Place of Origin

England

Date of Composition

ca. 1680s-ca. 1690s

Description

This 160-page volume is written in a single secretary hand that is, for the part, easily read by nonspecialists. Its author was evidently a member of Cambridge University. The book contains several dozen satirical poems written from the front of the notebook, and over 200 culinary recipes written from the back. (The catalog records erroneously states the number of recipes as "several dozen.") The recipes are loosely organized as follows: general cooking; fruit preserves and fruit confectionary; cakes, both large and individual, and biscuits; and dessert creams. That said, many recipes are out of category. Included among the general cooking recipes is a very interesting recipe for "French Manchett." The recipe section begins with instructions for fishing.