Foods of England - Smoking Bishop

Smoking Bishop

Drinks

Red wine and port with citrus peel, sugar and cloves, served hot. Acton 1845 says that it is usually made with a roasted bitter orange.

A form of Mulled Wine see also: Oxford Bishop.

The reformed Ebenezer Scrooge in ‘A Christmas Carol‘ says to his overworked clerk; “I’ll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon, over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop, Bob!”

“a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop, Bob!”
Illustration by John Leech to the 1847 ‘A Christmas Carol‘

‘Arthur O’Leary‘ By Charles James Lever (1845) has; “Meanwhile, champagne was called for, and, as the night wore on, a bowl of smoking bishop, spiced and seasoned to perfection.”

Original Receipt from ‘Pot-luck; or, The British home cookery book‘ by May Byron (Byron 1914)

996. BISHOP (Middlesex)
Roast four good-sized bitter oranges till they are of a pale brown colour, lay them in a tureen, and put over them half a pound of pounded loaf sugar, and three glasses of claret; place the cover on the tureen and let it stand till the next day. When required for use, put the tureen into a pan of boiling water, press the oranges with a spoon, and run the juice through a sieve; then boil the remainder of the bottle of claret, taking care that it does not bum; add it to the strained juice, and serve it warm in glasses. Port wine will answer the purpose as well as claret.

997. BISHOP (Surrey)
Stick twelve cloves into a lemon (not right through the rind) and put it in the oven for half an hour. Put a good-sized pinch of mixed spice into half a pint of water, and boil it. Boil separately one and a half pints of sherry, add the lemon and the spiced water to this, stand it in a very warm place for a few minutes. Take another lemon, rub two ounces of lump sugar on the rind, and squeeze out half of the juice; add these to the rest, and serve up very hot.

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