Collins Family Cookery

Additional Details

Description: "Cookery is become an art, a noble science." These words from Robert Burton in the early seventeenth century indicate the fast-growing prestige in the preparation and dressing of food for the table. Royal and enthusiastic recognition of merit in this sphere resulted in the accolade of cordon bleu by Louis XV. We award our accolade to Miss Elizabeth Craig who has produced in Family Cookery a book that will assist both those already versed in the art of cuisine and those whose culinary achievement is of a more modest nature. 

It contains more than 40 chapters, each of which deals with a specific section of the table d'hote treating among others Appetisers, Breakfast Dishes, Soups, Fish, Meat, Game, Poultry, Entrees, Sauces, Salads, Pastries and Desserts. But this representative list of chapter titles is a mere soupcon of the excitement that is to be found in these pages. Caucasian shashlick, indigenous bacon and eggs-dishes are here from the four corners of the world -- to amuse, startle, stimulate and satisfy all palates. Miss Craig has also been thoughtful in supplying French translations where applicable to dishes universally known. 

In addition there are also sections of more specialised application such as those on Invalid Cookery, Buffet Fare, Preserving, Bottling and Canning. The opening chapter of General Information contains a comprehensive summary of cooking terms, as well as the fruits of the author's wide practical experiments in such needful matters as the choice of kitchen furniture and equipment, the economical buying of foods, storing and refrigeration. 

Like all good fare, the whole is succulently garnished. Each chapter is headed by an apposite decoration from the pen of Gordon F. Huntly and there are more than 180 black and white photographic and 18 full colour plates which serve particularly to stress an important facet-attractive presentation. To facilitate quick reference some 4,500 entries have been compiled in a 37 page index. 

Miss Elizabeth Craig is well-known for her wartime work with the Ministry of Food and has contributed numerous articles to many of our best-known magazines and newspapers. Her charming Regency house in Essex contains a large experimental kitchen, illustrated in this book, thus combining as in her 4,700 recipes and variations the best of old and new. 

Family Cookery is an exciting, tantalising but above all practical book that has been compiled for quick reference and as a standard work. 

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Condition: Dust jacket has small tears. Internal binding slightly ripped at page 958. Pages are a lightly rippeled.