Miss Eliza's English Kitchen

A Novel of Victorian Cookery and Friendship

By: Annabel Abbs

Narrated by: Ell Potter, Bianca Amato

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Chosen as one of the season's best historical fiction novels by the New York Times!

Good Housekeeping Book Club Pick for November!

A Country Living Best Book of Fall!

A Washington Post Best Feel-Good Book of the Year!

In a novel perfect for fans of Hazel Gaynor’s A Memory of Violets and upstairs-downstairs stories, Annabel Abbs, the award-winning author of The Joyce Girl, returns with the brilliant real-life story of Eliza Acton and her assistant as they revolutionized British cooking and cookbooks around the world.

Before Mrs. Beeton and well before Julia Child, there was Eliza Acton, who changed the course of cookery writing forever.

England, 1835. London is awash with thrilling new ingredients, from rare spices to exotic fruits. But no one knows how to use them. When Eliza Acton is told by her publisher to write a cookery book instead of the poetry she loves, she refuses - until her bankrupt father is forced to flee the country. As a woman, Eliza has few options. Although she’s never set foot in a kitchen, she begins collecting recipes and teaching herself to cook. Much to her surprise, she discovers a talent - and a passion - for the culinary arts.

Eliza hires young, destitute Ann Kirby to assist her. As they cook together, Ann learns about poetry, love, and ambition. The two develop a radical friendship, breaking the boundaries of class while creating new ways of writing recipes. But when Ann discovers a secret in Eliza’s past and finds a voice of her own, their friendship starts to fray.

Based on the true story of the first modern cookery writer, Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen is a spellbinding novel about female friend­ship, the struggle for independence, and the transcendent pleasures and solace of food.

©2021 Annabel Abbs (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

I want to know more!

I’ll definitely be looking up more about the women in this story! The telling of this story or Eliza Acton, Ann Kirby, and this revolutionary cookery book is truly engaging and fascinating, but also heartbreaking. In fact, the only detractor from this story is the many chapters that seem stuck in the dark and depressing, sometimes making it difficult to continue reading. I can tell that this will be a story that lingers with me for a very long time.

found the recipes

to be the most interesting part. very well read by the narrator. very easy to listen to. not a deep story, so doesn't require total concentration to listen.

Absolutely wonderful

Amazing book, lighthearted, and so much fun! Loved all the descriptions and can’t wait to listen to it again!

Surprising and joyful

I loved this novel, a wonderful story of friendship, love, and the creativity of women living their best lives in a man’s world. Highly recommend. The narration was absolutely perfect!

Mixed Feelings

The story was enticing enough to make me look for the original cookbook itself, but I felt the narrative ended up out of tempo. The beginning teased enough to make me keep going. After an early peak, 1/3 into the story, there came a crawl that I felt it could be shorter. Then, at the end, there was a lot to unpack in the last 10-15min. All and all, I hope the cookbook itself makes me feel a little more engaged with its history as a whole.

Spectacular narration, wonderful tale

I'd listen to Ell Potter read the dictionary. I loved the story. So well produced.

One of my favorites

I could smell the aromas, see the kitchen and meals, and feel the friendship as well as the drudgery and bleakness of life for the poor. Uplifting in spite of the hardship for women and the poor. Beautifully written and performed. The readers were brilliant.

Wonderful story

This was a delightful story about women quietly breaking boundaries for happiness and friendship. It was wonderful

Simply lovely

As a hopeless foodie and British historical fiction fan, this book ticked all the boxes.

ugh why did it end!

What an amazing story and the telling of it was remarkable. I wish it would have never ended. As a woman chef this book captivated me and transported me into a world of smells and tastes and physical actions.