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Dinner with
Dinner with Mr Darcy: Recipes inspired by the novels and letters of Jane Austen
Food is an important theme in Jane Austen's novels-it is used as a commodity for showing off, as a way of showing kindliness among neighbors, as part of the dynamics of family life, and-of course-for comic effect. In Dinner with Mr Darcy, Pen Vogler takes authentic recipes from the period, inspired by the food that features in Austen's novels and letters, and adapts them for contemporary cooks. The text is interwoven throughout with quotes from the novels, and feature spreads cover some of the key themes of food and eating in Austen's time, including table arrangements, kitchens and gardens, changing mealtimes, and servants and service. Whether you are hoping to beguile a single gentleman in possession of a substantial fortune, or you just want to have your own version of the picnic on Box Hill in Emma, you will find fully updated recipes using easily available ingredients to help you recreate the dishes and dining experiences of Jane Austen's characters and their contemporaries.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2013
3 people are currently reading
849 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
April 22, 2015
This cookbook is more than a cookbook. It's a social history, commentary on Jane Austen's novels and a cookbook. I appreciate the author including the original period recipes as well as modern adaptations. I also really like how she includes meals for different times of the day AND social classes as well as the history behind it. The full color photos are stunning. I can't wait to try out some of the recipes as soon as our oven is fixed! I may upgrade to 5 stars if the recipes are easy enough to follow.;
December 22, 2014
Imagine eating white soup with Mr. Darcy, roast pork with Miss Bates, or scones with Mr. Collins! Just thinking of those dishes transports me back into the scenes in Jane Austen’s novels and makes me smile. In Dinner with Mr. Darcy, food historian Pen Vogler examines Austen’s use of food in her writing, researches ancient Georgian recipes, converting them for the modern cook.
Even though Austen is not known for her descriptive writing, food is an important theme in her stories, speaking for her if you know how to listen. Every time we dine with characters, or food is mentioned, it relays an important fact that Austen wants us to note: wealth and station, poverty and charity, and of course comedy. While poor Mr. Woodhouse frets over wedding cake in Emma, Mr. Bingley offers white soup to his guests at Netherfield Park in Pride and Prejudice, and Aunt Norris lifts the supernumerary jellies after the ball in Mansfield Park, we are offered insights into their characters and their social station.
In Austen’s letter she writes to her sister Cassandra about many domestic matters: clothes, social gatherings and food. When she mentions orange wine, apple pie and sponge cake we know it is of importance to her.
“I hope you had not a disagreeable evening with Miss Austen and her niece. You know how interesting the purchase of a sponge-cake is to me.” – Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra, 15 June 1808
Vogler has combed Austen’s novels, letters and juvenilia pulling out dishes and researching them in contemporary cookbooks from the Georgian era. The sections are cleverly arranged: Breakfast with General Tilney; Mrs. Bennet’s Dinner to Impress; Pork and Apples: An Autumn Dinner with the Bateses; Jane’s Family Favorites; The Picnic Parade; Tea and Cake; The Ball at Netherfield; An Old-fashioned Supper for Mr. Woodhouse; Christmas with the Musgroves and Other Celebrations; Gifts, Drinks, and Preserves for Friends and the Sick at Heart. The recipes have been converted for the modern cook and look sumptuous from the numerous full-color pictures. I am dying to try Sally Lunn Cakes, a recipe from the famous bakery and tea shop in Bath, everlasting syllabub, ragout veal, Mrs. Austen’s pudding, rout cakes, white soup, flummery and many others. Several of the recipes have been adapted from Martha Lloyds household cookbook, Jane’s dear friend and confidante, who lived with the widowed Mrs. Austen and her daughters from 1807 until her marriage to Jane’s widowed elder brother Sir Francis Austen in 1823 at the age of 62! The bibliography in the back is also a great resource for those interested in Georgian cooking and its history.
While there are other scholarly books devoted to Georgian cooking focusing on Jane Austen such as The Jane Austen Cookbook, by Maggie Black and Deidre Le Faye (1995) and Jane Austen and Food, by Maggie Lane (1995), which we will be reviewing next month, Dinner with Mr. Darcy will appeal to the average cook who wants to experience what Austen and her characters ate and enjoyed, and discover why Austen’s choice of food and dining was so important to the plot development. The recipes are both simple and elaborate and the ingredients are available to most, even in the colonies! So if you are ready for your own picnic at Box Hill or supper at Pemberley, bon appetite!
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
Even though Austen is not known for her descriptive writing, food is an important theme in her stories, speaking for her if you know how to listen. Every time we dine with characters, or food is mentioned, it relays an important fact that Austen wants us to note: wealth and station, poverty and charity, and of course comedy. While poor Mr. Woodhouse frets over wedding cake in Emma, Mr. Bingley offers white soup to his guests at Netherfield Park in Pride and Prejudice, and Aunt Norris lifts the supernumerary jellies after the ball in Mansfield Park, we are offered insights into their characters and their social station.
In Austen’s letter she writes to her sister Cassandra about many domestic matters: clothes, social gatherings and food. When she mentions orange wine, apple pie and sponge cake we know it is of importance to her.
“I hope you had not a disagreeable evening with Miss Austen and her niece. You know how interesting the purchase of a sponge-cake is to me.” – Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra, 15 June 1808
Vogler has combed Austen’s novels, letters and juvenilia pulling out dishes and researching them in contemporary cookbooks from the Georgian era. The sections are cleverly arranged: Breakfast with General Tilney; Mrs. Bennet’s Dinner to Impress; Pork and Apples: An Autumn Dinner with the Bateses; Jane’s Family Favorites; The Picnic Parade; Tea and Cake; The Ball at Netherfield; An Old-fashioned Supper for Mr. Woodhouse; Christmas with the Musgroves and Other Celebrations; Gifts, Drinks, and Preserves for Friends and the Sick at Heart. The recipes have been converted for the modern cook and look sumptuous from the numerous full-color pictures. I am dying to try Sally Lunn Cakes, a recipe from the famous bakery and tea shop in Bath, everlasting syllabub, ragout veal, Mrs. Austen’s pudding, rout cakes, white soup, flummery and many others. Several of the recipes have been adapted from Martha Lloyds household cookbook, Jane’s dear friend and confidante, who lived with the widowed Mrs. Austen and her daughters from 1807 until her marriage to Jane’s widowed elder brother Sir Francis Austen in 1823 at the age of 62! The bibliography in the back is also a great resource for those interested in Georgian cooking and its history.
While there are other scholarly books devoted to Georgian cooking focusing on Jane Austen such as The Jane Austen Cookbook, by Maggie Black and Deidre Le Faye (1995) and Jane Austen and Food, by Maggie Lane (1995), which we will be reviewing next month, Dinner with Mr. Darcy will appeal to the average cook who wants to experience what Austen and her characters ate and enjoyed, and discover why Austen’s choice of food and dining was so important to the plot development. The recipes are both simple and elaborate and the ingredients are available to most, even in the colonies! So if you are ready for your own picnic at Box Hill or supper at Pemberley, bon appetite!
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
February 4, 2024
Enjoyable, informative, and practical! Beautifully illustrated, too, and attractively made. Good paper, nice size. Opens well and stays open when you place it on the kitchen counter.
My only quibble is, again, a design quibble: the book includes charming examples of the original, historical recipes on which its recipes are based, but they are printed in an oddly illegible cursive that's probably meant to look as if they were hand-written. Nice idea, but you know the problem with hand-written recipes – you alway end up ringing Granny, or Mummy, or whoever, to ask what it actually says because you can't read it!
My only quibble is, again, a design quibble: the book includes charming examples of the original, historical recipes on which its recipes are based, but they are printed in an oddly illegible cursive that's probably meant to look as if they were hand-written. Nice idea, but you know the problem with hand-written recipes – you alway end up ringing Granny, or Mummy, or whoever, to ask what it actually says because you can't read it!
May 3, 2025
Despite its hokey title and cover, this has turned out to be the most useful of the Jane Austen cookbooks I have been perusing. A happy medium between the historically solid but photo-lacking
Jane Austen's Cookbook
(1995) and the elegantly designed but ahistorical
Jane Austen's Table
(2021), Dinner with Mr. Darcy (2013) offers lovely food photography and recipes derived from period sources: both from (Austen sister-in-law) Martha Lloyd's manuscript collection and from a handful of cookbooks from the 18th and 19th centuries. The original recipes are also printed, which makes for a fun comparison and a fascinating window into historical cuisine.
Continuing to plan my party for Jane Austen's 250th and having already found almost enough to form a complete menu in The Jane Austen Cookbook, I ended up more drawn the recipes in this book because of how much easier it is to envision a dish when offered a photo.
The drawback of this book is that its whole design (apart from the photos) feels inelegant and cluttered. Original recipes are printed in a faux old-fashioned script that is hard to read, and the motifs inside the book, like the chandelier and champagne table on the cover, seem only vaguely historical, too fussy, and highly fanciful—more like a bad interpretation of Victorian aesthetics mingled with some kind of imaginary French fru-fru and a dash of shabby chic than evoking any element of Georgian or even Regency taste.
I prefer the sleek black-and-white aesthetic of the 1995 cookbook or the more tasteful full-color layout of the 2021 one. The poor design and embarrassing title spare me the temptation of wanting to purchase Dinner with Mr. Darcy, but it is otherwise an excellently conceived and eminently usable cookbook.
Continuing to plan my party for Jane Austen's 250th and having already found almost enough to form a complete menu in The Jane Austen Cookbook, I ended up more drawn the recipes in this book because of how much easier it is to envision a dish when offered a photo.
The drawback of this book is that its whole design (apart from the photos) feels inelegant and cluttered. Original recipes are printed in a faux old-fashioned script that is hard to read, and the motifs inside the book, like the chandelier and champagne table on the cover, seem only vaguely historical, too fussy, and highly fanciful—more like a bad interpretation of Victorian aesthetics mingled with some kind of imaginary French fru-fru and a dash of shabby chic than evoking any element of Georgian or even Regency taste.
I prefer the sleek black-and-white aesthetic of the 1995 cookbook or the more tasteful full-color layout of the 2021 one. The poor design and embarrassing title spare me the temptation of wanting to purchase Dinner with Mr. Darcy, but it is otherwise an excellently conceived and eminently usable cookbook.
August 29, 2022
I read this for fun, and not for the recipes; I learned a great deal about cooking in the late Regency Era. (As an aside, the YouTube series The Victorian Way by English Heritage is another a fun and educational way to learn about previous methods of cookery.) That being said, The recipes looked fairly straightforward. The author modernized the recipes and included photos for most, as well as the original receipts. But I cannot testify to the flavor of the food, though no doubt it would have been usual fare back then and thus strange to our palates today, so perhaps it is just as well I did not try any of the recipes.
The book also did an excellent job explaining the context of the food; when it would have been served and to whom, as well as where in her novels Austen mentioned it (or something like it; food has a minimal but important role in her novels, Emma and Pride and Prejudice for example).
The book also did an excellent job explaining the context of the food; when it would have been served and to whom, as well as where in her novels Austen mentioned it (or something like it; food has a minimal but important role in her novels, Emma and Pride and Prejudice for example).
February 26, 2024
Jane Austen wrote & published most of her works during the Regency Period (1811-1820) & this book gives us a snapshot of the type of food that those who were quite well off would have been eating in this period. With recipes taken from the time, alongside quotations & short sections on different aspects of Georgian dining, this is a pleasant accompaniment to Austen's novels.
I enjoyed leafing through this one evening although it left me feeling a bit peckish. I quite liked the sound of syllabub (basically whipped cream flavoured with sherry or wine & fruit), & Bath buns, but being vegetarian, I wasn't so enamoured of the 'sweetbreads' or 'ox cheeks' recipes. Yuck! One thing that really stood out to me though was how late into the evening/night they would eat - sometimes 1am. Seems like a recipe for indigestion & acid reflux to me. It's a light, fun read but I'm not sure that I will be attempting any of the recipes.
I enjoyed leafing through this one evening although it left me feeling a bit peckish. I quite liked the sound of syllabub (basically whipped cream flavoured with sherry or wine & fruit), & Bath buns, but being vegetarian, I wasn't so enamoured of the 'sweetbreads' or 'ox cheeks' recipes. Yuck! One thing that really stood out to me though was how late into the evening/night they would eat - sometimes 1am. Seems like a recipe for indigestion & acid reflux to me. It's a light, fun read but I'm not sure that I will be attempting any of the recipes.
May 11, 2022
a great historically accurate cookbook what a joy to see these recipes.
July 13, 2025
I don’t think I’ll use many if any of these recipes but I did learn some things about Jane Austen. I also think the author did a good job connecting the foods to Austen’s various books
September 17, 2018
Jane Austen kreierte eine Welt der Romantik und Poesie, in der Charaktere mit Humor und Feingefühl durchleuchtet wurden. In "Dinner mit Mr. Darcy" begegnen wir diesen liebenswerten Romanhelden und werden in ihre kulinarische Welt entführt. Kochbuchautorin Pen Vogler sammelte dafür einfache und geschmackvolle Rezepte, die großartig zum Nachkochen sind. Zudem erhalten wir Einblicke in Jane Austens wahres Leben: präzise Kochanleitungen von ihren 60 Lieblingsspeisen, festgehalten in privaten Briefen an Freunde und Familie...(Klappentext)
✾✾✾✾✾
Und dieser Klappentext hält was er verspricht. Man öffnet das Buch und taucht ein in die Welt Jane Austens.
"Das Picknick am Box Hill in 'Emma', Mrs. Bennet, die stolz auf ein gut gebratenes Stück Wild ist, ein Stück Stachelbeertorte für die müde, heimwehkranke Fanny Price - in Jane Austens Romanen und Briefen wird üppig aufgetischt. Abendgesellschaften und Picknicks erzählen von der Herzlichkeit ihrer Figuren, dem nachbarlichen Miteinander, den Ambitionen und Ängsten und von der besonderen Rolle, die das Essen in der vornehmen englischen Gesellschaft der georgianischen Zeit spielte. Mithilfe einiger zeitgenössischer Kochbücher geben uns Jane Austens Werke eine Kostprobe des Lebens jener Zeit."
(S. 7 - Anfang)
Diese "Kostproben" nehmen uns mit in Jane Austens Romane in denen Emma die English Muffins, sehr zum Unmut von Mr. Woodhouse, ein zweites Mal anbietet, Mrs. Bennet ihren Gästen Wildbraten anbietet, um zu zeigen, dass sie Freunde mit einem Wildgehege und eine hervorragende Köchin hat oder die Weiße Suppe, welche ebenfalls in "Stolz und Vorurteil" erwähnt wird.
Doch auch die Lieblingsgerichte von Jane Austen finden hier Erwähnung, wie z.B.: Kalbsragout, Mrs. Austens Pudding, Geschmorte Ochsenbacke, etc., sowie viele andere köstliche Gerichte dieser Zeit.
Diese Rezepte werden alle mit einer kleinen Geschichte eingeleitet, um einen auf das Gericht einzustimmen.
Ebenso enthalten alle Rezepte Auszüge aus Original-Kochbüchern wie z.B. "The Experienced English Housekeeper von 1769, Martha Lloyds Haushaltsbuch oder aus Briefen und die meisten Rezepte werden von stimmungsvollen Bildern begleitet, welche einem das Wasser im Mund zusammenlaufen lassen.
Inhaltsangabe der Rezepte:
Frühstück mit General Tilney ("Northanger Abbey")
Mrs. Bennet möchte mit einem Dinner Eindruck machen ("Stolz und Vorurteil")
Schweinebraten und Äpfel - ein herbstliches Dinner mit Mutter und Tochter Bates ("Emma")
Lieblingsgerichte von Jane Austens Familie
Picknickgenuss unter freiem Himmel ("Emma")
Tee und Kuchen ("Mansfield Park")
Der Ball in Netherfield ("Stolz und Vorurteil")
Ein altmodisches Nachtmahl für Mr. Woodhouse und seine Gäste ("Emma")
Weihnachten mit den Musgroves und andere Feste ("Überredung")
Geschenke, Getränke und Eingemachtes für Freunde und Schwermütige ("Verstand und Gefühl")
Es gibt hier aufwendige, wie auch einfache Rezepte zu finden, aber alle sind durchaus leicht umzusetzen.
Von mir probiert und für gut befunden:
Zitronen-Käsekuchen
Olivers Biskuits
Doch dieses Kochbuch enthält nicht nur Rezepte, sondern auch Geschichtliches über die damalige Zeit, wie z.B.: die ungewöhnlichen Essenszeiten der höheren Gesellschaft, damit sie sich sogar hierbei von der Mittelschicht abheben können, Tisch-Arrangements und Menüfolge, welche sich für uns heutzutage äußerst skurril anhören, über das Personal und die damaligen Küchen und Küchengärten und vieles mehr.
Das Cover finde ich wunderschön und sehr passend, zudem ist das Buch in Leinen gebunden und daher schon etwas ganz besonderes zwischen all den Kochbüchern. Kurz gesagt - es ist ein wahres Schmuckstück und wenn man schon nicht daraus kocht, lädt es doch zum Schmökern ein und lässt einen in die Küchen der georgianischen Zeit sehen.
Fazit:
Eines meiner Schmuckstücke zwischen all meinen Kochbüchern, welches nicht nur Rezepte aus Jane Austens Romanen aufgreift, sondern auch Lieblingsrezepte der berühmten Autorin enthält, sowie interessante historische Einblicke in die damalige Zeit. Beim Schmökern bekommt man richtig Lust ein kleines Fest à la Mrs. Bennet zu veranstalten, einen Jane Austen-Club zu gründen und hin und wieder ein kleines Cosplay zu veranstalten bei dem kleine Speisen kredenzt werden. Meiner Meinung ist dieses Kochbuch ein MUSS für alle Jane Austen- und auch Vintage-Liebhaber!
© Pink Anemone
✾✾✾✾✾
Und dieser Klappentext hält was er verspricht. Man öffnet das Buch und taucht ein in die Welt Jane Austens.
"Das Picknick am Box Hill in 'Emma', Mrs. Bennet, die stolz auf ein gut gebratenes Stück Wild ist, ein Stück Stachelbeertorte für die müde, heimwehkranke Fanny Price - in Jane Austens Romanen und Briefen wird üppig aufgetischt. Abendgesellschaften und Picknicks erzählen von der Herzlichkeit ihrer Figuren, dem nachbarlichen Miteinander, den Ambitionen und Ängsten und von der besonderen Rolle, die das Essen in der vornehmen englischen Gesellschaft der georgianischen Zeit spielte. Mithilfe einiger zeitgenössischer Kochbücher geben uns Jane Austens Werke eine Kostprobe des Lebens jener Zeit."
(S. 7 - Anfang)
Diese "Kostproben" nehmen uns mit in Jane Austens Romane in denen Emma die English Muffins, sehr zum Unmut von Mr. Woodhouse, ein zweites Mal anbietet, Mrs. Bennet ihren Gästen Wildbraten anbietet, um zu zeigen, dass sie Freunde mit einem Wildgehege und eine hervorragende Köchin hat oder die Weiße Suppe, welche ebenfalls in "Stolz und Vorurteil" erwähnt wird.
Doch auch die Lieblingsgerichte von Jane Austen finden hier Erwähnung, wie z.B.: Kalbsragout, Mrs. Austens Pudding, Geschmorte Ochsenbacke, etc., sowie viele andere köstliche Gerichte dieser Zeit.
Diese Rezepte werden alle mit einer kleinen Geschichte eingeleitet, um einen auf das Gericht einzustimmen.
Ebenso enthalten alle Rezepte Auszüge aus Original-Kochbüchern wie z.B. "The Experienced English Housekeeper von 1769, Martha Lloyds Haushaltsbuch oder aus Briefen und die meisten Rezepte werden von stimmungsvollen Bildern begleitet, welche einem das Wasser im Mund zusammenlaufen lassen.
Inhaltsangabe der Rezepte:
Frühstück mit General Tilney ("Northanger Abbey")
Mrs. Bennet möchte mit einem Dinner Eindruck machen ("Stolz und Vorurteil")
Schweinebraten und Äpfel - ein herbstliches Dinner mit Mutter und Tochter Bates ("Emma")
Lieblingsgerichte von Jane Austens Familie
Picknickgenuss unter freiem Himmel ("Emma")
Tee und Kuchen ("Mansfield Park")
Der Ball in Netherfield ("Stolz und Vorurteil")
Ein altmodisches Nachtmahl für Mr. Woodhouse und seine Gäste ("Emma")
Weihnachten mit den Musgroves und andere Feste ("Überredung")
Geschenke, Getränke und Eingemachtes für Freunde und Schwermütige ("Verstand und Gefühl")
Es gibt hier aufwendige, wie auch einfache Rezepte zu finden, aber alle sind durchaus leicht umzusetzen.
Von mir probiert und für gut befunden:
Zitronen-Käsekuchen
Olivers Biskuits
Doch dieses Kochbuch enthält nicht nur Rezepte, sondern auch Geschichtliches über die damalige Zeit, wie z.B.: die ungewöhnlichen Essenszeiten der höheren Gesellschaft, damit sie sich sogar hierbei von der Mittelschicht abheben können, Tisch-Arrangements und Menüfolge, welche sich für uns heutzutage äußerst skurril anhören, über das Personal und die damaligen Küchen und Küchengärten und vieles mehr.
Das Cover finde ich wunderschön und sehr passend, zudem ist das Buch in Leinen gebunden und daher schon etwas ganz besonderes zwischen all den Kochbüchern. Kurz gesagt - es ist ein wahres Schmuckstück und wenn man schon nicht daraus kocht, lädt es doch zum Schmökern ein und lässt einen in die Küchen der georgianischen Zeit sehen.
Fazit:
Eines meiner Schmuckstücke zwischen all meinen Kochbüchern, welches nicht nur Rezepte aus Jane Austens Romanen aufgreift, sondern auch Lieblingsrezepte der berühmten Autorin enthält, sowie interessante historische Einblicke in die damalige Zeit. Beim Schmökern bekommt man richtig Lust ein kleines Fest à la Mrs. Bennet zu veranstalten, einen Jane Austen-Club zu gründen und hin und wieder ein kleines Cosplay zu veranstalten bei dem kleine Speisen kredenzt werden. Meiner Meinung ist dieses Kochbuch ein MUSS für alle Jane Austen- und auch Vintage-Liebhaber!
© Pink Anemone
January 14, 2026
Recipes from Jane Austen!! Extremely fun book, with so many interesting details, to say nothing of the recipes - it really makes you live out Jane Austen's life and novels differently, and I loved how the excerpts from Austen's books and letters were combined with the recipes. Having previously enjoyed Wilma Paterson's "Lord Byron's Relish," which lifted recipes from Lord Byron's works, I just had to read this one too of course once I came across it. This was such a delight! I was completely immersed in it, and have learnt loads.
February 18, 2022
An absolute must-have as a companion to all the Jane Austen novels!
March 3, 2026
I cannot for the life of me imagine Mr. Darcy eating a marzipan hedgehog, but, nevertheless, it is the cutest thing I have ever seen and I will attempt to make it asap!!
February 15, 2020
If you know me, you know how much I love Jane Austen. It is just one of a few of the stereotypes of being an English major that I inhabit. From the Pride and Prejudice movie to owning multiple copies of the same book, I can’t seem to get away from those classics.
So of course, it is natural for me to find a cookbook based on Jane Austen novels and her letters. CICO books were lovely and offered to send me the cookbook Dinner with Mr. Darcy by Pen Vogler in exchange for an honest review.
Pen Vogler has written about food history for the press and edited Penguin’s Great Food series. She has recreated recipes from the past for BBC television and is the author of Dinner with Mr. Darcy, Tea with Jane Austen, and Dinner with Dickens. From the detail of the cover to the gold letter lining, I am obsessed. It is a cookbook that I want to both display on my shelves and also use constantly. Inside the cookbook contains many updated recipes for authentic 19th-century dishes along with excerpts from Jane Austen’s novels and photos.
Check out my blog post where I made one of the recipes from the cookbook!
http://thereallilycooper.com/dinner-w...
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7qmuXHgLx7/
So of course, it is natural for me to find a cookbook based on Jane Austen novels and her letters. CICO books were lovely and offered to send me the cookbook Dinner with Mr. Darcy by Pen Vogler in exchange for an honest review.
Pen Vogler has written about food history for the press and edited Penguin’s Great Food series. She has recreated recipes from the past for BBC television and is the author of Dinner with Mr. Darcy, Tea with Jane Austen, and Dinner with Dickens. From the detail of the cover to the gold letter lining, I am obsessed. It is a cookbook that I want to both display on my shelves and also use constantly. Inside the cookbook contains many updated recipes for authentic 19th-century dishes along with excerpts from Jane Austen’s novels and photos.
Check out my blog post where I made one of the recipes from the cookbook!
http://thereallilycooper.com/dinner-w...
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7qmuXHgLx7/
February 11, 2022
Well researched, I loved the collection of old recipes that were shared, set into place by referencing Jane Austen's novels, and where these different dishes might have appeared. I also enjoyed the educational parts about serving, dining, and the social customs around those that were normal at the time.
I found the modern versions of recipes sometimes good, but sometimes disappointing, in that when compared to the original version of the recipe, it seemed that something was left out (quite often hard egg yolks were left out) and it seemed for no purpose, because they involved ingredients that would still be common in our day. I understood when there were amendments due to the greater difficulty in attaining ingredients.
There were many instances of words from the old recipes being used without being explained or defined, and I found that a bit confusing, but there were a few instances of learning new terms that I did appreciate.
Overall, I thought it was a mixed bag for the actual recipes, but great as a collection of the original recipes.
I found the modern versions of recipes sometimes good, but sometimes disappointing, in that when compared to the original version of the recipe, it seemed that something was left out (quite often hard egg yolks were left out) and it seemed for no purpose, because they involved ingredients that would still be common in our day. I understood when there were amendments due to the greater difficulty in attaining ingredients.
There were many instances of words from the old recipes being used without being explained or defined, and I found that a bit confusing, but there were a few instances of learning new terms that I did appreciate.
Overall, I thought it was a mixed bag for the actual recipes, but great as a collection of the original recipes.
December 21, 2020
This had good potential but is rather poorly executed. The text does not flow very well, the use of paragraphs is confusing, and the font used for historical recipes is hard to read for anyone who is not used to reading cursive handwriting.
Many of the recipes are unnecessary modernised. However, as the historical predecessors are often included, one can choose to which degree to digress from the original.
Despite all this, I found it entertaining, and someone who is not as keen on making things from scratch (unnecessary complicated for themselves), would probably enjoy this more than I did.
Many of the recipes are unnecessary modernised. However, as the historical predecessors are often included, one can choose to which degree to digress from the original.
Despite all this, I found it entertaining, and someone who is not as keen on making things from scratch (unnecessary complicated for themselves), would probably enjoy this more than I did.
April 7, 2023
I picked this up at a library sale, because I enjoy cooking and because Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite books. It's an interesting idea... snippets of Georgian food history interspersed with examples from Austen's novels, and modernised recipes contrasted with their contemporary inspirations. (I now know what a peck of flour is, but there's no way I'm beating a sponge batter for an hour, sorry.) There are quite a few things here that I wouldn't mind making, although the terrifying marzipan hedgehog isn't one of them, and I note that the author clearly recommends that readers don't sit it in a sea of jelly, as the original cook instructed - though I'm curious to know what disaster would occur!
One thing did irritate me a bit, which dropped the book down a half-star. The original recipes are all in this thin, handwritten font, and I understand it's a stylistic choice, but screw that: one of the reasons type has become so predominant is that it's easily readable. If a font choice slows me down, and this one does, I end up annoyed by it. Still, I suppose I never planned to try the original recipes anyway... but I've always wanted to give caudle a go. I don't know why, it strikes me as something which sounds quite revolting, sort of a boozy porridge drink for invalids, but it's just weird enough I want to try it. Not weird like the hedgehog, though. That's one disgusting marzipan step too far.
One thing did irritate me a bit, which dropped the book down a half-star. The original recipes are all in this thin, handwritten font, and I understand it's a stylistic choice, but screw that: one of the reasons type has become so predominant is that it's easily readable. If a font choice slows me down, and this one does, I end up annoyed by it. Still, I suppose I never planned to try the original recipes anyway... but I've always wanted to give caudle a go. I don't know why, it strikes me as something which sounds quite revolting, sort of a boozy porridge drink for invalids, but it's just weird enough I want to try it. Not weird like the hedgehog, though. That's one disgusting marzipan step too far.
July 17, 2020
I am a huge Austen fan so I do say this with love and respect to the author:
The recipes were awesome and historically accurate but it’s when the author tried to nervously insert herself (with an obvious love of Austen) that things felt disconnected and strange. When the author spoke about the history of the food and society (minus Austen quotes that sometimes felt forced) she was great.
I think the issue was with the editor but aside from that, if you are a fan of Austen and the Gastronomy of the Georgian Era, you need to pick this up.
The recipes were awesome and historically accurate but it’s when the author tried to nervously insert herself (with an obvious love of Austen) that things felt disconnected and strange. When the author spoke about the history of the food and society (minus Austen quotes that sometimes felt forced) she was great.
I think the issue was with the editor but aside from that, if you are a fan of Austen and the Gastronomy of the Georgian Era, you need to pick this up.
December 5, 2020
An excellent collection of Regency era dishes, modernized to be made in today's kitchen, along with some descriptions of when different Jane Austen characters or her family ate the dishes. I would have liked more of the history sections about food in this time period, but overall the perfect cookbook for the Jane Austin enthusiast who wants to try and replicate a dish or a meal mentioned in the books.
February 11, 2026
Super excited to try some of these recipes, and really enjoyed the work the author put into the history/book passages of this book. One that I checked out from the library to try some new recipes and will be acquiring a copy of for home at some point for sure.
November 20, 2019
Really interesting look at what the food mentioned in Austen's novels (and letters) tells us about Georgian/Regency social status and other issues. I sense a fun book club event :)
January 2, 2021
I found this interesting and might be fun for a dinner party.
January 16, 2021
Enjoyed the linen cover, photos, bits of history and research, and recipes that strike the right balance between the familiar and the new! (Typos were really distracting though. :-| )
May 17, 2022
I enjoy books like this. Even if I may not make any it many recipes, I love the nuggets of history and info sprinkled throughout.
August 10, 2022
Beautiful Book. Interesting Historical context. Some of recipes look a bit more difficult than I'm willing to try. Loved the Seasonal Menus.
December 27, 2022
More than a cookbook- a history and lens through which to view Austen and her work! I will be in need of four partridges to make Mr. Woodhouse’s favorite dinner.
February 22, 2023
La fantasía que es tener este libro
(Pd: no sabía que se podían añadir libros famosillos de cocina al reto de lectura. A ver si este año consigo de segunda mano los de Outlander y ya soy feliz).
(Pd: no sabía que se podían añadir libros famosillos de cocina al reto de lectura. A ver si este año consigo de segunda mano los de Outlander y ya soy feliz).
February 24, 2023
I guess I just don't like English food
September 29, 2014
What delicious, delightful fun!! Calling all Jane Austen fans, this is a great book whether used as a cookbook or a companion to her books.
My mom loves to feed people and is a very giving person. On a visit to my home some months ago, she presented me with a package of beef cheeks which I promptly put in the freezer to keep until I found out what on earth to do with them. She knows I love to cook and to try new things, so she knew this would be something I was interested in. I kept telling myself that I needed to find a good recipe and pull them out and cook them. Imagine my delight and surprise when I found the recipe for 'Braised Beef Cheek' in this book! Not really knowing what to expect, I dove right in. The directions were so clear and easy to follow that pretty soon it was simmering in my oven. Now, my kids are not the most adventurous eaters in the world, but even they thoroughly enjoyed this dish! I was a little nervous about the allspice--NOT a spice I would normally use in a meat and vegetable dish--but it just gave it a light flavor on the back end of the bite that was very pleasant. The beef cheeks were fork tender and I would definitely make this again!!
Make your own 'White Soup' as they did for the Ball at Netherfield in Pride & Prejudice, or 'Plum Cake' from Mrs. Weston's wedding in Emma. The recipes are easy to follow and there aren't many hard-to-find ingredients that a substitute hasn't been given for.
Anyone who loves Jane Austen, or wants food from that period should love this book. I find it delightful and highly recommend it!
I received a copy of this book from Ryland Peters for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
My mom loves to feed people and is a very giving person. On a visit to my home some months ago, she presented me with a package of beef cheeks which I promptly put in the freezer to keep until I found out what on earth to do with them. She knows I love to cook and to try new things, so she knew this would be something I was interested in. I kept telling myself that I needed to find a good recipe and pull them out and cook them. Imagine my delight and surprise when I found the recipe for 'Braised Beef Cheek' in this book! Not really knowing what to expect, I dove right in. The directions were so clear and easy to follow that pretty soon it was simmering in my oven. Now, my kids are not the most adventurous eaters in the world, but even they thoroughly enjoyed this dish! I was a little nervous about the allspice--NOT a spice I would normally use in a meat and vegetable dish--but it just gave it a light flavor on the back end of the bite that was very pleasant. The beef cheeks were fork tender and I would definitely make this again!!
Make your own 'White Soup' as they did for the Ball at Netherfield in Pride & Prejudice, or 'Plum Cake' from Mrs. Weston's wedding in Emma. The recipes are easy to follow and there aren't many hard-to-find ingredients that a substitute hasn't been given for.
Anyone who loves Jane Austen, or wants food from that period should love this book. I find it delightful and highly recommend it!
I received a copy of this book from Ryland Peters for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 18, 2019
This is a delightful recipe book perfect for any Jane Austen fan. Volger has adapted traditional Georgian recipes and given them a modern twist and accessibility. Each recipe is inspired from either a passage in an Austen novel or plucked from one of her letters. She also uses the original recipes from popular cookbooks published in the eighteenth-century as a reference.
I love how each section of the book is dedicated to a particular passage from an Austen novel. However, I must admit that some of the recipes are more agreeable and pleasant than others...
As a lover of deer and a vegetarian, I am not at all tempted to make venison but I am interested in the sweet foods such as plum cake, strawberry tartlets and gooseberry tarts!
We're also provided with a history on certain dining traditions and forms of etiquette. I thoroughly enjoyed this cookbook and I definitely want to try making the marzipan hedgehog which is just too cute for words 🌸💕🍥🎂👒🌷
I love how each section of the book is dedicated to a particular passage from an Austen novel. However, I must admit that some of the recipes are more agreeable and pleasant than others...
As a lover of deer and a vegetarian, I am not at all tempted to make venison but I am interested in the sweet foods such as plum cake, strawberry tartlets and gooseberry tarts!
We're also provided with a history on certain dining traditions and forms of etiquette. I thoroughly enjoyed this cookbook and I definitely want to try making the marzipan hedgehog which is just too cute for words 🌸💕🍥🎂👒🌷
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