Agnes Jekyll (1861–1937)

A delightful, little foodish book! Actually, this is a compilation of hostess-with-the-mostess newspaper articles written by the author for the London Times in the 1920's. Each article suggests cuisine for different situations, such as a couples' first dinner party, tea time, a Sunday supper, meatless meals, food for traveling, and the title (among many others). The articles include what courses to serve and when, and recipes to make some of the suggested dishes. The advice reflects the societal norms of the time, and assumes that the persons reading it have some kind of hired help in preparing most of the food, but it does provide a wealth of information and some rather interesting ideas for meals.… (mais)

Agnes Jekyll threw an epic dinner party. It seems to come quite naturally to her, like a talent. Even her measurements dole out ingredients by the quarter wineglass, dessertspoonfuls, and half breakfastcupfuls, reflecting a general intuition about cooking and entertaining. These essays are to the point, practical, and charming.

I am a lover of old cookbooks, especially for the whimsical entertaining ideas and outmoded menus. It thrills me on some level to imagine a family sitting down to eat jellied fish mousse for Sunday supper. How fancy (and disgusting)! An anecdote of my own family folklore involves aspic, so maybe it's simply in my blood to love these Kitchen Essays. This book is a treasure.… (mais)