Food In England.

HARTLEY, Dorothy.

$5,500.00

Item Number: 131335

London: Macdonald, 1954.

First edition of this classic work by the social historian Dorothy Hartley, which is both a cookery book and a history of English cuisine. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated with Hartley’s own strong, detailed and lively illustrations. Lengthily signed by the author on the front free endpaper, “D. Hartley. the author- with remembrances of our meetings-at the National!” Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket. Exceptionally rare signed, we trace no other examples.

First published in 1954 and the bible of English cooks ever since, Dorothy Hartley's Food in England has remained a classic. Her love of the infinite variety of English cooking and her knowledge of British culture and history show why our food should never be considered dull or limited. There are unusual dishes such as the Cornish Onion and Apple Pie, and even recipes for fungi, from common field mushrooms to puffballs. She describes some delicious puddings, cakes and breads, including an exotic violet flower ice cream, an eighteenth century coconut bread and Yorkshire teacakes. The finely-executed line drawings that accompany many of the recipes are more than just beautiful; they inform the cook about different varieties and techniques of food-handling. Hailed by Lucy Worsley as "a curious mixture of cookery, history, anthropology, folklore and even magic."