223 pages : 22 cm

Eliza Acton is the forgotten hero of the culinary past, and a debt of gratitude to her is what Delia Smith, Elizabeth David, and Mrs. Beeton have in common. She was the original and best: the first cook to write recipes in a clear, modern format. This absorbing first biography of her creates a richly painted narrative of how a young woman produced the first general use cookbook and changed history. It provides a rich background to Eliza's success, not only as the little-known mother of modern cooking, but as a poet and a campaigner for healthy eating. She introduced readers to curry, chorizo, and gluten-free diets 150 years before they became fashionable. She knew Charles Dickens, and her family life was possibly an inspiration for several of his plots. She had a fascinating career, and this well-researched biography is a must for anyone interested in cooking, or simply as an insight into the life of a modern lady who was years ahead of her time. --Amazon

Includes bibliographical references (pages 217-219) and index

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