The bulk of the story takes place over a year so, though in reality it took Eliza and Ann ten years, from 1835 to 1845. to write their cookbook. Abbs touches on the social history of the era including the tremendous inequality between social classes, the status of women across the social spectrum, and the treatment of the mentally ill. Ann Kirby is hired as her assistant cook and the two develop a friendship outside of the normal social class boundaries. As the two women's friendship develops, we see Ann looking up to Eliza as she is taught about not only cooking but about poetry, life skills and love. Eliza has become a real mentor to her.

The two women’s exploration of food and friendship is winningly told and we are rooting for Eliza in her quest for independence and publishing success. The novel comes with some of Eliza’s recipes; and I can gluttonously report that the chocolate custards are as delicious as the novel" THE TIMES Identifying oneself as a linguist or applied linguist can be, as I am sure many readers of this journal know, something of a conversation stopper. The relevance of detailed language analysis to real-world affairs does not seem immediately evident to many people. And clumsy attempts to clarify, at least in my case, seem often to make matters worse rather than better. I spent 10-20 minutes trying to explain how cool it was to my manager and he nodded and said "Good for you" and kept telling me about New York Times news alerts so I guess it is probably not for everyone but as I said, A book about words and food! What's better than this! Bread and salt – where the lord and lady come from (loaf-keeper/kneader, Anglo-Saxon); same root for flour/flower; french toast; yep, the Swedish word for a flour bun comes through German and ultimately from semolina, which comes from Akkadian ‘samidu’. Salt: salad, sauce, slaw, salsa, salami. Coleslaw origins.The writing is deliciously suggestive but also funny on occasion, as in this observation from Ann Kirby early on in the novel: The story is told in dual narratives. Eliza’s thoughts and personal goals and challenges are very different from those Ann Kirby endured, but the women complemented one another beautifully. Eliza Acton’s original plan to become a poet came to an abrupt halt when a publisher dismissed her work and then had the audacity to suggest she write a cookery book. To make matters worse, her father suffered a reversal of fortune, prompting him to leave the country. Eliza, with limited options, reconsidered the publisher’s suggestion that she write a recipe book. I was inspired by Eliza's passion, her independence, her bravery and ambition. Like a cook's pantry, The Language of Food is full of wonderful ingredients, exciting possibilities and secrets. Full of warmth and as comforting as sitting by the kitchen range, I loved it' Jo Thomas

A good book for readers who like to dip into things here and there since the book reads more like a collection of essays. There is some slight crossover or mention of another chapter but I don't think the reader would be lost in these cases. Toasting with drinks and why to health – putting toast in wine or ale (in Middle Ages); soap first came with toast in it; origins of wine (and the word too); on libations (thus hip-hops “pour one out” to the deceased) and cider (from the name for Akkadian honeyed beer). A really charming historical fiction novel that's full of gorgeous recipies and descriptions of food. At its heart is the uplifting story of the friendship between Eliza and Ann Kirby, her kitchen help, which crosses the class divide.' Good Housekeeping Lccn 2014020202 Ocr tesseract 4.1.1 Ocr_detected_lang en Ocr_detected_lang_conf 1.0000 Ocr_detected_script Latin Ocr_module_version 0.0.5 Ocr_parameters -l eng Old_pallet IA16989 Openlibrary_edition I found Miss Eliza's English Kitchen to be an interesting book. The book is loosely based on the life of Eliza Acton, a woman I had never heard of until reading this book.The voices of both women are very touching. Eliza is very warm and encouraging, taking Ann under her wings. Ann appreciates Eliza’s warmness and kindness, but at the same time still feels guilty for not taking care of her parents. You can sense how much she tries to stay strong, never revealing her troubled past. even though the book is brief, there's a ton of useful information in it. for example, i finally learned why it's called pain perdu. i mean, i knew the words meant "lost bread," but for some reason i'd never made the (incredibly obvious) connection that you make it with bread that has gone stale. i always assumed it was "lost" under the rivers of butter and syrup i poured upon it. For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more. I also like the chapter how the Chinese dessert but the whole book was good. Maybe the author did wander here and there to convey a message but it was a good read.