I bought A Georgian Cookery Book recently online and am very touched by it. It is absolutely fascinating, and right up my street. I love the Georgian Era; the architecture, symmetry and the food too. When it arrived in the post, there was a note in the book from the daughter of Laraine Hare. Such a sweet thing to do. The note indicated her mother had passed away five years ago, and how much it meant that someone would enjoy her mother’s book which took years to write. A real heartfelt message.

There are so many dishes to try here. To hash ducks and make fish patties, eggs au miroir, and pease pudding, all compiled from various Georgian cookbooks of the time. The time all that research must have taken is staggering. What a beautifully put together piece of work.

Fascinating to see so many citrus recipes here from that age. Remembering back a few weeks ago to my visit to Fingask Castle in rural Scotland, where citrus was used in a posset from a recipe from 1692.

Here we see lemonade, punch for chambermaids from a recipe in 1723 and a ratafia of orange from 1820. A glorious and opulent time to be a chef in a big house I would imagine, when the great Careme was over here. A Frenchman cooking for our Prince Regent, but it didn’t last long as apparently, he was a bit of a diva. Not much has changed with chefs has it?