If you've read a Regency book or two, you've probably heard about Gunter's Tea Shop - the place to go if one wanted the best ices and a unique service experience.
Did you know that before it was Gunter's, that little confectioner's shop belonged to another man, and it had a different name? But before we get into that, I had better give a quick run down on Gunter's place just for comparison sake.
Gunter's Tea Shop became famous during the Regency period because one could stay in their carriage or visit the gardens and the servers would come to you. Which meant, waiters were dashing about all over the place, but such novelty! One could essentially have what we term 'take out' when almost (if not every) other place required a person to be served indoors. Plus, if rumors were anything to go by, the ices were divine.
But did you know that in the 18th century, it wasn't Gunter's name which carried the most weight?
So, who made James Gunter the man he became?
In 1757, Domenico Negri opened a confectionery shop on 7 Berkeley Square. According to the British Museum website he was Italian born. Unfortunately, I couldn't find out when or how he came to be in Georgian London, but he married a welsh gal called Anne Gunter. Yes, Gunter!
James Gunter was Negri's nephew by marriage and his aunt's heir.
But the family connections didn't stop there, Negri had a business partner in the 1760s called Luke Wetten. He married Anne's niece and James's sister. This partnership dissolved in 1774, and Wetten and his wife set up their own shop just a few doors down at 19 Berkeley Square.
Part of me wonders how that played out with all the family connections. Was there bad blood between them? Did Wetten have Negri's blessing?
What happened next is a little fuzzy. Some say that Negri took James Gunter on as his new partner. And therefore would have taught him all he knew. Notes from the British museum website, however, claim that Negri decided to return to Italy and left the shop under his wife's care, and she was the one who added James as the new business partner.
In either case, James was made a business partner sometime between 1775-1785 and inherited the shop from his aunt in the late 1790s.
What was the original shop like?
While Gunter was famous for his 'outdoor' service, it appears that was a feature exclusive to Gunter's. As far as I can tell, the Pot and the Pineapple required it's patrons to indulge their sweet tooth (or teeth) indoors.
Nor was this the confectionery shop of today with aisles upon aisles of prepacked lollies (candies) for people to purchase. Although, I do believe it did have some of that as well.
It served in many ways a dessert cafe/restaurant where one could pull up a chair at a table and lick up every crumb or puddle of the extensive selection (that's what I'd want to do!). On the advertisement, it also lists a catering service and boasts "lozenges for colds and coughs." (I certainly hadn't expected that last one). But to be honest, I think the hardest part would be choosing what to eat.
So, what could you order?
Gunter's might have been famous for its 'ices,' but what did Negri sell? Below is a picture of an early advertisement. You might notice it says 'Confectioner To His Royal Highness the Duke of York.' Yes, Negri claimed to be the confectioner for the King's second born son!
This long-running advertisement listed many things including 'all sorts of ices', fruits and creams in the best Italian manor, syrups, sugar plums, 'all sorts of biscuits & cakes', fine and common sugar, English, French, and Italian wet and dry sweetmeats, and much more.
Hang on, what are wet and dry sweetmeats?
A sweetmeat was something covered or cooked with sugar. Which is a pretty broad term. For wet sweetmeats, think candied cherries in syrup or, as one site described them, Italian mostarda. Dry sweetmeats could be likened to crystallized ginger, lots of sugar but dry. Some resources stated that sweetmeats could also mean cakes and pastries as well. But it was always something with LOTS of sugar. And when I looked at Nutt's cookbook (link below), most of the recipes for sweetmeats were fruit, citrus, or berry in nature whether they were wet or dry.
In Nergi's own words, you could order "all sorts" of stuff at The Pot and the Pineapple. (I told you the hardest part would be choosing.)
In fact, six of the confectioners to work at this amazing little place ended up writing books about their art. You can read one of them via the button below.
In Nutt's cookbook, you'll find "receipts" (aka recipes) for monkey biscuits, toad in the hole biscuits, orange heart biscuits (that seems a little boring after the other two), and many MANY other biscuits. Plus, recipes for wafers, prawlongs, jellies, syrups, and so much more! Including what Nutt called ice creams and water ices.
And do you know who Nutt credited on the title page for his book The Complete Confectioner?
"The result of many years experience with the celebrated Negri and Witten*."
*also known as Wetten, Negri's former business partner and Gunter's brother-in-law
Why was it called the Pot and the Pineapple?
It's easy to know why Gunter named his shop. Many proprietors named their shops after themselves. But what made the Pot and the Pineapple stand out to Negri? Perhaps, he wasn't sure his Italian name would be catchy, and I haven't the foggiest idea what 'Pot' had to do with anything. In the advertisement pictured above, you might notice that Negri doesn't even bother putting the "Pot" on it. But rather he calls his shop, "the Pineapple."
Pineapples were a sign of wealth and prestige at this time.
England is decidedly chilly, and pineapples need tropical weather. Getting a pineapple was a rarity and it was often put on display as a talking point rather than eaten. Negri probably choose the name of his shop to appeal to the elite and give his shop an air of luxury.
Why is Gunter famous today and not Negri?
Negri was the name which carried the most weight back in Georgian England as a celebrated, respected confectioner from Italy. He was the one who started it all. So, why do we know Gunter instead?
Well, it probably had a lot to do with the way James changed the name of the shop in the late 1790s and because of society's fascination with the Regency Period (when Negri was long gone). Plus, Gunter's Tea Shop operated for over a century, not closing down until the 1950s. Although they continued as a catering company for another 20ish years after that. Which means Gunter's was around for almost two centuries! No wonder, we know his name better.
But what about the famous ices?
Well, I'll tell you more about that next month when I hope to have tried out a few of those recipes. So stay tuned for April's Catching the Past Blog! :)
It's a Giveaway!
Would you like a chance to win the eBook which prompted the research about Negri? I wrote a scene with my heroine at The Pot and the Pineapple in Hearts Unknown.
Visit Deena's blog and comment for a chance to win!
And just for fun, did you know that Negri and Anne had TWO nephews called James Gunter? One that inherited their shop, and another known as James Gunter on Bond Street. Oh, and to make matters worse, the Bond Street James also ran a catering company. Now, that had to be confusing!
Research links:
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Thanks for visiting my blog today, and don't forget to check back next month for the "Ices" edition!
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