Recipes from the classic period of English cookery, approximately 1660 to 1890, as a handy compendium for the curious, saving them the need to own a complete shelf of antiquarian books. Soup was never intended as a stand-alone dish. At its first showing it was merely the broth from a stew: the meat served in one dish, the liquid in another - we are familiar with the idea from the French 'pot-au-feu' or 'bouillabaisse'. And the very word 'soup' referred to the 'sops' of bread put at the bottom of the dish to soak up and thicken the liquor. Eileen White has selected texts that explains the place of soup in our diet, and which offer recipes which can be tried today (and just a few that are better to read than to cook).Eileen White is an historian who has worked mainly in the fields of early English drama and the history of food.

Designed for those with busy lives and exacting standards in the kitchen, these budget cookery books make no compromise, offering variety of choice, delicious and proven recipes with serving suggestions and brilliant design and photography, 24 titles coming in 2010 and a further 24 by spring 2011.