The Real Mrs Beeton

The Story of Eliza Acton

Sheila Hardy

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2011
• Topic: Literature
• eBook ISBN:
  9780752466811
• Subtopic: Literary Biographies
• Index: Literature

A biography of one of the few Victorian ladies whose legacy has lasted well into the 21st century, and whose recipes are still used in thousands of kitchens today
 
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.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword by Delia Smith
• Preface
• One Beginnings
• Two The Family
• Three The Poet
• Four Disaster and Change
• Five The Second Career
• Six Combining the Ingredients
• Seven The Literary Circle
• Eight Fame and Fortune?
• Nine The 1855 Edition
• Ten The Last Attempt
• Eleven Last Days
• Twelve Eliza’s Legacy
• Appendix I Prices in the 1850s
• Appendix II The Acton Family Tree
• Notes
• Sources
• By the Same Author
• Copyright
• Other Biographies by The History Press