A second course for two persons [anchovy and oyster toast]

In Mrs Crocombe’s manuscript, this is simply labelled as ‘second course for two persons’. It’s a low-key dish, but it packs quite a punch, thanks to the anchovies. Oysters were rising in price in the 19th century, having been relatively cheap in previous centuries. Over-fishing of native beds led to increasing scarcity in the 1870s and despite imports from Europe and, indeed, America, they never regained their status as a food for the masses. The Victorians enjoyed them bot