Good Things in England

by Florence White

Good Things in England ~ A Practical Cookery Book for Everyday Use, Containing Traditional and Regional Recipes Suited to Modern Tastes Contributed by English Men and Women Between 1399 and 1932

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food, Cooking, History, British Literature

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1932

About the author

Florence White was a food writer who established the English Folk Cookery Association, and published a number of books on cookery and other domestic matters.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like to browse recipes and are interested in English food and its history, this is a book for you. One of my favorite food writers, Jane Grigson, often referred to this book in her own writing, and it offers dozens of recipes for just about everything, many provided by correspondents sharing family recipes. As you’d expect, this is not a book for novice cooks since directions are often general and assume a certain level of knowledge.

[Philippa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and delightful. Made me positively yearn for a Cornish cream tea.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a delightful read, full of fun little facts and flummeries, frumenties and parkins. At first I was disappointed that the book didn't have an introduction like Persephone's usually do but White's personality came out so strongly that I felt I quite knew her by the end. And who knows, someday I might make my own elderflower wine or chutney. Color me charmed.

[GeraniumCat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already love this book and I've only just skimmed the surface. I find old recipes endlessly fascinating and this is an excellent collection. Not so much a book to cook from (Dorothy Hartley might be better if you want to experiment) but a piece of social history which disproves the popular fallacy that the English can't cook.

[Ray's Artshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've cooked from a few of the recipes, Fat Rascals and the Madeira Cake for instance, and they were all good. I wish I had time to make more of them. As all reviewers have said though, the value is in more than the recipes alone. Do you long for Devonshire Chudleighs and Kentish Huffkins?

Also, this book contains vital information on the correct way to toast and eat muffins, and I will remain loyal to its guidance from now on! (Hint: page 76.) If you're like me, and you were never educated on proper muffin prep, it'll be worth your while (and your breakfast) to find a copy.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful, informative book about the history of English cookery. So many recipes...I was pleasantly surprised! I will definitely try out some of them (not all, because a few ingredients are hardly available).

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd been looking for this book for literally years, so I was pleased to find it at Abebooks for a reasonable price. I was even more pleased when I received it within two days, and it was in immaculate condition -- the previous owner had clearly never been near the kitchen with it. It is a beautifully produced book, complete with gorgeous patterned endpapers and a matching bookmark!

I love old cookbooks, particularly English ones. Both Elizabeth David and Jane Grigson refer to this in their books on English food. It was originally published in 1932: "We had the finest cookery in the world, but it had been nearly lost by neglect," wrote Florence White in the introduction. She compiled it by advertising in newspapers and magazines for old, traditional recipes, as well as doing her own research.

I haven't cooked anything from it yet, but I really enjoyed browsing through it. The number of interesting recipes that would have been completely lost if they hadn't been collected here is impressive. Maybe not all of them were worth keeping, but I am really longing to experiment and ultimately put together a truly English meal to serve to French friends.

Then there's the sheer quaintness of some comments. A lot of old cake recipes require beating large quantities of eggs for literally half an hour. Florence's delight when a friend procures an amazing gadget for her from the US -- the first ever electric whisk -- is touching. "All we have to do is put an egg or more in a basin, adjust the whisk, ... and the egg whisks itself, while we sit down and read, or sew ... these [American:] cousins of ours are so clever!" she sighs.

Elsewhere she writes of a packaged set of thermometers for use in the kitchen. "Her Majesty Queen Mary accepted one of these sets in 1924 to how her interest in Home Cooking," she tells us solemnly. I can just imagine Queen Mary in the Buck House kitchen cooking up her jam!

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd never sit down and read cookbooks if Persephone didn't publish them. Their cookery books always have some social and historical interest. They're never just a collection of recipes.

Here we have recipes collected from different parts of England and different periods in history. Florence White with her English Folk Cookery Association comes across as a well-meaning enthusiast but it's sad to think that within a few years the Second World War with its rationing, egg substitutes and lack of fresh fruit and vegetables would deal another huge blow to the survival of recipes like these.

[Eliane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is as much an historical document as a cookery book. A collection of recipes from all over England and from the last two centuries prior to its publication in the 1930s, Good Things in England is really fascinating, containing gems such as rook pie and the enormous variety of things people used to eat for breakfast together with still easily made puddings. I'm not sure I'll cook from it but I love having the book around.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming & old fashioned. How many of us have use for a recipe for "Mock Turtle Soup from a Sheep's Head"? Some recipes were a source of amusement such as "A Hedgehog Tipsy Cake", "Grassy Corner Pudding" & "Fat Rascals". Other recipes were informative such as "How to make Good Toast" & "How to make Coffee in a Jug or Billy-Can". A piece of history perhaps & worth preserving, however, not much practical use in my kitchen.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book, a piece of culinary history, filled with British traditional recipes some with literary references. I do have to look up measurement conversion for the recipes but otherwise this is a great resource for anyone with an interest in food and it's history, some of these recipes date back to the middle ages.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am unlikely to ever cook from this but as a historical document of food, recipes and regional differences, it was a delight.