The British Cookery Book

Walsh (ed). The British Cookery Book

WALSH, J H [John Henry (1810-1888)] (editor)

The British Cookery Book: uniting a good style with economy, and adapted to all persons in every clime; containing many unpublished receipts in daily use, by private families.  Collected by a committee of ladies and edited by J H Walsh, F.R.C.S. A new edition with engravings.

London: George Routledge and Sons, 1867. New Edition. Printed by M'Corquodale and Co, Printers, London.

Duodecimo (175x110mm)  recased, twentieth century tan cloth boards and endpapers; black, gilt lettered spine label; viii,375,[1 blank]pp. Frontispiece, with tissue guard, 7 wood engraved black and white plates showing ovens, kitchen implements, trussing and carving.

Neatly professionally rebound in the twentieth century; complete; a few small corners folded, faint occasional foxing, top-edges a trifle dusty; owner inked name and address to title-page "Ms Henderson, 19 (?) W Perth" ; fore-edge lightly soiled; a few penciled notations. Overall tight and clean.

Walsh was a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons who in the 1850s became a prolific rural sports writer particularly on horses, hunting, dogs and guns, often under the pseudonym 'Stonehenge'.  In a long and successful career as a sports journalist and author, he 'authored' or 'edited' several cookery books authored by a 'committee of ladies': A Manual of Domestic Economy, 1857, The English Cookery Book, G Routledge & Co, 1858 and The British Cookery Book, Routledge, Warne, and Routledge, 1863 and onwards.  The British Cookery Book is a republishing of The English Cookery Book¹ and both texts note in their respective prefaces that the majority of the recipes contained were drawn from A Manual of Domestic Economy. 


The change of title is curious and may be related to changes in the ownership of G Routledge & Co, the preparation of an export edition or rebranding to compete with the wildly popular Mrs Beeton's, published at approximately the same time. 

Whereas Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management was a 'town' authored manual, by 1857, Walsh had become the editor of Field: The Country Gentleman's Newspaper, a weekly devoted to country matters and field sports and The British Cookery Book (and predecessors) was aimed at the emerging upper middle classes, and country gentry moving to town.  The recipes provide for a broad range of dining and entertainment options as well as plain dining; predominantly English but with the usual scattering of French and colonial influenced dishes (there are a few Indian and American dishes also).  The opening chapters provide much information on cooking technologies of the time and their economic impact; useful to a new householder or a professional house cook.  The closing chapters on domestic economy and budgeting suggest a range of economies and budgets for aspiring householders.   Over 1300 recipes including several curries, as well as black puddings, sausages, plenty of game pies and meats; interestingly not as many baking, sweet or dessert recipes as was usual for the time.

Scarce in this edition in institutions and in commerce.

§ No holdings recorded in OCLC for this edition; 4 for other editions; 4 holdings in COPAC all other editions.
§ This edition not recorded in the usual bibliographies;

¹ Driver p.636.  A direct comparison shows the texts to be almost identical.