Mary Eales

Very little is known for certain about Mary Eales herself. She is usually identified from the title pages of Mrs Mary Eales's Receipts, published in London in 1718, which describes her as "confectioner to her late Majesty Queen Anne." Later editions suggest she had died by the time they appeared, and modern reference works often give her death as around 1718.

What has lasted is her book. Mrs Mary Eales's Receipts is a compact collection of recipes for preserved fruits, creams, jams, jellies, candies, cakes, and other sweet dishes, giving readers a vivid look at English confectionery in the early 1700s. It is often noted for including one of the earliest printed English recipes for ice cream.

Because the historical record is so thin, Eales stands out less as a fully documented public figure than as a voice preserved through her recipes. Even so, her work remains valuable to food historians and curious modern cooks for the glimpse it offers into the tastes and techniques of Queen Anne's era.