In this fascinating look at Victorian foodways, Broomfield examines the industrialization of food and its consequent influence on culinary values, habits, and techniques, as well as its social impact on upper, middle, and lower classes of 19th-century Britain. Topics include English breakfasts, Victorian midday meals, various types of afternoon and evening meals known as teas, and dinner parties. Particularly symbolic is the transition from dinner a la francaise to dinner a la russe, signaling change from slow, informal, and convivial dining of the 18th-century English gentry to stiff, formal, and prescriptive dining of 19th-century Victorian entrepreneurs. Expertly researched and rich in detail, this book provides a comprehensive historical overview of the early stages of the industrialization of food. Especially valuable for readers interested in current controversies in food culture. Recommended. All levels.” —Choice
“[T]his is a well-written and well-researched examination of the role of food and food preparation in England at the cusp of the Industrial Revolution. Broomfield has drawn on a wealth of primary and secondary resources, including manuscripts, and period cookbooks, to provide an in-depth, fascinating, and personal look into the Victorian kitchen….Highly recommended for all academic and large public libraries.” —Library Jourbanal
“[P]rovides an admirably detailed, complex, and accessible introduction to Victorian food practices….The book's scope is far-reaching, ranging from revelatory discussions of cooking technologies to the Victorian creation of lunch. Of course, tea figures prominently in Broomfield's account; she offers an invaluable guide to the assorted meals denominated by the term tea….Food and Cooking in Victorian England also contains two interesting chapters on the elite eating and the equipment and expertise that made it possible….Broomfield intersperses Victorian recipes throughout the book.” —Gastronomica
“A useful reference that both inspires and informs readers' imagination and understanding of Victorian foodways, Broomfield's text marshals an impressive command of statistics, dates, and archival research, offering readers a clear picture of Victorian life through the food grown, imported, produced, and consumed by Victorian families. Perhaps best described as a cultural history of food, Broomfield's highly accessible work has a wide and general scope….Broomfield's skill is exhibited in the careful distinctions she makes in her terms….The resulting work is carefully researched and nuanced, providing the scholar, the student, and the period enthusiast with a handy reference and a useful meditation on the growth of industrialization, nationalism, and the preservation of regional identity…[A]n essential volume for understanding the way this culture conceptualized and consumed food.” —Jourbanal of British Studies
“College-level culinary libraries strong in Victorian history will appreciate Food and Cooking in Victorian England: A History, with its survey of Victorian times introduced by nine recipes detailing examples of food production, cooking and diet in early England. Discussions go far beyond the usual cookbook to include surveys of kitchen arrangement and duties, dining habits, social influences on food and wine choices, and much more. An excellent survey any college-level culinary collection specializing in food history will relish.” —Midwest Book Review/California Bookwatch
“Food and Cooking in Victorian England is a valuable book. Broomfield's research is far-reaching and her historical arguments are insightful. Her descriptions of Victorian food are terrifically appealing, and her use of recipe books and household advice manuals to examine Victorian culture is quite effective….Certainly, this will illustrate the challenges faced by Victorian housewives better than any nineteenth-century novel ever could.” —Food & Foodways
“In a series devoted to countering stereotypes of the Victorian era in England, this volume begins by explaining how recipes in early cookbooks reflected their writers' socioeconomic status and products of the Industrial Revolution (e.g., gas ranges). Broomfield , the author of Daily Life in Victorian England (1996), traces the evolution of breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea, and the snob appeal of foods with French names. The book includes a chronology of English Victorian culinary history, period illustrations, sample recipes, and a glossary of cooking terms.” —Reference & Research Book News
A title in the "Victorian Life and Times" series, this is a well-written and well-researched examination of the role of food and food preparation in England at the cusp of the Industrial Revolution. Broomfield (English, Johnson Cty. Community Coll., KS) has drawn on a wealth of primary and secondary resources, including manuscripts and period cookbooks, to provide an in-depth, fascinating, and personal look into the Victorian kitchen. There are eight chapters covering all aspects of Victorian cooking and how they differed for the various classes. Of particular note are Chapter 2, which covers breakfast and explains the importance of toast to the Victorians, and Chapter 4, which explains the role of tea. The work also includes a chronology of important dates, an appendix of a few Victorian recipes, and endnotes, as well as a complete bibliography and an index. Highly recommended for all academic and large public libraries.
—Lisa A. Ennis
