The Art of Cookery – John Mollard – 1836 | Obscure Recipes

The Art of Cookery by John Mollard is a rare 19^th-century culinary manual. The book reflects formal British kitchen practice during the early 19th century and preserves a wide range of recipes once common in large households and service kitchens, including dishes not widely seen today: Turkish cakes, beef tongue, pigeon compote, salmagundi, and suet pudding among them.

Mollard’s instructions focus on organization and presentation, with attention to sauces, meat carving, fish preparation, and pastry work. Though designed for experienced cooks, it was also used in training environments and ambitious homes. The structure follows the expected order of service, emphasizing economy, symmetry, and clarity.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Art of Cookery
• Author(s): John Mollard
• Publisher: London, Whittaker & Co.
• Edition: New Edition, 1836.
• Format: octavo, single volume
• Binding: Blind-stamped cloth, gilt spine
• Size:  7.75 in x 4.75 in (19.5 cm x 12 cm)
• Collation: xv, [1], 323 pp
• Illustrations: Engraved frontispiece
• Contents Include:
  • Preface and introduction for professional cooks
  • Sections on soups, meats, poultry, game, sauces, vegetables, sweets
  • Recipes for Turkish cakes, suet pudding, beef tongue, salmagundi, and pigeon dishes
• Provenance: Handwritten signature, Mrs. Merry Highlands

Condition:

Bound in original dark blue cloth with blind-stamped covers and gilt spine titling. Boards show moderate wear at corners and spine ends, with light rubbing and a few small marks on boards. The spine remains firm with gilt still visible. Paper is intact and flexible, with no major tears or annotations. Handwritten signature of Mrs. Merry Highlands on front pastedown.

Why Collect This?

• Features obsolete and historically significant recipes

• Valuable to collectors of early British gastronomy and culinary trades

Item Number: #28741