One if the best cookery books Britain has ever produced. ( )

This substantial book is crammed full with recipes grouped under thirty two different headings including such as Store Sauces; Curries, Potted Meats, Etc; Pastry; Preserves; Pickles; Confectionary; Syrups, Liqueurs, Etc; Coffee, Chocolate, Etc; Foreign and Jewish Cookery - along with the obvious various fish, meat and puddings and deserts and more.

The recipes are presented simply in paragraph form, with no separate list of ingredients as we are so used to today, and virtually no illustrations save a the very few originals, it is as much a record of its time, over 150 years past, but still appropriate today. The instructions are clear and straight forward, occasionally with a brief additional comment or two. Sometimes the measures or quantities are a little vague, but once in a while they are very specific with directions such as "exactly half a pint"; a rather interesting approach suggesting perhaps that in most cases the cook is given a little latitude to express himself. Another appealing point is that sometimes the recipes give a reason for following a certain procedure, so you know why it needs to be that way. The recipes do not tell how many the resultant dish is intended to serve.

There are so many recipes in this very thick volume that one cannot fail to find something interesting, and there are many that provide basic cooking methods for fish and meat and more along with the more elaborate recipes. ( )

This is a facsimile copy of the original book by Eliza Acton from 1845. It is easy to read, with useful diagrams alongside the recipes. No photos of course!

There are often several versions of a dish designed for differing budgets and many seem very contemporary.

If you like history and you like cookery books, you will very much enjoy this reissue. ( )

1st American. Embracing a Series of Plain and Simple Instructions to Private Families and Others, For the Careful and Judicious Preparation of Every Variety of Food as Drawn from Practical Observation and Experience. The Whole Carefully revised by Mrs. Hale. Illustrated with numerous engravings (terrific). 18p. lacing at rear. An English poet and cook, Eliza Acton (1799-1859) is responsible for producing one of the country's first cookbooks aimed at the domestic reader rather than the professional cook or chef. Having spent time in France and published a volume of romantic poems on her return to England, Acton published the first edition of Modern Cookery in 1845 to immediate success. Her second book, The English Bread Book, an account of the history of bread and baking, was published in 1857. ( )