Thanks, Roger for the history of the time. Well, so much for the chocolate idea :<( It is hard looking back from where we are now too understand what really hard times are like. In my research into the Green and Haden families, I read about the life of the "nailors" of the time. I am not sure which side of that divide the Green and Haden families were on. Unfortunately, it looks like we will soon get our own chance to understand really hard times here shortly. John Green reported himself as a "manufacturer" in the ship's manifest and did fairly soon after arrival here buy land, built a two story shop and two story brick house. So he apparently had some means when he arrived but a failed cultivator development project sapped his finances; and later, like so many others from that era, developed TB and died young. On the Pig Trotters, I would be interested. I have been collecting recipes for a planned "Aunty Green Supper" to feature the foods that were likely eaten by the Green family in the 1840's and 1850's with the dinner program covering the history of the Greens and early Bonaparte history which has been neglected in lieu of the "more glorious" times in the 1880's-1890's heyday of the village. Thanks again, Mike Miller On Aug 10, 2009, at 8:37 AM, Roger Thompson wrote: Hi, The only data I have is from the most quoted recipe book of the time Mrs Beeton dated 1861 (my version). In quoting it there are many strong caveats. The vast majority of people in the Blackcountry were desperately poor and their rations were survival fare. In the time frame you quote there was a massive cholera outbreak and hundreds died. Chocolates were not on the menu! If Mary Green went to the US to avoid poverty (as many did) she probably did not taste chocolate at all! (Not wishing to push the point, my Mother in Law has just died aged 103. She was from Lancashire and in 1910 she was buying bags of bones and dried beans for her Mother to feed a family of 12. Did her no harm!) Mrs Beeton's recipes were popular with the very wealthy and these would have been a very small % of the population (less than 1% at a guess). Mrs Beeton quotes recipes for Chocolate Almonds, slabs of chocolate served in fancy dishes, souflee, creams, puddings, sauces and cakes and the like. Mrs Beeton gives no references to Candies or Sweets. So if you are looking for something relevant to the Black Country I think you will find it difficult. The wealthy Victorian diet used chocolate as an additive to dishes often of French origin. Chocolate came then from the Empire mainly Jamaca. It was expensive and Mrs Beeton recommends 1/2 ounce for each person of cake chocolate when included in recipes. Hope this helps a little. Now, if you were raffling Pigs Trotters I am sure I could be more help! Hope the raffle goes OK Cheers Roger Thompson