Cookbook

In 1873 my Great-Great-Grandpa wrote a cookbook called ‘Round the Table’. I only found out earlier this year, and since discovering my culinary-minded ancestor ('The G.C.’ to his readers, Victor de Rivaz to everyone else) I’ve been fascinated by him. When I first picked up his book I expected some pretty questionable fare — Victorian cookery doesn’t have a great reputation (meat jellies and the like) — so I wasn’t too hopeful of finding anything I’d like to cook in there. But his book is like an antidote to stuffy Victorian fare — his prolific use of parmesan as a seasoning alone is something that I'm all onboard with. And although his notes on garnishing (‘a hot dish garnished with raw sprigs of parsley is ridiculous’) seem to have been studiously ignored by most UK gastro-pub chefs since, so much of what he writes seems to be common culinary sense for nowadays — pasta features heavily — his recipes are surprisingly modern, unstuffy, and resolutely un-Victorian.