Martha Lloyd''s Household Book: The Original Manuscript from Jane Austen''s Kitchen

This is the first facsimile publication of 'Martha Lloyds Household Book', the manuscript cookbook of Jane Austens closest friend. Marthas notebook is reproduced in a colour facsimile section with complete transcription and detailed annotation. Introductory chapters discuss its place among other household books of the eighteenth century.

Martha Lloyd befriended a young Jane Austen and later lived with Jane, her sister Cassandra and their mother at the cottage in Chawton, Hampshire, where Jane wrote or revised her novels. Martha later married into the Austen family. Her collection features recipes and remedies handwritten during a period of over thirty years and includes the only surviving recipes from Mrs Austen and Captain Francis Austen, Janes mother and brother.

There are many connections between Marthas book and Jane Austens writing, including white soup from 'Pride and Prejudice' and the authors favourites toasted cheese and mead. The family, culinary and literary connections detailed in the introductory chapters of this work give a fascinating perspective on the time and manner in which both women lived, thanks to this extraordinary artefact passed down through the Austen family. See more