Image: Carter, Charles · Public domain
The London and Country Cook
- Year
- 1749
- Era
- 18th century
- Origin
- England · Europe
- Language
- English
- Category
- English pre-1800
The London and Country Cook, issued under the name of Charles Carter in 1749, is an English receipt book directed at both metropolitan establishments and provincial households. Following Carter's earlier work for noble kitchens, it adapts the repertoire of professional cookery to a wider domestic readership, gathering instructions for made dishes, roasts, pastry, and preserves. Its dual address reflects the mid-eighteenth-century broadening of the cookery market beyond aristocratic service.
Cooking from this book
Grand Sallet
Signature dishThe Grand Sallet stands as a fitting emblem for Carter's volume, which sought to bridge fashionable London tables with country households. A composed centrepiece arranging pickled vegetables, cold meats, fruits, flowers and herbs in decorative patterns around a central mound, it showcased the visual ambition of Georgian English cookery. Carter's treatment reflects his career serving noble households, while his instructions remained practical enough for provincial cooks aspiring to genteel presentation at their own dining tables.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
