All About Cookery > Way Back Then

Not in bad shape for a well-used turn of the century cookbook. The Beacoms did have it rebound by Palmer Bound in 2000.

Edited to add recipes copied from Page 360 and Page 106:

Salmon, Boiled.---Ingredients---6oz. of salt to each gallon of water; sufficient water to cover the fish. AVERAGE COST, in full season, 1s. 4d (?) per lb.

Scale and clean the fish, and be particular that no blood is left inside; lay it in the fish-kettle with sufficient cold water to cover it, adding salt in the above proportion. Bring it quickly to a boil, take off all the scum, and let it simmer gently until the fish is done, which will be when the meat separates easily from the bone. Experience alone can teach the cook to fix the time for boiling a fish; but it is especially to be remembered, that it should never be under-dressed, as then nothing is more unwholesome. Neither let it remain in the kettle after it is sufficiently cooked, as that would render it insipid, watery and colourless. Drain it, and if not wanted for a few minutes, keep it warm by means of warm cloths laid over it. Serve on a hot napkin, garnish with cut lemon and parsley, and send lobster or any other sauce liked, and a dish of dressed cucumber, to the table with it.

TIME---8 minutes to each lb. for large thick salmon; 6 minutes for thin fish.

SEASONAL from April to August.

CUCUMBERS, DRESSED. ---Ingredients.---Cucumber, 3 tablespoonfuls of salad oil, 4 tablespoonsful of vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. AVERAGE COST, frame cucumbers, 4d. to 1 s; field ones, 1d-3d each.

Pare the cucumber, cut it equally into very thin slices, and commence cutting from the thick end; if commensed at the stalk, the cucumber will most likely have an exceedingly bitter taste, far from agreeable.

For the purpose of slicing cucumbers evenly and very thin, we reccomend this slice in preference to an ordinary knife. Put the slices in a dish, sprinkle over very little salt and some pepper, and pour over oil and vinegar in the above proportion; turn the cucumber about, and it is ready to serve. This is a favourite accompaniment to boiled salmon, is a nice addition to all descriptions of salads, and makes a pretty garnish to lobster salad.

SEASONABLE.---Forced from beginning of March til the end of June; in full season in July, August and September.