York Castle Museum’s Victorian picnic tastings run to 5 September

York Castle Museum is inviting visitors to taste 19th-century picnic food during its Victorian Picnic Recipe Demonstrations and Samples, running from 13 August to 5 September 2026. The activity is included with museum admission and is aimed at general visitors looking for a school-holiday museum visit with a food-history focus.

Demonstrations and samples are available on Wednesdays and Saturdays until 5 September. York Museums Trust says tickets should be booked through the York Castle Museum website.

Four Victorian picnic treats to taste

The museum team is preparing Balmoral Tarts, Sponge Cake, Tea Cream and Apple Cheesecake: four recipes presented as picnic staples from the Victorian period. Rather than simply reading about historic food, visitors will be able to watch the recipes being demonstrated and sample the results as part of their museum visit.

The programme draws on the cookery of Mrs Beeton, whose 1860s books included picnic recipes designed for large outdoor parties. Some of her instructions catered for groups of 20 or 40 people, reflecting a version of summer dining that could be much more elaborate than a modern packed lunch.

York Museums Trust places the recipes in the wider history of the Victorian picnic. Fortnum and Mason once supplied picnic baskets with more than 24 bottles of alcohol, alongside lobster, pies, meat, cheese, bread and peaches. As transport improved and cheaper alternatives became available, picnicking became available to more people during the summer.

A glimpse of unfamiliar Victorian tastes

The four recipes chosen for the demonstrations are among the more recognisable dishes recorded in Victorian cookery. Other period recipes could be less immediately familiar: Mrs Beeton’s books also included egg wine and ice creams flavoured with spinach or cucumber.

Visitors will not be tasting those more unusual options, but a cucumber-shaped ice-cream mould can be seen in the museum’s Period Rooms. It offers a small visual link between the recipes being sampled and the stranger side of Victorian food culture.

Food history around the museum

The tastings can be paired with the museum’s recreated 1940s and 1980s kitchens, where visitors can explore more recent domestic food history and spot familiar favourites from later decades. Those bringing their own food can also use the museum’s Mill Grounds for a picnic, continuing the outdoor summer tradition in a modern setting.

Booking and visit details

Entry to the demonstrations and samples is included with museum admission, with tickets available through the York Castle Museum website. Individual session times, transport information and accessibility details are not published in the supplied event information. The confirmed demonstration days are Wednesdays and Saturdays, with the programme ending on 5 September.

Source: York Museums Trust News