The general idea that many people have of cookery and cookbooks in the Victorian Age is that it was Mrs Beeton and no-one else. However Charles Elme Francatelli (1805-1876) was one of the culinary celebrities of his time. An Englishman of Italian extraction who travelled to France to study under the legendary Antonin Carême the founder of French haute cuisine and revered for his blending of the best of Italian and French cuisine, Francatelli was regarded as a leading chef in Victorian London and spent most of his career in Britain directing the kitchens of royalty and noblemen, including Queen Victoria, the Earls of Chesterfield and Dudley and managing both Crockfords, a private club and…
Source: Two Victorian Cookery Writers – C.E Francatelli and A.G Payne | Enough of this Tomfoolery!
I would never have thought an English gentleman in Victorian times would dare to dabble in the kitchen – then again, he had Italian blood running through his veins. 🙂
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Nor I!
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Having a foreign chef (preferably French) was a sign of high wealth and status. Majority of cooks for the aristocracy and the middle classes were women. Very few could afford a foreign chef.
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Thank you for this.
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You’re welcome.
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I like the sound of Francatelli’s book, and may well be searching out a copy of that reprint!
Best wishes, Pete.
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It’s available on Amazon and certain English Heritage properties. I got my copy at the Kenwood House gift shop.
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Thanks for that WS. I will have to investigate!
Best wishes, Pete.
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You’re welcome!
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That will please Pete! Thanks.
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You’re welcome. And many thanks for sharing my posts!
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A pleasure, my dear Woostersauce!
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