The book
Exploring The Cook’s Guide
An introduction to the scope of Francatelli’s book and what it reveals about Victorian household cookery.
Beyond the book
Articles and
historical context
Meet Francatelli and explore the kitchens, households, dining customs and food culture that surrounded The Cook’s Guide.
Begin here · Biography
Charles Elmé Francatelli
The life, career and published work of the chef and cookery writer at the centre of this archive.
Read the biographyA newly reviewed introduction now precedes the preserved legacy biography, with its sources and review date made explicit.
Explore the collection
Francatelli and Victorian life
Editorial material that adds historical context to the digitised book.
Domestic life
Inside the Victorian kitchen
A preserved account of kitchen organisation, equipment and work in a nineteenth-century household.
Domestic life
A glimpse inside the Victorian home
Rooms, routines and expectations within the better-off Victorian household.
Domestic service
Domestic service in Victorian London
The hierarchy and responsibilities of household servants, from housekeeper and cook to junior staff.
Dining
Victorian dining and etiquette
A preserved overview of the conventions surrounding invitations, table service and dining.
Food history
Nineteenth-century food and drink
A broad introduction to changing ingredients, equipment and eating habits in Victorian Britain.
Food history
The adulteration of food
Historical practices, public concern and the campaign against adulterated food in Victorian Britain.
Book history
Nineteenth-century cookbooks
Cookery publishing and some of the authors whose books documented a changing culinary culture.
Kept for continuity
Preserved general-interest guides
Pages retained to keep established links working. They sit outside the historical edition and await redevelopment.
These pages remain available at their established addresses, but are excluded from the public sitemap and site search because their general cookery copy is not part of the Francatelli edition and has not been brought up to current editorial standards.
- Crock pot recipes — A general slow-cooker article preserved from the former website.
- Beef recipes — A general beef-cookery article preserved from the former website.
- Chicken recipes — A general chicken-cookery article preserved from the former website.
- Pasta recipes — A general pasta-cookery article preserved from the former website.
- Soup recipes — A general soup article with links into Francatelli’s third chapter, preserved from the former website.
- Dessert recipes — A general dessert article with links into the book’s cake and pudding chapters.
- Drink recipes — A general drinks article preserved from the former website.