Modern Cookery for Private Families

by Eliza Acton, Elizabeth Ray (Illustrator)

An unabridged reprint of Miss Acton's great book, first published in 1845 and added to by the author ten years later. This reprint is of the expanded edition and includes all the splendid engravings of the original. For those who do not know this work there is a treat in store, not only because of the variety and elegance of the hundreds of recipes, but also because of their simplicity. This was the first recipe book to give a list of ingredients and a time for cooking each recipe (an entirely original idea of Eliza Acton's). For those lucky enough to possess a precious original edition, here is a copy that can be used in the kitchen. Eliza Acton's receipts show English cookery at its very best, before the over-elaboration of late Victorianism overtook it. She was writing for small families, so quantities in the recipes hardly need to be altered, and her insistence throughout on the very best and most wholesome ingredients is in accord with our thinking today. She tested all the dishes herself; on the rare occasions where they were not, she says so and gives her sources. Her personality shows strongly all through the book; she was precise, orderly, very observant and mistress of an inestimable prose style, so she can be read for pleasure as well as use. Very little is known about her life. Elizabeth Ray has done some original research, fleshed out the somewhat shadowy profile we have had of her up to now, and corrected some earlier misconceptions about her.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, History

544 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1845

About the author

Eliza Acton (1799-1859) was an English food writer and poet who produced one of Britain's first cookery books aimed at the domestic reader, Modern Cookery for Private Families.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1845 and still a fascinating read for anyone who loves cooking - more so if, like me, you also happen to love history and old books. With 34 chapters (covering both cooking and baking as well as some other gems such as preserves, pickles, syrups, liqueurs and, my personal favourite chapter; 'coffee, chocolate, etc') there is literally something here for everyone.

Where to start... It's funny how books have a way of finding us...

My Gran is a true book lover. She often tells people that I get this trait from her - it isn't true but we won't get into that here. However, she does frequently offer to let me scan her bookshelves and borrow anything that takes my fancy (this is very kind as I refuse to let anyone touch my bookshelves and panic at the suggestion of someone borrowing a book). My Dad is the best self taught chef I've ever known and I'm proud to be his student/helper/sous chef/comrade, heck I'm even happy to be the pot washer as long as I can be near him. My Gran started this foodie interest in her own youth and it has passed down the generations. During our recent Christmas visit to my grandparents house I came across this book hiding under a pile of books on the floor. My Gran said that I should borrow it. I thought that I had no idea who Eliza Acton was but the name kept bothering me...

On the journey home I remembered a book I'd read by Bill Bryson where he talked about the history of recipes. When we finally returned home I found his book (it's At Home: A Short History of Private Life if you are interested) and there was Eliza Acton - apparently she was one of the first writers to use precise measurements and times in her recipes. No wonder I'd forgotten this information... This isn't a passion I share with Eliza, I'm all for rule breaking when it comes to cooking (baking however, I agree, must be precise). However, I'd remembered her for other reasons because she was a pretty interesting woman (she didn't just write cook books either, before she wrote this book she had spent time in France and had written a volume of poetry).

But I was sure I'd heard about Eliza somewhere else. A quick Google search and I'd found it. James Martin had mentioned Eliza and her 'conjuror' cooking method on his Saturday Morning show. A conjuror (the spelling taken from Eliza's illustration in this book) is a device that can be used for various methods of cooking meat or fish but, most interestingly, can be used to cook meat rapidly while still remaining 'remarkably tender and very palatable.' I see chefs go on about this time and time again [high heat + rapid cooking = tenderness] so I was impressed to see that Eliza was already onto this method way back in the 1800s. And, while we are on this point, the whole range of cooking implements which were used in the 1800s (of which there are excellent illustrations in this book) was quite fascinating but made me very glad to be a cook today. I'm glad to say that such 'implements' have developed, as have many of the methods used - but some are still highly relevant and indeed the basis of what we know today.

Like any other reader, I initially honed in on the questions that mattered to me: What did Eliza have to say about béchamel? Did her illustrations of antique jelly moulds feature the one that was passed down to me from my great grandmother (a glass intricate rabbit design)? Was I about to find the perfect Nougat recipe after searching for so long?
Even better (and one hopes will always happen when opening a book), I found fascinating things that I wasn't looking for: How exactly do you pickle limes (something I've always wanted to know since I read Little Women... they must have been very popular at the time as Eliza has written 'excellent' after the 'To pickle limes' heading)? Could Eliza make a better coffee than me (as a coffee nut I doubted this and certainly didn't like the look of the 'Percolator with Spirit Lamp')? And, was Eliza's Christmas Pudding recipe really as good as everyone says (really, since reading this book I've found loads of current writers saying it's the only Christmas Pudding they'd ever make)?

What questions will this book make you ask? I'd love to hear about your finds. Enjoy.

*The rating isn't for the recipes (looking at it as a cook today) but for the history (looking at it as a book and history lover)

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honesty first: No, I did not read the entire cookbook cover to cover. BUT I did delve into all sorts of recipes that I want to try. As with any other cookbook on my shelves, this becomes a reference book to be consulted as need and curiosity demand.

I'm glad I could still find this in print as it is the perfect companion for Miss Eliza's English Kitchen, which is an historical fiction. I loved being able to directly read the words written by Eliza Acton. Published in 1822, this cookbook put cooking and baking into the hands of families themselves - especially those who could not afford servants, but could afford the ingredients. Especially all the exotic ingredients coming into England from the trading companies - tropical fruits, spices... Acton taught a nation how to cook well for themselves. She was also an activist demanding good ingredients for all, sustainable cooking practices, reduction of waste, and cleanliness practices in the kitchen. Read her preface, which reads like a manifesto!

[Just_me · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love old cookbooks and this one didn't fail me. I'll have to try a few of these out on my family.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always fun to peruse old cookbooks. This one in particular is unique in that Eliza Acton was the first to add measurements to her recipes!

[Ingrid]

Mentioned in At Home by Bill Bryson. Thought of as the first real cookbook. "It was the first book to give exact measurements and cooking times, and it became the work on which all cookbooks since have been, almost always unwittingly, modeled."

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're interested in the history of anglo cookery this is great. It's one of the first cookbooks ever published, with recipes that you can still follow today. You could intrigue your guests - with fish stuffed with veal!