Talk: Elizabeth Raffald, Before Mrs Beeton, England's Most Influential Housekeeper

A talk exploring the rise and fall of one of Britain's most influential cookery writers, Elizabeth Raffald, by Manchester-based food historian Neil Buttery.

Elizabeth Raffald was once a household name with an incredible list of accomplishments.  Starting as the housekeeper at Arley Hall in Cheshire she then transformed the Manchester food scene and business community in the mid-1700s, wrote the first A to Z directory, created the first domestic servant's registry office, set up a cookery school, ran a high-class tavern, gave birth to sixteen daughters, wrote her bestselling cookery book The Experienced English Housekeeper in 1769, and much more.  Find out more about Elizabeth's fascinating life story, which has everything from notoriety and success to a tumultuous fall.

Food historian Neil Buttery brings this now largely forgotten Lancashire (and Cheshire) based cook and high achieving woman back to the public's attention in his talk, with accompanying book, exploring the life, times and legend of the great Elizabeth Raffald of Manchester.

If the talk is fully booked please join the waiting list and you will be contacted if another is organised.  Talk is in Servant's Hall in the basement down one flight of stairs inside, with flat access from outside.

Gawthorpe Hall is part of Lancashire County Museum Service and Lancashire County Council's Cultural Services.