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Escoffier. Georges Auguste - With two of Escoffier's original menus.
RITZ'S Carlton Restaurant.
ON BOARD THE S.S. "KAISERIN AUGUSTE VICTORIA" (HAMBURG AMERICAN LINE) Under the Management of THE CARLTON HOTEL, LONDON.
Large 4to. 3feps (with 2 menus tipped in to last fep) Title Page. 160 pages. All pages blank on the reverse of the text. Many photographs of the Ship's different facilities, (including the Restaurant). 3 feps. Many pages strengthened on the the blank side due to brittleness. Internally very clean. The two menus tipped in before the title page are both dated 1908. The 'Kaiserin' one is a breakfast menu and the 'Amerika" one appears to be a Table d'Hote Lunch menu. Both are from Escoffier's time of tenure and responsibility for both of those ship's restaurants. Bound in modern half dark calf and bottle green cloth boards. The spine has blind tooling. The original cover from the Al'a Carte Restaurant pasted on the front cover. All pages very slightly age browned. Overall a very handsome and rare item.
- This book is a very sumptuous production and a joint venture between the 'Hamburg American Line' and 'The Carlton Hotel' advertising the 'S.S. Kaiserin Auguste Victoria's' conception, preparation and maiden voyage from Hamburg to New York on May 10th, 1906. The 705 foot, 24581 ton giantess, S.S. Kaiserin, was launched on August 20th 1905, and for the next year was outfitted with many new features. One that highlighted the new ship and caused a lot of excitement was the opening of an a'la Carte Restaurant, staffed and run by the famous Ceasar Ritz. The Restaurant also boasted its own dedicated Kitchen, staffed and run by the equally famous Auguste Escoffier. This was an important new facility built to a very fine specification and quality. Grill Rooms had featured on previous voyages and had been very popular. The opening of the new a la Carte Restaurant proved to be equally popular and became, against initial expectations, fully booked. This was undoubtably due to Escoffier's involvement and the unusual shipboard experience of being able to sample French cuisine of the highest standard . We are informed in the book that the Kitchens on the maiden voyage were not large enough to meet demand, and that they had to completely alter one of the decks to double the kitchen capacity. Escoffier and Ritz were also responsible for Restaurants on board other Hamburg America Line ships, one other being the "S.S. Amerika". Both of these ships were built side by side at the Harland Wolff shipyards in Belfast. 'Amerika' was launched on April 20th 1905, and the 'Kaiserin' one month later. This well produced book records an aspect of Escoffier's career that is the least documented. It is also very rare, especially with the two Escoffier's menus enclosed that would have been printed and offered to guests just after the expanded kitchen refit.

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Modern category

ref number: 11049

Gouffe. Jules - Rare first edition in beautiful original binding.
THE ROYAL COOKERY BOOK
(LE LIVRE DE CUISINE) BY JULES GOUFFE CHEF DE CUISINE OF THE PARIS JOCKEY CLUB TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH AND ADAPTED FOR ENGLISH USE BY ALPHONSE GOUFFE HEAD PASTRY-COOK TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN COMPRISING DOMESTIC AND HIGH-CLASS COOKERY ILLUSTRATED WITH SIXTEEN LARGE PLATES PRINTED IN COLOUR, AND ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-ONE WOODCUTS FROM DRAWINGS FROM NATURE BY E. RONJAT. [with an illustration of a fore-rib of beef] LONDON SAMPSON LOW, SON, MARSTON CROWN BUILDINGS, 188 FLEET STREET 1868 (All rights reserved)
FIRST ENGLISH EDITION. 245x170mm. 2feps. Half title with advertisement on verso. [1] Coloured Frontispiece with tissue guard. Title page in red and black text (with illustration of a beef forerib). [1] 1+vi Translators preface. (1)viii-xiii Preface. [1] (1)xvi Illustrations. (1)xviii Contents. 1p Part the First. [1] (1)4-671. [1] (1)674-677 Appendix. [1] (1)680-700 Index. (1)702 Index to Woodcuts. (1) Index to Cloured Plates. [1] 1fep. With the full original dark burgundy cloth binding and the elaborate gilt tolling on the spine and front boards. The spine has been expertly re-laid and strengthened and the gilt tooling is nice and bright all over. All edges gilt. Text block is tight and very clean. A fantastic copy in the original state.
- Jules Gouffe wrote very eloquently - "Having, from my earliest youth, embarked upon a career of cookery, I saw much, observed much, practised much in every sense of the word. I am not one of those who declare that French cookery, that part of our national heritage of which we have reason to be proud, is lost today and that it will never recover. The good and true things never die. No doubt there may be periods of decline, but sooner or later, with hard work, intelligence and good will, there must be a recovery. If, thanks to the reforms and the methods which I propose, I find that in a few years' time everyone, whatever his rank in society, is eating as well as he possibly can. On the one hand, household cookery is at last being carried on with care, economy and comfort; on the other hand, the ‘grande cuisine' goes forward under progressive conditions, and with that good taste and brilliance which is so appropriate to a century of enlightenment and luxury like our own; then I shall have truly attained the goal which I have set myself, I shall feel myself well paid for all my pains.” Gouffe wrote four major works in French. They have all have been translated into English by Alphonse Gouffé, his brother who was also the Head Pastry Chef of Queen Victoria. 1. Le livre de cuisine – the ‘The Royal Cookery Book’ in English it was rated as one of the finest cookbooks ever written. 2. Le livre de patisserie- The Royal Book of Pastry and Confectionery highlighting the methods of creating ‘pièces montées’ was published in 1873 by Librairie Hachette. 3. Le livre des conserves- The Book of Preserves by Jules Gouffe was also published in 1873. 4. Le livre des soupes et des potages- This book by Gouffe contained more than 400 soup recipes. He died at Neuilly in 1877.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11199

Escoffier. Georges Auguste - Limited edition of 200 - signed.
Les Fleurs en Cire
A. ESCOFFIER LES FLEURS EN CIRE (An elaborate printers floral device) BIBLIOTHEQUE DE L'ART CULINAIRE 4 Place Saint-Michel, - PARIS MDCCCCX Nouvelle Edition
12mo. September 1910. 190x147mm. 2feps Half-title with signed dedication in ink by Escoffier, -- "a Madame F, Band hommage et respectueuse sympathie A. Escoffier London Mars 1918". 1p explaining the limited editon, this copy 199 0f 200. [1] Frontispiece photogravure portrait of Escoffier with tissue guard. Title page. [1] 1p Dedication to Madame Daphine Daffis (Escoffier's wife, who also contributed to this book). [1] (1)10-11 with in-text illustrations. 3p with illustrations. (1)16-23 Les Fleurs du Fabuliste. 1p with Illustration. (1)26-94. 1p Du Meme Auteur. 1p with Illustration. 1fep. A limited edition of 200 copies in cream coloured papier de Hollande, de Van Gelder Zonen. 40 photo engraved illustrations in-text with halftone illustration titled "Fleurs de Magnolia en Cire". A very nice original untrimmed copy in excellent condition - as new.
- This edition is a very special limited and augmented one of 250 copies; 50 published in paper des Manufactures Imperiales du Japan and 200 in papier du Hollande, de Van Gelder Zonen, all signed by Escoffier. Maggs p151, 1st of 1886. Vicaire, a 1st of 1886. Cagle has an ordinary text copy, a 4th of 1910. Bitting has a 1st of 1886 dedicated by Escoffier to his great friend Madame Sarah Bernhardt.

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Modern category

ref number: 11203

Farley. John & Co-Partners. - Superlatively rare, signed by Farley and two other directors.
An original Indenture for the London Tavern signed by John Farley the famous cook.
Signed individually by all parties, for “ a new partnership in the trade and business of a Vintner of and in the said House and Tavern called the London Tavern in Bishopsgate Street aforesaid for the Term of Seven Years”.
Two large vellum membranes - 711 x 838mm. Folded in typical indenture folds for filing and storage with top outer part showing in fine ink script, dated 1800 and Farley, Terry and Peacock’s names and their ‘Articles of Co-Partnership’. The exterior fold has some light soiling and browning to one outer edge where its has been stored on a shelf for many years, but internally its very clean. The beginning of the indenture has a large elaborate heading in ink and a good cursive hand is evident throughout the whole manuscript. The signatures of Farley, Terry and Peacock are at the bottom, each with a small red seal. Overall an excellent item.
- John Farley was the well-known Head Cook of the London Tavern whose famous cookery book ‘The London Art of Cookery’ was first published in 1783. When he started and finished his tenure there is hard to establish. We do know that his time at the London Tavern extended for many years, and he played a large role in its fine reputation and success. In The Old Bailey trial accounts for the 16th September 1795, it is recorded that a man, Clark Hillard, was indicted on August the 4th for stealing from the London Tavern. The accusers, named as the directors of the Tavern, were John Bleadon, John Farley, Edward Terry and John Henry Peacock. Five years later John Bleadon has left and the three remaining directors have re-applied for, and been granted this Vintner’s licence on August 8th 1800, for a period of seven years at a cost of £1500.oo per annum. The document further states that the directors were fined £400.oo for letting the licence lapse on the June 29th of the same year. It appears the variance in lapse dates happened because John Bleadon had stepped down as a director. The license also notes that if there is going to be a change in the future Vintners partnership it should be done by the fourth year of its term. In John Timb’s book ‘Club Life of London’ we are informed The London Tavern was re-built on the western side of Bishops-gate Street Within on the site of the former White Lion Tavern, which burned down on November 7th 1765. It was completed by Richard B. Jupp, architect, and opened in September 1768. Taking up a large footprint on the site of the current Royal Bank of Scotland PLC, the Tavern was a huge building, 80ft wide and 70ft tall. It boasted many private dining rooms and a very large public room; the Great Dining Room or 'Pillar Room', measuring 40x33 feet. On the floor above was the Ballroom measuring 33 feet in width and extending the whole length of the building. This room could also be converted to a banqueting room that would hold 300 dining guests. The room also had two galleries at each end to allow 150 ladies as spectators. An unusual concept!? After doing further research I could not find any other facts that confirmed this was a common setup in other eating establishments. This strengthens though, the fact that dining out in Taverns and Clubs was the domain of men only. (This setup would only be truly broken when Cesar Ritz designed and run his famous Hotels in the latter part of the nineteenth century for the exclusive comfort of women, in the sure and very astute understanding that when the women came to dine, the men would follow, with the inevitable desire to book rooms as well.) Not only did the London Tavern have many floors, it also had many levels in its basement, which even stretched under the adjoining buildings on both sides. One of basement floors had a number of huge vats installed, that each held two tons of live Turtles. We are further informed that if the Turtles are kept in the same water as they were shipped in they will survive very well for 3 months. To change the water would lessen the weight and flavour of the animal. This beautifully written Vintners license covered a huge cellar. Timb’s description states that the cellar covered one huge basement storey, filled with barrels of Porter, pipes of Port, butts of Sherry etc. There were labyrinth walls of bottles and a huge region of bins, six bottles deep; described as the catacombs of Johannisberg, Tokay and Burgandy. Also in storage, 1200 Champagne, 700 Claret and thousands of genial wines. We are informed those wines also absorb an interest of 5% per annum. All over this vast wine store Timb’s quaintly describes “floors with rivers of sawdust”. The final chapter in the story of The London Tavern happened around 1910 when it was demolished. After 142 years of being one of the most famous and prestigious grand City restaurants, its name was appropriated by the proprietors of the nearby King's Head Tavern in Fenchurch St. Finally, this exceptionally rare, large Indenture is a fantastic piece of ephemera, not only because of John Farley’s rare signature, but as a glimpse of what a serious and expensive business it was to be granted and hold a Vintners license in eighteenth century England.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11217

Dallas Enaeas Sweetlands Once owned and signed by G.A. Sala. [image below]
KETTNER'S BOOK OF THE TABLE.
KETTNER'S BOOK OF THE TABLE. A MANUAL OF COOKERY. PRCTICAL - THEORETICAL - HISTORICAL. Written in George Augustus Sala's small neat hand - "The literary and critical portion of this book was written by my very dear friend Enaeas S. Dallas, sometime of the " Times" Newspaper and Editor of "Once a Week". A poem form Paradise Regained. Somewhat obscured by stencilled holes of the FORBES LIBRARY. NORTHAMPTON. MASS. LONDON. DULAU AND CO. SOHO SQUARE.1877. A poem form Paradise Regained. Somewhat obscured by stencilled holes of the FORBES LIBRARY. NORTHAMPTON. MASS. LONDON. DULAU AND CO. SOHO SQUARE.1877.
FIRST AND SOLE EDITION. Marbled end-papers with Forbes Library bookplate. On verso -1 fep. 1p Half-title - THE BOOK OF THE TABLE and an inscription in Sala's neat hand - George Augustus Sala, 46 Mecklenburg Sq. W.C. 1878. On verso a two-line poem from Paradise Regained. Title Page. [1]. 1p dedication to GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA. [1]. 1-16 Introduction. 1p Half-title - THE BOOK OF THE TABLE. [1]. 19-500. 4 blanks for Notes. 1fep. Marbled end papers, Old red marbled boards with red leather quarter binding and tips, all with gilt lines. Red leather spine compartmentalised with dull gilt tooling. Internally a little brown aged but overall very clean. Also enclosed: 1p. 7x4.5 inches with minor creases. From the Reform Club 24th January - no year given. An autograph letter signed: "G.A. Sala to G.Linnaeus Banks, sending 'a doz. stamps for Shakespeare heads" and mentioning the Shakespeare committee business" Internally a little brown aged but overall very clean. Also attached: 1p. 7x 4.5 inches with minor creases. From the Reform Club 24th January - no year given. An autograph letter signed: "G.A. Sala to G.Linnaeus Banks, sending 'a doz. stamps for Shakespeare heads" and mentioning the Shakespeare committee business"
- Kettner’s was one of the first and oldest French restaurants in London. Opened in Romilly Street in Soho 1867 by August Kettner, known as a very fastidious chef to Napoleon III. English aristocracy in waistcoats, and in love, would bring their wives and their mistresses to try Kettner's French cuisine for the first time – feasts of carp fillets à la Duxelle, fried Gudgeon with asparagus in cream, devilled Kidney and thick Eel stews, all followed by Apple and Almond tarts for dessert. Ever popular with historical figures throughout its gilded history. King Edward VII is said to have courted his mistress, actress Lillie Langtry, there. They say that the philandering King had a secret underground passageway built between the restaurant and the Palace Theatre next door, so that his mistress could slip away after performances for an intermission of supper downstairs and a final act in the private rooms upstairs. The lounge and Champagne Bar have welcomed visitors including Oscar Wilde wining and dining the rent boy Charles Parker, Agatha Christie tucking into a bouillabaisse, Sir Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and Bing Crosby among others. Kettner’s wasn’t just part of Soho, it was Soho. It was the sordidness and the sobriety. Rising up around the restaurant over generations, Soho was built and re-built to be London’s den of iniquity. Today, a more discreet and gentile Kettner’s comprises seven Georgian townhouses, including the Grade II-listed club space and two bars, all carefully restored with close attention to original features and details. On the three top floors are 33 bedrooms and the Grade II-listed Jacobean Suite, with its own private entrance. The Kettner’s well known art collection is inspired by the buildings’ former risqué reputation. Now, as is the way of the world, the restaurant is re-branded, re-born. The continuation of the Kettner name may serve only as a wink to the past and a nod to the future, in the sober but still vibrant district of Soho. E.S. Dallas [Enaeas Sweetland Dallas] was the author of Kettners 'Book of the Table' and was a very good friend of Sala's. G.A. Sala, born in London, tried his hand at writing, at a very early date and in 1851 attracted the attention of Charles Dickens, who published articles and stories by him in Household Words and subsequently in All the Year Round, and in 1856 sent him to Russia as a special correspondent. In 1860, over his own initials "G.A.S.", he began writing "Echoes of the Week" for the Illustrated London News, and continued to do so till 1886, when they were continued in a syndicate of weekly newspapers almost to his death. William Makepeace Thackeray, when editor of the Cornhill, published articles by him on Hogarth in 1860, which were issued in column form in 1866; and in the former year he was given the editorship of Temple Bar, which he held till 1863. Meanwhile, he had become in 1857 a contributor to The Daily Telegraph, and it was in this capacity that he did his most characteristic work, whether as a foreign correspondent in all parts of the world, or as a writer of "leaders" or special articles. His literary style, highly coloured, bombastic, egotistical and full of turgid periphrasis, gradually became associated by the public with their conception of the Daily Telegraph; and though the butt of the more scholarly literary world, his articles were invariably full of interesting matter and helped to make the reputation of the paper. Sala died at Brighton on 8th December, 1895. In an email I received from Linda Gifkins, she kindly informed me of a hitherto unknown edition of Sala's quite rare book 'The Thorough Good Cook', printed by Brentano's - New York, Chicago, Paris, & Washington in 1896. Sala was twice married. His first wife, Harriet, whom he married in September 1859, died at Melbourne in December 1885. In 1891 he married a second wife, Bessie, third daughter of Robert Stannard, C.E., who survived him.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11251

Adria. Ferran Signed by Ferran Adria.
elBulli 2003 - 2004.
Ferran Adria / Juli Soler / Albert Adria. Also accompanied by a concertina hard page folder titled 'Updating of the Evolutionary Analysis' & CD.
1st VOLUME: .elBulli 2003 - FIRST EDITION 2005. 315 x 245 x 32mm. 1 fep. p1 Printers device. Double page of elBulli kitchen brigade on the beach with F. Adria. (see image 1 below). [1] Title page with a tipped in planch with Adria's signature "Pour Bobby". dated 22.11.11. Double Page: Contents. 8-11. Double page; Catalogue 2003 (1)15-167. Double page: Evolutionary analysis 2003 (4) [1] 175-333. Double page of repetitive hand drawings. p1 Printers Info. 1fep. Bound in a strong black hardcover. Black decorated dust wrapper. As new. 2nd VOLUME: elBulli 2004 - FIRST EDITION 2005. 315 x 245 x 30m. 1fep. Printers device. Double page of elBulli kitchen brigade standing in a garden with F. Adria. [1] Title page Double Page: Contents. 8-11. Double page; Catalogue 2004 (1)15-156. Double page: Evolutionary analysis 2004 (4) [1163-313. p4 b/w photographs of the staff. Double page of repetitive hand drawings. p1 Printers Info. 1fep. Bound in a strong black hardcover. Black decorated dust wrapper. As new. ITEM 3. 2003-2004 Updating of the Evolutionary analysis. A folded 20 page concertina of instructions, in b/w text on strong cardboard. With a CD Rom. As new. All three items in a very strong slip-case in very good condition.
- In the first volume - elBulli, 2003, the double page b/w photograph shows a kitchen brigade of 34 chefs and 16 waiters. This is a massive staff although not surprising. Adria's cuisine reminds me of the labour-intensive nature of making Canapes. One also gets the impression that He is also inspired by the bite sized Tapas, Japanese Sushi and possibly Chinese Dim-sum. In elBulli each meal consists of very many varied small bites. Ferran Adria definitely wants to take his cuisine to a level that has not been seen before and that defies description. He himself uses a nomenclature that could be called obtuse. At best he is uses descriptions that the layperson would not be able conceptualise, creating a mystique that may please him. Although Adria and his key staff are not above using all the details in these books themselves, one sees a highly detailed preparation process with very intricate presentation. Adria also has an experimental kitchen in Barcelona opposite the great public market - La Bouqeria, that displays the freshest of meats, fish, fruits and vegetables. The abundance of all the exotic and expensive produce available, is beyond compare. So, no surprise that Ferran Adria and his brother Albert must use the market to stimulate inspiration and ideas. This experimentation and the logging and filing thereof, is meticulous. It is the key central attribute that defines the quality of Adria's cuisine. This is what one reads and sees in these great tomes. Prepare to be amazed and mystified.

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Modern category

ref number: 11328

Gouffe. Jules - A compliment to Gouffe's Royal Cookery Book
THE ROYAL BOOK OF PASTRY AND CONFECTIONERY
(LE LIVRE DE PATISSERIE) BY JOULES GOUFFE CHEF DE CUISINE OF THE PARIS JOCKEY CLUB TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH AND ADAPTED TO ENGLISH USE BY ALFONSE GOUFFE HEAD PASTRY-COOK TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN ILLUSTRATED WITH TEN CHROMO-LITHOGRAPH AND ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN WOODCUTS FROM DRAWINGS FROM NATURE BY J.RONJAT LONDON: SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, LOW, & SEARLE CROWN BUILDINGS IN FLEET STREET . E.C. 1874 All rights reserved
FIRST AND SOLE EDITION. 240 X 168mm. 4feps. Half title. [1+1] Coloured frontispiece. Title page in red and black text. [1] 1+vi-xii. 1+xiv Contents. 1+2-453. [1] 1+456-471 Index. [1] 1+474 Index of 127 woodcuts. 2p Advertisements. with 10 chromo-lithograph coloured plates. 3feps. Very nice modern quarter dark brown calf with calf corners and marbled boards. Spine with raised bands and elaborate gilt and blind tooling. A red and a green label with gilt lettering. Externally and internally very bright and clean. A handsome copy.
- Translated from the French by Jules's brother Alphonse, Jules Gouffe's 'Royal Book of Pastry' is quite rare. Axford does not even have an entry for Gouffe, while Oxford, Cagle and Bitting do not have a copy, although Bitting records the first French edition of 1873. This book was written to accompany the more common 'Royal Book of Cookery'. It is also just as handsome and well produced.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11040

Kettilby. Mary - A first edition
A Collection of above three hundred receipts in cookery, physick and surgery;
For the Use of all Good Wives, Tender Mothers, and Careful Nurses. By several hands. LONDON, Printed for RICHARD WILKIN, at the King's Head in St. Paul's Church-yard. MDCCXIV.
FIRST EDITION 1714. 8vo. Pp. Half title. Title page. 12. 1-218. [219-232] Full contemporary two-tone dark brown calf boards, lightly cracked with nice polished patina. Sympathetically re-backed dark brown calf spine with raised bands. No labels. Pages evenly browned throughout, with a light mark on the title page where the date was written in biro and the binder has erased the ink. Does not affect the text or border. A small strip 2 inches long by 1/8 inch wide missing from the very last page of index with very slight loss of text. The strip has been neatly repaired. Overall a nice copy of the very rare first.
- In the first half of the 15th century, the English made a spiced jelly called 'Chardequynce' from quinces (or quinces and pears) and honey (or sugar). Then in 1495, only three years after Columbus's first epic voyage to America, a Portuguese ship's captain named Farnando Yanes delivered to the port of London the first consignment of 'Marmelada' to arrive in Britain. The English initially ate it as a sweetmeat or as an after-dinner digestive. It was solid, not semi-liquid, and it came in a box, not a pot. But gradually cooks began to experiment with other fruits, first using apples or at least their inherent pectin to aid the jelling process with other fruits. At this time a modern type marmalade as we know it came about. The first printed recipe for orange marmalade was published in this book, Kettilby's first edition of 1714.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 10917

Soyer . Alexis Benoit - Very interesting & very scarce.
Memoirs of Soyer (by his late secretaries)
MEMOIRS OF ALEXIS SOYER; WITH Unpublished Receipts AND ODDS AND ENDS OF GASTRONOMY. COMPILED AND EDITED BY F. VOLANT & J.R. WARREN, HIS LATE SECTRETARIES. LONDON: W. KENT & CO., 51&52, PATERNOSTER ROW. MDCCCLIX.
FIRST AND SOLE EDITION. Front paste-down and endpaper with advertisements. [1] Half-title. [1] Title page. [1] 1pp. Preface. [1] 2pp. Introduction. 8pp. Contents. 1-286. 287-303 Addenda. [2] Back end-paper and paste-down with advertisements. Original boards and spine in lovely blue with nice illustrations and an illustrated portrait of Soyer on the front cover. Slightly rubbed but still very handsome. Internally as new with very light foxing on the half-title. A rare book especially in this fine original condition.
- Alexis Benoît Soyer (4 February 1810 – 5 August 1858) was a French chef who became the most famous cook in Victorian London. He also tried to alleviate the suffering of the Irish poor in the Great Irish Famine (1845-1849), and improve the food provided to British soldiers in the Crimean War. Soyer was born at Meaux-en-Brie on the Marne in France. His father had several jobs, one of them as a grocer. In 1821 Soyer was expelled from school and went to live with his elder brother Phillipe in Paris. He became an apprentice at G. Rignon restaurant in Paris. Later, in 1826 he moved to restaurant 'Boulevard des Italiens', where he became chief cook of the kitchens. By June 1830, Soyer was a second cook to Prince Polignac at the French Foreign Office. During the July revolution of 1830, Soyer fled to England and the next year joined the London household of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, where his brother Philippe already worked. Later, he worked for various other British notables, including the Duke of Sutherland, the Marquess of Waterford, William Lloyd of Aston Hall and the Marquess of Ailsa at Isleworth. In 1837, Soyer became chef de cuisine at the Reform Club in London. He designed (what was to become) the famous kitchens with Charles Barry at the newly built Club. He instituted many innovations, including cooking with gas, refrigerators cooled by cold water, and ovens with adjustable temperatures. His kitchens were so famous that they were opened for conducted tours. When Queen Victoria was crowned on 28 June 1838, he prepared a breakfast for 2,000 people in the Club. His salary was more than £1,000 a year. His Lamb Cutlets Reform are still on the menu of the eponymous club. His wife, Elizabeth Emma Jones born in London - 1813, achieved considerable popularity as a painter, chiefly of portraits. She died in 1842 following complications suffered in a premature childbirth brought on by a thunderstorm. Distraught, Soyer erected a monument to her at Kensal Green Cemetery. Soyer died on 5 August 1858. At the time he was designing a mobile cooking carriage for the Army. He was buried on 11 August in Kensal Green Cemetery. This little volume of his memoirs is a very loving testament by his very faithful secretaries. It is also an interesting read. A must for collectors or students of Soyer. As of August 2008, Soyer and his wife's impressive but weather-beaten monument has been granted public money for a complete renovation, to be started by the October of that same year. The plot holds four bodies. The first Emma Soyer (1842) the wife of Alexis, Alexis Soyer(1858) himself, then Francois Simonau (1859) the artist, stepfather to Emma Soyer. Then finally a Lady Watts (1929) who was Francois Simonau's grand niece.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11001

Kettilby. Mary - The first editon
A Collection of above three hundred receipts in cookery, physick and surgery;
For the Use of all Good Wives, Tender Mothers, and Careful Nurses. By several hands. LONDON, Printed for RICHARD WILKIN, at the King's Head in St. Paul's Church-yard. MDCCXIV.
FIRST EDITION 1714. 8vo. Pp. Half title. Title page. 12. 1-218. [219-232] Full contemporary two-tone dark brown calf boards with nice polished patina. Sympathetically re-backed dark brown calf spine with raised bands and blind tooling. No labels. Pages evenly browned throughout, with some staining, but not affecting text. Overall a good copy of the very rare first.
- Mary Kettilby's first edition of 1714 has the first printed recipe for "modern" orange marmalade. Interestingly it was the Scots who moved marmalade to the breakfast table, complete with finely cut peels, or chips, to use the Scottish term. There it joined scones, sausages, game pies, trout, roast beef and sometimes a haunch of venison on the sideboard. The traditional Scottish breakfast was certainly not for the meek or those of delicate constitution or stomach. Not until well into the 19th century did the English follow the Scottish example and abandon the eating of marmalade in the evening (originally a post-dinner digestive rather than a jam). Mrs Kettilby's formula called for whole oranges, lemon juice and sugar. A contemporary recipe for home-made marmalade, that of Shaun Hill, owner of the Michelin two-star Merchant House in Shropshire, differs only slightly, using whole lemons along with the oranges and sugar. "Homemade marmalade", he says, "is superior to anything you can buy", and he made twenty cases of Seville oranges into marmalade each January when he cooked at Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Devon, a prominent country-house hotel. I should imagine there would not be a lot of difference in taste between Hill's recipe and that of Kettilby's due to the presumed consistent taste of oranges over the centuries.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 10916