In many of Dickens' novels he talks about "punch". Hot steaming punch on a cold night around the fire. Cold punch at a summer garden party. A ruffled character smelling of tobacco and punch. How was "punch" typically made, what's in it and why was it the popular drink of choice, indeed almost a "punch culture".
posted on Mar 31, 2008 - 11 answers

What is the 19th Century illness that disfigures Esther Summerson of Dicken's Bleak House? [more inside]
posted on Jan 6, 2008 - 9 answers

Looking for the definitive recipe for "figgy pudding". [more inside]
posted on Dec 18, 2007 - 5 answers

What were the court costs in Jarndyce? (Spoilers inside if you aren't familiar with Bleak House.) [more inside]
posted on May 29, 2006 - 2 answers

I am ashamed to admit it but I have never read Dickens. Where do I start? [more inside]
posted on Mar 23, 2006 - 30 answers