" ….a brilliant marriage of historical picture research, well-chosen recipes, and historical narrative…"  Taste

"  …the best single treatment of British food history that we have seen for years – or possibly ever."  Anne Willan, Petits Propos Culinaires

A reissue of the classic reference work on the history of cooking and eating.  Behind the curious ingredients and mysterious language of old cookery books lies a completely different world, where the foods that we take for granted were often not available, their preparation, cooking and preservation were laborious and skilful tasks, and the art of dining reflected social attitudes quite removed from modern culinary practice.

The Art of Dining includes historical recipes, together with their modern adaptations and covers Medieval, EarlyTudor, Elizabethan, Stuart, Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian periods.

Sara Paston-Williams has used the great wealth of National Trust houses and records to produce this wonderful book which is a feast for the eye as well as a fascinating guide to all the arts of dining.