshire, a paper bag of biscuits, together with a card bearing the name of the diseased, is sent to friends’ - England Howlett, Burial Customs quoted by Bertram Puckle in Funeral Customs; Their Origin And Development (1926)

Shrewsbury Biscuits reimagined as funeral biscuits. The card is a genuine funeral card and was found in my Nan’s correspondence when we cleared her house, demonstrating that the habit of giving out funeral cards (if not biscuits) continued well into the 20th Century. (Image: Sam Bilton)

Following on from the discussion with Dan about the use of salt in funerals I thought I would make some funeral biscuits. In her book Great British Bakes Mary-Ann Boermans explains that these were originally Naples biscuits (otherwise known as Boudoir Biscuits or Ladyfingers), a dehydrated fatless sponge ideal for dipping in ale or spiced wine. John Nott includes caraway in his recipe for Naples Biscuits in The Cook’s and Confectioner’s Dictionary (1723) but other flavourings included mace, cinnamon, rosewater, musk and ambergris (not necessarily altogether!). The biscuits could be wrapped and handed out to mourners or sent to people who were unable to attend the funeral itself.

Naples Biscuits have their place but, personally speaking, when I want something to dunk, I like it to be a little more robust. And so, I’ve looked to the Shrewsbury biscuit for my take on funeral biscuits. Like the Naples Biscuit, it has a long history (Boermans includes three recipes dating from the seventeenth century in her book.) but the recipes below are from the ever reliable Mrs Raffald in The Experienced English Housekeeper (1784). In the most recent season of Bridgerton a grieving Francesca is seen handing out biscuits at her husband’s funeral, which look more like Shrewsbury than Naples biscuits to me (although I’m by no means saying Shondaland has got this right - representation of food in historical ‘dramas’ is rarely correct).

If you want to read more about funeral food check out this article by Alison Petch (which includes an image of a funeral biscuit wrapper) and don’t forget to follow Dan on Instagram to find out where and when he’s speaking next! You can also hear Dan talking further about funeral food in the Curious Appetite podcast with Comfortably Hungry regular Alessandra Pino.

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Mrs Raffald’s Shrewsbury Cakes (Two Ways)

Mrs Raffald’s Shrewsbury Cakes (1784) (Image: Sam Bilton)

Elizabeth Raffald provides two recipes for Shrewsbury Cakes. Each has its merits but do let me know which one you prefer if you decide to make them.