in the last chapter, viz., an ounce of tartaric acid, an ounce and a half of bicarbonate of soda, and an ounce and a half of arrowroot.  A great deal, too, depends upon the quality of the flour.  Vienna flour is much more expensive than ordinary flour, but incomparably superior.  What limit we can assign to the quantity of butter used it is impossible to say.  A quarter of a pound of butter to a pound of flour, and a teaspoonful of baking-powder, will make a fair crust.  When less butter is used the result is not altogether satisfactory.

PUDDINGS.—­We next come to the very large class of puddings in which suet is used.  The ordinary plum pudding is a case in point.  The best substitute for suet, of course, is butter or oil; a plum pudding, however, made without suet, would undoubtedly be heavy, and, to avoid this, we must use butter, bread-crumbs, and baking-powder.  It would be impossible to give any exact quantity, as so much depends upon the other ingredients.  Some people use bread-crumbs only in making plum pudding, and no flour, in which case, of course, a very considerable number of eggs must be used or else the pudding will break to pieces.  In the case, however, of oil being used as a substitute for butter, it is of the utmost importance that the oil be pure and fresh.  We here have to overcome a deeply-rooted English prejudice.  Pure oil is absolutely tasteless, and it has often been remarked by high-class authorities that really pure butter ought to be the same.  We fear, however, that purity in food is the exception rather than the rule, as at no period of this country’s history has the crime of adulteration been so rampant as in the present day.

Adulteration has been said to be another form of competition.  Too often adulteration is a deliberate form of robbery.  Steps have been taken in recent years to put a stop to this universal system of fraud, more especially in connection with butter.  Were more Acts passed similar to the “Margarine Act” we believe that this country would be richer and happier, and without doubt more healthy.

In that large class of puddings known as custard pudding, cabinet pudding, there is no difference whatever in vegetarian cookery.  It would be quite impossible to make any of these puddings without eggs, and when eggs are used we may take for granted that butter is allowed also.

We have, throughout, called particular attention to the importance of appearances.  In the case of all puddings made with eggs and baked in a dish, it is a very great improvement to reserve one or two whites of egg, and to beat these to a stiff froth, with a little white powdered sugar.  When the pudding is baked, cover it with this snow-white froth, and let it set by placing it in a slack oven for two or three minutes.  Whether the pudding is served hot or cold, the result is the same.  An otherwise plain and somewhat common-looking dish is transformed into an elegant one, the only extra expense being a little trouble.