author
Mary Eales
Best known for a small but influential recipe book from the early 1700s, this English confectioner is often remembered for helping preserve some of the earliest printed recipes for sweets and ices. Her work offers a rare glimpse into the kitchens and tastes of Queen Anne's era.
1 Audiobook
Mrs. Mary Eales's receipts. (1733)
by Mary Eales
About the author
Very little is known for certain about Mary Eales herself. She was an English writer on cookery and confectionery, and the main details about her life come from the title pages of her book rather than from surviving personal records.
Her best-known work, Mrs Mary Eales's Receipts, was published in London in 1718. Later editions appeared under titles including The Compleat Confectioner, showing that the book remained useful and popular well after its first release.
Eales is especially notable because her collection is often linked to one of the earliest printed English recipes for ice cream, along with recipes for preserves, candies, creams, and other sweet dishes. She was described on the title page as confectioner to Queen Anne, though that claim is not well documented, so it is usually treated with caution.