Culinary Pleasure

by Nicola Humble

Presents the history of Britain's culinary evolution through the cookery books which have inspired us over the course of a century, beginning with Mrs Beeton and leading to the rise of the celebrity TV chef.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Cookbooks

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2006

Reviews

[Emma Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply gorgeous. I loved reading this, and learned alot too. Comfort reading at its finest.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is tailor-made for me. I love collecting and reading cookbooks, both old and new, so I really enjoyed reading this history of the British cookbook and British cooking since Mrs Beeton. I found it astute and entertaining in its analysis of the social and cultural meanings of food and cooking, and every chapter ends with a small selection of typical recipes from the period covered. The writer has done plenty of research, but it's not a worthy read; you can easily pick it up and read a chapter or two for enjoyment.

[Brian Gowthorpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book, beautifully written and with an academic’s diligence. It is useful to be reminded how our lives and what we eat are changed and influenced by food writers and television programmes. And striking how long it took Britain to recover from wartime food restrictions.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read this from end to end, but it's a joy to dip into it occasionally. The author provides a highly readable account of the evolution of British eating habits over the last century or so by describing the changing trends in cookbook writing style and content. The book is full of excerpts from the cookbooks she regards as being landmarks in this evolutionary process, as well a as a selection of recipes.