How to Cook the Victorian Way with Mrs Crocombe

by Annie Gray, Andrew Hann, Kathy Hipperson (Foreword)

How to Cook the Victorian Way is the definitive guide to the life, times and tastes of the world’s favourite Victorian cook. Mrs Crocombe is the breakout star of English Heritage’s wildly popular YouTube series, The Victorian Way. Millions of fans around the globe devour her historical cookery videos, and their hunger for her content shows no sign of abating. The book features authentic do-it-yourself recipes chosen and tested by Dr Annie Gray alongside insights into daily life at Audley End from Andrew Hann, beautiful food photography and a foreword by the ‘face’ of Mrs Crocombe, Kathy Hipperson. It showcases the best recipes from Mrs Crocombe's own book, alongside others of the time, brought together so that every reader can put on their own Victorian meal. It’s a moreish smorgasbord of social history –an absolute must for fans, foodies and anyone with an appetite for the past.

Genres: Cookbooks, History, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Culinary, Historical

Hardcover

Published November 17, 2020

Reviews

[Diana Willemsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lichtelijk verslaafd aan de youtubefilmpjes. En zo blij dat ik geen aantekeningen meer hoef te maken tijdens het kijken!

[Libby E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary coffee table cookbook. You not only get the backstory to the original cookbook,written by a descendant,you get a biography of Avis Croocombe. The recipes are primarily upscale Manor House recipes,although the last chapters deal with Nursery Foods , Invald Foods,and " the poor",which I think of as food for the servantry. Included is a section of translations- salt ,meaning kosher salt.Milk used is always whole. English Tablespoons and teaspoons are larger than their American counterparts. There are already a few recipes I want to modify when trying. Very cool.

[Alyssa Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

For this recipe you will need...
- a dash of historical fact
- love of cooking
- and most importantly, appreciation for the effort that went into making this cookbook

The most perfect blend of history and cooking. I thoroughly enjoyed learning each tidbit about how or why a certain food was prepared, or why it was named that way. There are quite a few recipes I would love to try. Perhaps a Victorian-esque tea party is in order?
And obviously Mrs Crocombe is always big plus.

[C.R. Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than a cook book. This has a wonderful account of historic Audrey End and the servants who kept the place running. I can’t wait to try some of these authentic Victorian dishes

[Annette McIntyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr Annie Gray has produced this wonderful cookbook based on her work on the English Heritage series Cooking the Victorian Way and at Audley End which is a National Trust heritage property where reenactors bring to life the people who lived in the house in the late 1800's.

There are a lot of fantastic recipes and pieces of historical information about people, times, food, and many other items of interest and the best part of the book is the copy of Mrs Avis Crocombe who was head cook at Audley End in this time period.

[Henry B · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute delight from cover to cover.
Having slogged through all 1000+ pages of Mrs Beeton in a state of near-constant bewilderment, I deeply appreciated the notes and modernization on each page of Mrs Crocombe. Everyone who is interested in Victorian cookery, YouTube fan or not, should start here.
Worth every penny and every minute of waiting.

[Rachel Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a holiday present and I loved it! It is half history and half cookbook. I loved learning about the history behind the place that Mrs. Crocombe worked back in the late 1800s and learning about hee as well. Her recipes have been altered for a modern kitchen but they remain Victorian recipes. I can't wait to try them out!!

[Angela Hedworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fascinating! If you like to watch Victoria or Downton Abbey (even The Big British Baking Show), this book is a must! Although I wouldn't eat 99% of these and I'm not interested in cooking them either. The addition of the history, the biography of Mrs. Crocombe was all excellent.

[Steve Kreidler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. There were only a few recipes worth the making, frankly, but the content made for good fun and insights into a modestly wealthy family's food desires in the Victorian era. I was looking for a recipe or two for a Victorian-themed dinner and found a couple that were perfect.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely read with great pictures. I probably won't cook anything from it, but I enjoyed wandering through Mrs. Crocombe's kitchen and world.

[Lisa Cagle · Rating 5 out of 5]

We use this book in our charter school for live history. For those that haven’t experienced mrs crocombe you can find her on the YouTube English heritage channel.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this cook book! All the recipes i have tried so far have turned out wonderfully well!

[The Sleeping Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice addition to watching Mrs Crocombe on YT!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch her series on English Heritage and you will not be disappointed…I’m trying to get into cooking more, and first up seems an easy one: Trifle!

[Kayla Zabcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned that if you were lactose intolerant in Victorian times, you'd be a very hungry person.

This book made me really, really, REALLY appreciate modern food despite its caveats (*cough* GMOs, animal cruelty, excessive waste, microplastic contamination *cough*). The sheer amount of time and effort put into meals by cooks for the rich in the Victorian era every. single. day. is absolutely incredible - I have so much respect for them. While I personally would not cook/bake anything from this book, it was chockfull of information on not only Victorian cooking, but the Victorian lifestyle (including the lower classes), as well.