Pigeon pie with Mrs Crocombe

Audley End’s Victorian cook has become a YouTube sensation. Eleanor Doughty signs in for a lesson with her

- Eleanor Doughty

SQUAB means pigeon—there isn’t any pigeon in this pie.’ I am being taught to make Devonshire squab pie by Avis Crocombe, the cook at Audley End House near Saffron Walden in Essex in late-Victorian times. I’ve not quite managed the art of time travel—she’s talking to me from my iPad, which I’ve balanced on my fruit bowl as I fry off mutton cutlets. We’ve also been through Victorian ice cream, unseasonal mince pies and chocolate pudding. Next week, I’m planning a traditional Victorian kedgeree for brunch.

Mrs Crocombe is actually historical interpreter Kathy Hipperson, who has for the past 13 years been portraying the cook—currently via a YouTube series. With almost 40 videos, it has been a magnificent success: a guide on how to make butter has had more than 10 million views.

Her journey to internet stardom began in 2007 when English Heritage (EH), which runs Audley End, once owned by Charles II due to its proximity to Newmarket racecourse, decided to re-present the service wing. With Past Pleasures, a historical interpretation company then led by food historian Annie Gray, they focused on the kitchen in the 1880s.

Who was Avis?