Lamb and duck in wine sauce: historic menu under the hammer

A fascinating look at the culinary preferences of first class passengers aboard the Titanic. A menu dated April 11, 1912 offers a glimpse of the delectable dishes served on the iconic ship. The rare document sold at auction for a substantial sum.

A fascinating look at the culinary preferences of the first class passengers aboard the Titanic. A menu, dated April 11, 1912, offers a glimpse of the delectable dishes served aboard the iconic ship. The rare piece of paper disappeared under the auction hammer for a generous sum. 

The menu, which went under the hammer at auction house Henry Aldridge & Son in Wiltshire, embodies a historic find. It was discovered in a 1960s photo album belonging to Len Stephenson, a historian from Dominion, Nova Scotia. Andrew Aldridge, the auction manager, emphasizes the exceptionality of this artefact as, to his knowledge, no other first-class menu from that evening has survived. He stated: “I've spoken to several museums around the world, and some of our Titanic collectors, and can't find another museum anywhere that has anything like it.” 

The menu offers choices such as oysters, lamb with mint sauce and duck in wine sauce and was intended for dinner on April 11, 1912. The ship was only six hours sailing from the south west of Ireland to New York at the time. Although the Titanic never reached its final destination and sank on the night of April 14 to 15, the piece of paper offers a tangible connection to the past. 

The artefact yielded more than expected. Ultimately, the hammer came down on an amount of more than € 95.000.