Priscilla Hazlehurst in early editions of her book, The Family Friend, refers to having worked for various families. Whoever they were, they were wealthy as you can tell from some of the recipes, as in To spin a Gold Web for covering Sweetmeats and, from a good receipt to pot Lobsters which begins “Take ten good lobsters ...” I am pleased to have found a 7th edition of this scarce book and for those who find themselves with a 30lb turtle in their kitchen and are unsure what to do next, Mrs Hazlehurst gives full details: “When you kill the turtle, which must be the night before, cut off the head, and let it bleed two or three hours; then cut off ...”
Prospect Books have recently published yet more good titles and they are to be found in this catalogue - Persia in Peckham by Sally Butcher, Cooking and Dining in Medieval England by Peter Brears, and a welcome reprint of Culinary Jottings for Madras by Col Kenney-Herbert.
Joseph Smith of High Holborn published in 1838, The New London Cookery by a Lady. Along with culinary recipes, there are household and medicinal ones. I noticed particularly:
“Ointment for the back of a rickety child
Pick a quantity of snails out of their shells, and prick them full of holes; hang them up in a cloth, and place a basin beneath to catch the liquor which drops from them; in this, when enough is obtained, must be boiled an ounce of spermaceti, and half an ounce of powdered mace. With the ointment thus prepared, rub all along the back bone of the child.... etc.” Or not, as you may decide!
I greatly enjoyed browsing The House Book, edited by Dr William Scott, published in 1826 which covers practically everything from medicine, sea-bathing, cookery, health, gardening and has, amongst other things, chapters on washing, shower and vapour-bath, baths of the ancients, the rural industry and economy of the Chinese proposed as an example to all the other nations of the universe, and in a chapter on organic defects, the following table:
Mrs William Parkes' Domestic Duties; or, instructions to young married ladies, on the management of their households and the regulation of their conduct in the various relations and duties of married life, could make a great wedding present! On Temper as connected with social Relationships towards a Husband, Children, Servants and Society, or On the Danger and Disappointment attending a mere Pursuit of Pleasure and Amusement proved a rather good read.
Browsing in the recipes of Christian Macphail's Kitchen Adventures, I was unsure what a guest's reaction might be if I was to serve them:
And the best titled recipe must surely go to the Middle Class Cookery Book compiled and edited for the Manchester School of Domestic Economy and Cookery, 1912, which has a pudding called “General Satisfaction”. Pity this slipped out of usage, sounds rather good too, shortcrust pastry, then jam, then soaked sponge cake, custard, then meringue, decorated with dried cherries and angelica and browned in oven. Sort of a cross between trifle and Queen of Puddings.
Gardeners know that Japanese knotweed is a real problem to get rid of, taking years to kill off. There are tons of the stuff along the railway tracks on the way into Victoria and I recently spent a few days in Southern Ireland and was surprised how often I saw it along roadsides. In a book entitled Wild Foods by Laurence Pringle from this catalogue, I found two recipes for it, a pie and a casserole. No idea what it tastes like but if you have a problem with knotweed, you may care to try them!
Best Way Book No 2 has recipes and hints compiled by housewives of the time (1909). Things like save soap scraps, and rubbing tennis balls on a rough door mat to make them look like new indicated economy measures, as did
Turning to the internet, I know there are now book sites where books can be searched as an alternative to using me! However, I continue to check prices on them and continue to be very competitive in both price and quality. I will be putting some more books onto my website in the next few months. A few of you use me as an intermediary sometimes to buy books for you, I compare what is out there and make sure you don't end up paying too much and I'm always happy to help. But though the internet is an option for finding a single title, for browsing and reading about a wide range of books on food, I continue to be one of the few surviving specialist dealers. If you don't want me to become like the polar bear or similar endangered species, I need your support! While our economy is not at its best, second-hand books continue to be a good way of reasonable spending and of fun collecting.
I hope you enjoy the catalogue and look forward to speaking to you soon.