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Blandford's 'Big Blow-out!'

 

With five substantial courses and twelve alcoholic toasts, Blandford Corporation’s 1910 Dinner was not a weight-watcher’s affair.

The evening opened at Blandford’s Crown Hotel with a choice of either mock turtle or julienne soup accompanied with a glass of sherry. This was followed by fish which could be turbot, shrimp sauce, or fried fillets of sole. With this there was a German hock. After the fish, there were lamb cutlets and peas. Next was a meat course offering boned turkey, pheasant, York ham, roast chicken, game pie, spiced beef, tongue, sirloin of beef and finally galantine of beef. With this course there was both claret and champagne. As an ‘entremets’ or desert, there was a choice of plum pudding, trifle, white jellies, compote of pears, apple tart or vanilla creams. As a ‘digestif’, one could partake of a glass of port.

Then, twelve toasts followed responded to by twenty five diners interspersed by eight songs and two violin solos. First toast of the evening was to the King. This was proposed by the Mayor of Blandford, John I Barnes after which there was a rendition of the National Anthem. His Worship then toasted Queen Alexandra, the Prince of Wales and then the rest of the Royal Family. 

Dr William Casswell Spooner toasted the Bishop and clergy of the diocese and ministers of all denominations. Reverend C H Fynes-Clinton and the Reverend W K Gallagher responded. Toasts followed to the army, navy and reserved forces, municipal institutions, the aldermen of the borough, the visitors, returned councillors, the legal & medical professions, borough officials and the Mayor and Mayor-Elect. Finally, Mr C M Symes toasted the ladies. Clearly, the influence of the Suffragette Movement had not yet made any impact on the town’s ‘great and good’ as three men responded.

As there were usually three respondents to each speech, it would have been late into the evening before Blandford’s dignitaries made their way home replete, if slightly tipsy.

(Illustration: Not a drawing of Blandford Corporation Members of 1910!)

 



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