This 86-page receipt book is divided into seven parts, all but the first preceded by an index, and all separately paginated. The second part, which is longest, covers recipes for dishes of all types, both those served in the principal courses of dinner and those served in banquets, or desserts. The recipes in this section are clustered by dish type: preserved meats, puddings, breads, pottages, sauces, meat dishes, tarts, preserves, and cakes. The remaining parts treat specific subjects: fish and shellfish (part 1); pickles (part 3); cakes, cheesecakes, creams, custards, possets, syllabubs, and curds, all conceits served in banquets and evening parties (part 4); wines, waters, spirits, beer, cider, and other drinks, some medicinal (part 5); cheeses, curds, possets, and other dairy dishes (part 6); and medicines and remedies (part 7).
The bulk of the book is written either in a single hand or in two or three very similar hands that recur throughout. A distinctly different hand debuts in part 5. This individual wrote out the part 5 index a second time on the verso of the original part 5 index, apparently in order to enter a final page of medical recipes that this individual added (inappropriately) to this section, which is otherwise in the hand or hands seen throughout. This same individual wrote the entirety of part 7.
The recipes are of the second half of the seventeenth century, as is the handwriting, which is mostly italic but shows traces of secretary hand. In general, the recipes are unusually long and detailed and appear to have been written from personal experience. The spelling is fairly regular and the usage literate, which implies that the compilers were highly educated. The great number of recipes for dairy dishes and drinks suggests that the book may have been compiled in a country place, by persons who had dairy houses and extensive brewing and distilling facilities. This is a highly interesting book that warrants close study.
