The Country Housewife’s Family Companion – William Ellis – 1750 | Rural Cooking & Bread Baking

The Country Housewife’s Family Companion by William Ellis is a 1750 cookbook that focuses on English rural households and their domestic practices. Rather than simply republish the elaborate French-style dishes that were popular amongst nobles, Ellis compiled recipes that were centered on farmers and agricultural families. These recipes reflect everyday needs and ingredients that were readily available in rural regions of England. Interestingly, this work pays special attention to bread baking which was an overlooked part of early English culinary books. It also includes instructions on livestock management, food storage, and seasonal preparation.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Country Housewife’s Family Companion: Or Profitable Directions for Whatever Relates to the Management and Good Economy of the Domestic Concerns of a Country Life
• Author(s): William Ellis
• Publisher: Salisbury: J. Hodges, B. Collins, London
• Edition: First edition, 1750
• Format: (8vo), single volume
• Binding: Full leather
• Size:  8 in x 5 in (20.3 cm x 12.7 cm)
• Collation: [1], [x], 379, [10] pp
• Contents Include:
  • Receipts for English rural food preparation
  • Instructions on baking bread
  • Guidance for domestic and farm management
  • Notes on food preservation and frugality

Condition:

Good condition. Bound in full leather, rubbed at corners with cracked hinges. Boards remain firm. The text block is complete with consistent toning. Interior shows signs of age but is fully legible.

Why Collect This?

• First edition from 1750
• Includes rare content on historical English bread making
• Focused on rural life, unlike urban or aristocratic counterparts

Item Number: # 29154