ISABELLA BEETON

This almost forgotten classic text of Victorian middle-class identity offers advice on fashion, child-care, animal husbandry, poisons, and the management of servants. Alternatively frugal and fashionable, this book highlights the concerns of the growing Victorian middle-class at a key moment in its history.

Isabella Mary Beeton, Nicola HumbleAn almost forgotten classic though a founding text of Victorian middle-class identity,Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management is a volume of insight and common sense. Written by what one might now describe as a Victorian Martha Stewart, the book offers advice on fashion, child-care, animal husbandry, poisons, and the management of servants. To the modern reader expecting stuffy verbosity or heavy moralizing, Beeton's book is a revelation: it explores the foods of Europe and beyond, suggesting new food stuffs and techniques, mixing domestic advice with discussions of science, religion, class, industrialism and gender roles. Alternately frugal and fashionable, anxious and self confident, the book highlights the concerns of the growing Victorian middle-class at a key moment in its history. This abridged edition serves as a cookery book, while documenting a significant aspect of Victorian social and cultural history.

I must frankly own, that if I had known, beforehand, that this book would have cost me the labour which it has, I should never have been courageous enough to commence it. What moved me, in the first instance, to attempt a work like this, was the discomfort and suffering which I had seen brought upon men and women by household mismanagement. I have always thought that there is no more fruitful source of family discontent than a housewifes badly-cooked dinners and untidy ways. Men are now so well served out of doors,at their clubs, well-ordered taverns, and dining-houses, that in order to compete with the attractions of these places, a mistress must be thoroughly acquainted with the theory and practice of cookery, as well as be perfectly conversant with all the other arts of making and keeping a comfortable home.In this book I have attempted to give, under the chapters devoted to cookery, an intelligible arrangement to every recipe, a list of the ingredients, a plain statement of the mode of preparing each dish, and a careful estimate of its cost, the number of people for whom it is sufficient, and the time when it is seasonable. For the matter of the recipes, I am indebted, in some measure, to many correspondents of the "Englishwomans Domestic Magazine," who have obligingly placed at my disposal their formulas for many original preparations. A large private circle has also rendered me considerable service. A diligent study of the works of the best modern writers on cookery was also necessary to the faithful fulfilment of my task. Friends in England, Scotland, Ireland, France, and Germany, have also very materially aided me. I have paid great attention to those recipes which come under the head of "COLD MEAT COOKERY.

Originally published as twenty-four newspaper columns from 1859 to 1861, Mrs. Beetons Book of Household Management is many things, but it is first and foremost a guide to managing a household during the nineteenth century.Beeton wrote, As with the commander of an army, or the leader of any enterprise, so is it with the mistress of a house. Running an extravagant household was a monumental task and a responsibility not to be taken lightly. It meant supervising every employee, from the butler to the laundry-maid to the footman and the wet nurse. It meant managing the safety, happiness, comfort, and well-being of the family.In addition to offering advice on a wide range of domestic topics, this abridged edition of Mrs. Beetons Book of Household Management contains hundreds of original recipes. A compendium of practical information about everything from animal husbandry to child care, this Victorian classic is both fascinating and still useful.Sarah A. Chrisman, author of Victorian Secrets and This Victorian Life provides the foreword, reflecting on how she uses Mrs. Beetons advice on a daily basis.

Firmly of the belief that a home should be run as an efficient military campaign, Mrs Beeton, the doyenne of English cookery, offers timeless tips on selecting cuts of meat, throwing a grand party and hosting a dinner, as well as giving suggestions on staff wages and the cost of each recipe. With such delicious English classics as rabbit pie, carrot soup, baked apple custard, and fresh lemonade - as well as invalids jelly for those days when stewed eels may be a little too much - this is a wonderful collection of food writing from the matriarch of modern housekeeping.

As a nation, there is no denying that we have a sweet tooth - and classic treats such as sherbet fruit drops, Everton toffee, vanilla fudge and chocolate honeycomb, have stood the test of time. MRS BEETONS HOMEMADE SWEETSHOP is a gorgeous and beautifully illustrated recipe book for the home cook, packed with delicious sweet treat ideas for any occasion.All of the recipes have been drawn from Mrs Beetons original BOOK OF HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT meaning that we can all recreate a little bit of Victoriana in our own kitchens. Fully updated for the 21st-century kitchen and combined with sound, modern advice on how to source good food, plus detailed information on ingredients and equipment, this is the go-to mini book for any aspiring or experienced home cook.

The complete guide to British cooking by our most famous cook - fully updated for the twenty-first-century kitchen.Published to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mrs Beetons first publication, the 220 classic British recipes in this stunning collection are taken from the original Book of Household Management and have been updated for the twenty-first-century kitchen. Combined with sound, modern advice on how to source good food, plus detailed information on ingredients and equipment, and illustrations of all the techniques required, this is still the go-to for any aspiring or experienced home cook.