Mock Turtle Soup

Turtle soup was one of the most prestigious dishes of the 18th century. It required live turtles, imported from the West Indies, and was often served in the shell or in lavish silver turtle-shaped tureens. By the early 19th century mock turtle soup, using a calf’s head instead of a turtle, had developed as a cheaper and more readily available alternative. It caught on rapidly, and became one of the most quintessentially British dishes of the Victorian era, often elevated to