Today’s Free Book is:

The Cookery Book by Margaret Powell

ISBN 9781250029263, Hardcover

In the national bestseller Below Stairs, Margaret Powell told readers what it was really like to work in the great houses of England. In Margaret Powell’s Cookery Book, she gives readers a closer look at the world inside the vast kitchens of these great houses. It’s an eye-opening and mouthwatering snapshot of that world. The upstairs dining room always demanded the best of Continental cuisine and, cooking downstairs, Margaret Powell obliged. 

Her cookery book is a firsthand account of the way people cooked and dined in the early twentieth century when houses like those in “Upstairs, Downstairs” and “Downton Abbey” were fully staffed and running like clockwork. Describing kitchen equipment such as the black ranges that had to be shined daily, the fancy moulds that needed screen covers to keep out the flies and tubs of ice that were used instead of refrigerators, she tells readers just how big a job it was to keep the upstairs dining table abundantly filled. 

Giving away the secrets of the manor, she presents more than 500 recipes, from the simple to the sophisticated. Divided into chapters such as Hors d’oeuvre, Soups, Fish, Entrees, Roasts and Meat Dishes , Savouries, Puddings and others, she shows readers today what it was like to eat well, if you were a member of England’s upper class.  Classic, but simple, dishes such as Shepherd’s Pie and Roast Chicken Stuffed with Herbs alternate with sophisticated fare and long-lost recipes like Potatoes a la Florence, Rabbit Pilau, Compote of Snipe, Sardines a la Bombay and Queen Mab Pudding. 

With her trademark wit and gimlet eye, she tells readers what it was like to cook for her “betters” but she also states one thing proudly–“Food is more than just food. I like it to be prepared and cooked well, and I like trouble taken over it.” Behind every well-fed family like the Crawleys of “Downton Abbey” or the Bellamys of “Upstairs, Downstairs” was a cook like Margaret Powell and, now, she invites readers everywhere to the feast.

We will choose a winner at random from comments we receive here on the Blog from PBS members.

You have until Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 12 noon EDT, to leave a comment.

Good Luck to everyone!

Note: All the books given away on Free Book Friday are available in the PBS Market. We have thousands of new and new overstock titles available right now, with more added hourly. Some of the prices are amazing – and you can use a PBS credit to make the deal even better!

Remember, every new book purchase supports the club and helps keep membership free!