Miss Eliza's English Cuisine

England, 1837. Queen Victoria ascended the throne and England was awash with exciting new ingredients, from spices to exotic fruits. Eliza Acton, however, has no desire to spend time in the kitchen, but wants to devote herself to poetry. However, the publisher rejects her collection of poems and suggests that she write a book about cooking. Eliza is offended by the proposal and does not intend to consider it. But then her father is forced to leave the country due to bankruptcy and Eliza accepts the offer to write a cookbook for existential reasons. He starts by collecting recipes from all over the world and tries to learn how to cook. To her surprise, she discovers that she is not only good at cooking, but enjoys it. He hires seventeen-year-old Ann Kirby to teach her poetry, cooking and love. An unexpected bond and friendship develops between Eliza and Ann, who gradually unravels the mysteries of Eliza's past and love life. Together, the two women write a book full of interesting techniques and ingredient lists, disrupting the traditional concept of cookbooks and changing the way cooking is written once and for all. The true story of the English poet who became Britain's best-known cookbook author, and from whom many chefs still draw today. < br> < br> The recipes come directly to life in the pages of the book, but the novel also charts the ongoing struggle for women's rights, bringing creativity, the quiet joy of cooking and the poetry of flavours to life. Sara Jade-Virtue, Simon & Schuster.