The Lady's Complete Guide facts for kids
The Lady's Complete Guide, or Cookery in All its Branches is a special cookbook written by Mary Cole. It was first published in 1788. This book was one of the first in English to give credit to the original authors of its recipes. It was very unusual for its time.
New versions of the book came out in 1789 and 1791.
Contents
About the Author
We don't know much about Mary Cole's life. We only know that she worked for a long time as a cook for the Earl of Drogheda.
The Cookbook Itself
The first edition of the book came out in 1788. Its full title was The Lady's Complete Guide, or Cookery in all its Branches; Containing the most approved Receipts, confirmed by Observation and Practice, in every reputable English Book of Cookery now extant.
Recipes from Other Cooks
The book's title page said it included recipes "translated from the Productions of Cooks of Eminence who have published in France." It even listed names like the Duke de Nivernois and M. Dupont.
However, experts like Alan Davidson say these French cooks are not known in history. He thought Mary Cole might have made up these names. She might have done this to make fun of English authors who pretended to follow famous French cooks.
Giving Credit Where It's Due
What made this book special was that Mary Cole always tried to give credit to the original authors of the recipes. She even wrote down the names of the books and page numbers where she found them.
In her introduction, she wrote:
Mary Cole believed that other cookbook writers should have been honest. She thought they were too proud to admit they copied recipes. She even criticized famous writers like Hannah Glasse and Elizabeth Raffald. She said they used other people's recipes but claimed them as their own.
A Book Copied by Others
Sadly, Mary Cole's own book was copied by someone else. Three years after her third edition came out, a publisher in London released a book called Domestic Economy, or A Complete System of English Housekeeping (1794). This book was said to be by "Maximilian Hazlemore." But it was actually Mary Cole's entire book, copied word for word!
What's Inside the Book
The Lady's Complete Guide has 30 chapters. These chapters teach different cooking methods and give recipes. You can find recipes for roasting, boiling, frying, and broiling. There are also recipes for "made-dishes" like beef, lamb, and game.
The book also includes recipes for soups, sauces, puddings, cakes, and pies. It covers cheesecakes, jellies, pickling, and preserving. There are even sections on "confectionary" (sweets) and vegetables.
Besides cooking, Mary Cole added extra parts. These included "The Art of Brewing" (how to make drinks) and "The Family Physician" (home remedies).
Different Editions
The first edition of The Lady's Complete Guide in 1788 had 564 pages. The second and third editions were updated with more content. However, they were printed differently to fit more lines on each page. The second edition also had 564 pages. The third edition, which was "very much improved," had 460 pages.
A copy of the original 18th-century book is kept at the British Library. A reproduction of it was published in 2005.
