Frumenty

[zankoku_zen]

‘To make frumente. Tak clene whete & braye yt wel in a morter tyl the holes gon of; seethe it til it breste in water. Nym it up & lat it cole. Tak good broth & swete mylk of kyn or of almand & tempere it therwith. Nym yelkes of eyren rawe & saffroun & cast therto; salt it: lat it naught boyle after the etren ben cast therinne. Messe it forth.’

 

In parts of rural England, the last sheaf of grain from autumn’s harvest were added to a sweet porridge that was eaten on Christmas morning to ensure good health and strength during the dark of the year.

 

Cracked wheat cooked in cream and ale with currants, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

 

Frumenty to me smells like cinnamon, nutmeg and popcorn. I think its the effect of the cracked wheat cooked which smells like a cooked grain, which means to me... popcorn. Spiced porridge if you like. Medium throw and wear length.

[Soupy Twist]

farina with ale in the bottle. goes on as spices. that’s it, just dry spices.

[neuilly]

I don't really get any cream which is a shame because I love cream notes. On me this comes off as a fruitier Molly Grue. A large amount of spices. There is some wheat/grain but it's definitely a background note on me.

[tinyopaws]

Nearly identical to the 2018 Bread-and-Butterfly on me... both are creamy, wheat-y citrus but this is a little heavier on the cream and citrus. And also sugar. A scarily accurate dried currant note comes out a bit later. Tasty!

Edited January 26, 2019 by tinyopaws

[clockworkcrypt]

I agree with tinyopaws, this smells almost exactly like bread-and-butterfly resurrected, it's all brown sugar and breakfasty notes on me.

This is a spiced bread-and-butterfly, with extra notes of cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg coming out on me. 

Interesting, I'm not getting any cream or currant from this, which I was sort-of looking forward too, but if you missed bread-and-butterfly 2018, you might wanna pick this up

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant, I smell creamy, spicy porridge, and I totally get the popcorn vibe zee_zee mentioned.

 

On me, it's much more spice-forward than it was in the imp, with the ginger in particular standing out, and I am also getting some currant now. It is still buttery, so I can totally see the Bread-and-Butterfly comparisons. The ale note gains strength once dry. It retains its butteriness after a few wear and ends up smelling like lightly spiced sugared porridge on me with just a touch of currant. I am surprised my skin didn't run away with the spice and currant notes for once.

 

This is better than I thought it would be on me, but I don't think I'd reach for this over the other breakfasty scents that I own. If you want to smell like breakfast, though, you should try this!

[Juliamon]

I was hyped for this because of the wheat but unfortunately it let me down by being overly spiced. This is in the same vein as Sweet Potato Musk on me, but much more heavy on the nutmeg and ginger. If SPM is a bowl of homemade oatmeal, Frumenty is the "cinnamon & spice" store-brand Cream of Wheat. The cream note is just barely noticeable. If you like a lot of spices in your breakfast this could be a really good one, but as someone who doesn't I'm gonna have to pass this one along.

[tinyvulture]

So I was hoping for more of a creamy grain blend like Risalamande. Here I'm getting a more generic "foodie" scent, like Eat Me. I know Eat Me is beloved, but it doesn't work on me because the different notes jumble together and it's just "baked goods" with no discernable specificity. Same here. The ginger is probably the easiest note to pick out, but this doesn't quite smell like gingerbread. Off to swaps.

[splendidissima]

Porridge - a thick heavy sort of porridge, and heavily spiced! I'm a medievalist, so I had to acquire this. 🙂 I *think* I like it, though I think of breakfast - a big hearty stick-to-your-ribs bowl of filling wheat and a splash of cream, and in this case with a *lot* of cinnamon and nutmeg and ginger! I don't get the ale at all, or the currant. I'm glad I've got a (mostly full) bottle, though I think it'll be a cold-weather scent only - I can't imagine wearing this on an already hot day, but it'd be lovely on a chilly rainy morning!

 

Awesome Husband: *sniff* *pause* *sniff* *long pause*...I don't know. I am unsure about this. It's food.

[VictorianLass]

This is mentioned so often in Thomas Hardy's novel "The Mayor of Casterbridge" that I have been longing to know what it smells like. Was a must buy and was so worth it!

 

Warm, thick porridge, heavy on spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and a bit of ginger, sweetened by fresh cream and currants.  A very warm and rich scent with hints of ale as it dries down a bit. An excellent comfy foody perfume, on cold days, reading Wuthering Heights or some other dark Victorian novel!  I love it!! 

[Casablanca]

Creamy, grainy, wholesome,. These are the main impressions. On my skin, this is only very lightly spiced, but sweetened with some buttery currants.

 

I wish this had more spice and less butter, but I like it overall. It makes me want a hot breakfast on this winter morning.

[starbrow]

2021 version:

 

I was really hoping for a delicious, nourishing bowl of oatmeal in a bottle with Frumenty. I'm glad I just got a small amount of 2021 Frumenty, because oatmeal it is not, and nor is it my jam.

 

This is a whole lotta butter/cream a la Jack, tinged with wheat and a floral currant sweetness rather than with peach and pumpkin. It's so different than oatmeal. The buttery floral makes me cringe. I dig the grain/nutmeg combination but I have Hildegard's Cakes of Joy and Mari Lwyd to satisfy that craving without the dairy.

 

I wasn't expecting Frumenty to be SO heavy on the butter and cream. My skin doesn't get along well with the Lab's dairy note, and it's even worse when it turns floral and a little sour. I don't get a lot of cinnamon and ginger in the blend, nor a lot of booziness. I would have liked more spice for sure. The nutmeg does pop.

 

Glad I got to try it, now I know Frumenty is definitely NOT for me! I think if you love the Lab's butter and cream, and you love Jack, Frumenty might be a great grainy version of that.

[Fancyfetus]

Warm, cooked grain, with a hint of spice and sweetness. To me this smells almost exactly like a fresh bowl of oatmeal. There is something wheatier about it. Maybe it's somewhere between the smell of oatmeal and the smell of cream of wheat. Very wholesome. Clearly a foodie smell but not in a mouthwatering way, more of a comforting kind of fragrance. This is what a kindly hobbit's house smells like. 

 

Food scents aren't usually my thing, but this one seems like it would be nice for rainy days indoors or times that you're feeling under the weather. A nice, warm hug in scent form.