The seventeenth century kitchen in the majority of homes remained similar to that of the sixteenth century. However, care was now taken in the appearance of the kitchen and dressers, set against a wall away from the fireplace, were used both for storage and for the display of plates (usually pewter), jugs and cups.
Cooking methods also remained the same as the previous century although the influence of French cooking increased after the restoration and recipes for the braising of meat in wine and the preparation of sauces rather than gravies could be found in the cookbooks of food writers such as Hannah Woolley.
The importation of coffee and chocolate increased as the English began to enjoy them in the form of hot drinks, the chocolate often being flavoured with spices. Due to the successful trade by the East India Company, spices from India and the Far East became less expensive and the middle classes could now flavour their dishes with them on a regular basis while the lower classes could enjoy them on special festivals such as Christmas and Easter.
The middle classes could now also indulge in manchets, bread made from finely ground wheat flour making a softer and whiter loaf. Biscuits, another imported idea from the continent, and using the sugar now imported more cheaply from the British colonies in the Caribbean, became particularly popular as an accompaniment to coffee and chocolate. The reduction in the price of sugar also meant cakes could be iced and new desserts could be created. Pies continued to be baked with edible pastry, now sometimes sweetened with sugar. A form of pastry from France where butter was spread over raw pastry and then folded and rolled to create layers was introduced and began to be used as bases for tarts as well as pastries. Beer made with hops began to be drunk alongside ale and these along with cider were drunk by the majority while wine and sack, imported mainly from France, were enjoyed by the middle and upper classes.
