Here be flageons

SIR – Prompted by Commander Nimmo-scott (Letters, July 22) I consulted my 1888 edition of Mrs Beeton’s Household Management. It makes no mention of flageon in any of the 53 recipes for veal but has two for Fricandeau of Veal. This appears to mean “braised”.

While browsing I was amused to see that in those days a caviar sandwich was costed at 1d while a cucumber sandwich was 4d.

John Hawker

Carshalton Beeches, Surrey

SIR – The 1915 edition of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management has a dish that it calls a “fladeon” accompanied by a recipe for a version of a meatloaf. So it seems that the mystery may in part be explained by a misprint, though I can find no additional information as to the word’s derivation. So perhaps the plot – like her inclusion of gravy or milk in the meatloaf – thickens.

Sue Feuerhelm

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

SIR – At a yacht-builder’s yard, a decorative line on topsides below and following the shear was referred to as the “curveter” line. Never having seen it written, I wished to check the spelling, but could find no reference to it anywhere. It too is disallowed as a Scrabble word.

Keith Allum

Christchurch, Dorset