Menus weren't just for entertaining and special occasions. Magazines abounded with menu ideas for everyday meals for the family. This makes more sense when one considers the complexity of planning meals around what is available in season in the market or garden. (Phillis Browne's A Year's Cookery, for example, provides a complete year of recommended menus based on seasonal foods, along with tips on what to do with the leftovers of each meal!) Menu planning was also more important in Britain, where diners had strong notions about what went with what - duck was always served with peas, for example. British articles about American cooking often lament the fact that Americans observe no such customary "pairings" of food, but will serve anything with anything! This section also brings you menus for families on a budget.

How to Make Dishes Look Nice, by A.G. Payne (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1875)

Food for People with Limited Incomes, by Phillis Browne (Girl's Own Paper, 1882)

Cookery for the Poor, by Phillis Browne (Girl's Own Paper, 1883)

How to Provide Food for Small Families, by Phillis Browne (Girl's Own Paper, 1883)

Sandwich Suppers, by A.G. Payne (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1883)

Penny Dinners, by Phillis Browne (Girl's Own Paper, 1885)

An interesting discussion of a "penny dinners" program (more or less a "soup kitchen) set up to help the poor have more nutritious meals; includes a number of recipes.

Cheap Dinners (Demorest, 1886)

Recipes for the budget-minded.

Our Dinners Programme Competition, by Sophia Allan (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1886)

The competition called for contestants to come up with seven dinners for six people at a total cost of 30 shillings.

Dinners for Two, by Phillis Browne (Girl's Own Paper, 1887)

24 menus for couples.

Prize Bills of Fare (Demorest, 1887)

Some delicious recipes that, in 1887, would feed a family for a week for less than $10!

How to Set the Table for 35 Cents a Day for Each Person: Breakfast (Demorest, 1888)

How to Set the Table on 20 Cents a Day for Each Person: Luncheons (Demorest, 1888)

Sixty Pounds Per Annum, and How I Live Upon It (Girl's Own Paper, 1888)

This "young gentlewoman" did much of her cooking over a spirit lamp, so her recipes are both inexpensive and easy to prepare.

Common-Sense Meals, by Phyllis Browne (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1889)

Model Menus, by Phyllis Browne (Girl's Own Paper, 1893)

A sample menu for each month of the year, with detailed cooking instructions.

One Portion (Girl's Own Paper, 1893)

Tips on creating meals for smaller households.

An Amateur Dinner (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

Great if your idea of "amateur" is "Escalopes de Veau aux Epinards"!

A Book Emblem Supper (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

A supper based on the titles of various popular books.