The Experienced English Housekeeper

The Experienced English Housekeeper

Title page, 1775 edition
Author	Elizabeth Raffald
Country	England
Subject	English cooking
Genre	Cookery
Publisher	Elizabeth Raffald Sold by R. Baldwin
Publication date	1769
Pages	397

The Experienced English Housekeeper^[a] is a cookery book by the English businesswoman Elizabeth Raffald (1733–1781). It was first published in 1769, and went through 13 authorised editions and at least 23 pirated ones.^[1]

The book contains some 900 recipes for: soups; main dishes including roast and boiled meats, boiled puddings, and fish; desserts, table decorations and "little savory dishes"; potted meats, drinks, wines, pickles, preserves and distilled essences. The recipes consist largely of direct instructions to the cook, and do not contain lists of ingredients. The book is illustrated with three fold-out copper plate engravings.

The book is noted for its practicality, departing from earlier practice in that it avoids plagiarism, consisting instead almost entirely of direct instructions based on Raffald's experience. It introduced the first known recipe for a wedding cake covered in marzipan and royal icing, and is an early use of barbecue. The book remains a reference for cookery writers.

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