Celebrity chefs are not a modern phenomenon. Records survive of famous Roman cooks and the first cookbook as we would term it was publish in the 16th century by the Italian chef Bartolomeo Scappi.

However the remarkable 19th Century British chef and entrepreneur Agnes Marshall (1852-1905) was a force entirely of her own. She is considered the woman responsible for popularising ice cream through her cookery books, as well as being the inventor of the modern ice cream cone.

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In 1883 Marshall and her husband purchased a cooking school and renamed it after herself and two years later she wrote and published her first book, The Book of Ices, and a follow-up, Fancy Ices in 1894 (available online on The Internet Archive) which contain some eclectic recipes including Parisian Cucumber Cream, Princess May Chicken Souffle, Asparagus Cream, Tomato Sorbet, and Viennese Meringue Mushrooms. She was also a pioneer in marketing her own patented freezers as well as “own brand” equipment.

Have a cool day and take care of yourselves, everyone!