Eliza Acton

Eliza Acton (17 April 1799 – 13 February 1859) was an English food writer and poet who produced one of the country's first cookbooks aimed at the domestic reader, Modern Cookery for Private Families. The book introduced the now-universal practice of listing ingredients and suggested cooking times with each recipe.

Early life

Acton was born in 1799 in Battle, East Sussex, England. She was the eldest in a family of five children. Her father, John Acton, was a brewer, and her mother, Elizabeth Mercer, was from a family of successful grocers in Hastings.

Career

Acton began her career as a poet. Her first published work, Poems, was released in 1826. However, it was her cookbook, Modern Cookery for Private Families, that brought her fame and financial success. The book was first published in 1845 and was a bestseller for over 50 years.

Unlike earlier cookbooks, which were primarily intended for professional cooks, Acton's book was aimed at the domestic reader. It introduced the now-universal practice of listing the ingredients and suggested cooking times with each recipe. It included sections on French cuisine, Indian cuisine, and Jewish cuisine, and it contained the first recipe for Scotch egg.

Legacy

Acton's work had a significant influence on later cookbook writers, including Isabella Beeton, who used many of Acton's recipes in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management. Acton's recipes continue to be referenced by cooks and food writers today.

See also

• List of food writers
• History of the cookbook

External links

• Modern Cookery for Private Families at Project Gutenberg
• Modern Cookery for Private Families at Victorian London

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  Frontispiece from Modern Cookery for Private Families

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  Eliza Acton - advertisement for girls school

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  The Red House, Bordyke

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  Beef cuts - Acton, Modern Cookery, page 169

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  Copper Fish or Ham Kettle Eliza Acton

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  Eliza Acton Orange Jellies 1845

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  Poems, Eliza Acton, title page

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  English Bread frontispiece 2