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Florence A. George

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Florence A. George
George in 1913
Born
Florence Annie George

1864
Gloucester, England
Died3 July 1918 (aged 55)
Amberley, Gloucestershire, England
EducationThe National Training School of Cookery (first-class diploma)
Occupation(s)Schoolteacher, cookbook writer
EmployerKing Edward VI High School for Girls

Florence Annie George (1864 – 3 July 1918) was an English schoolteacher and cookbook writer. She worked as cookery mistress of King Edward VI High School for Girls and published four cookbooks. Her recipes for nut cutlets in her book Vegetarian Cookery have been described as the origin of the nut roast.

Biography

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Early life and education

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Florence Annie George was born in Gloucester in the second quarter of 1864.[1] Her parents were William D., a canal superintendent, and Annie George. She had two sisters and two brothers.[2] George later earned a first-class diploma from The National Training School of Cookery, London.[3]

Teaching career

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George (second from the left) teaching at King Edward VI High School for Girls, c. 1900

In 1894, George was appointed as cookery mistress of King Edward VI High School for Girls, Birmingham.[4] This decision was made by headmistress Edith Creak, despite the strong objections of the school governors, who had firmly advised against including cookery in the curriculum.[5]

Writing

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King Edward's Cookery Book

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George saw cooking as a scientific skill that every girl should learn. In 1901, she published King Edward's Cookery Book as a textbook for everyone.[6] It was described in The Publishers' Circular as a clear, concise, and methodical culinary guide designed for middle-class Englishwomen, providing essential cooking knowledge, principles, and practical advice, including scullery work, kitchen equipment, and seasonal ingredients.[7] By 1921, it had sold 20,000 copies.[3]

Vegetarian Cookery

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Title page of Vegetarian Cookery

In 1908, George published Vegetarian Cookery, described in the preface as being "written for those who, from principle, wish to abstain from meat, as well as for the many who, from reasons of health, are obliged to reduce the proportion of it in their daily diet."[8] It included recipes that used ingredients such as onions, parsley, salt, and pepper to create vegetarian dishes intended to replicate the flavours and textures of meat-based meals, including a chicken substitute made from butter bean paste.[9] The book's two recipes for nut cutlets have been described as the ancestor of the nut roast.[10][11] Vegetarian Cookery went through at least six imprints.[12]

Economical Dishes for Wartime

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In response to rationing during the First World War, George published Economical Dishes for Wartime, in 1916.[13] It contained her original recipes amended to account for wartime shortages.[14]

Death

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George died following an illness in Amberley, Gloucestershire on 3 July 1918, at the age of 54.[15][16][17] At the time of her death, she had been working on a more comprehensive cookbook for several years. It was later finished by her formal pupil Kate Lackland and edited by Irene Davison.[3][16] It was published as A Manual of Cookery in 1920.[16]

Legacy

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In 2011, Sally Huxley, who succeeded George as Head of Food Studies at her former school, authored Recipes for Success, a modern adaptation of domestic science education. The book is based on research into the history of the subject, highlighting the role George played in its development. It includes recipes designed to reflect current social trends, similar to those created by George.[18]

A brief mention of George and her book Vegetarian Cookery was included in Colin Spencer's The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism.[9] After reading about George in Spencer's book, Anne O'Connell, who had later attended George's school, was inspired to author Early Vegetarian Recipes, exploring the history of vegetarian recipes.[19]

One of George's recipes from her King Edward's Cookery Book was included in Annie Gray's The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook.[20]

Publications

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Further reading

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  • "A Taste of Victorian Vegetarian Cookery". Pioneerthinking.com. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  • Candler, W. I.; Jaques, Ailsa M.; Dobbie, B. M. W., eds. (1971). King Edward VI High School for Girls Birmingham. London: Ernest Benn Limited.

References

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  1. ^ "Births Jun 1864". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  2. ^ "1891 Census Returns database". FreeCEN. Free UK Genealogy. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "A Manual of Cookery". Western Mail. 25 February 1921. p. 9. Retrieved 5 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Educating Huma". The Times. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  5. ^ "School History". Old Edwardians KEHS. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  6. ^ Gallant, Charlotte (12 December 2022). "Christmas Cooking!". King Edward VI Foundation. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  7. ^ "Notices of Books". The Publishers' Circular. 1959. p. 78 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ^ "Mr. Edward Arnold". The Publisher: The Journal of the Publishing Industry. 1908. p. 115.
  9. ^ a b Spencer, Colin (1993). The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism. London: Fourth Estate. p. 298. ISBN 978-1-85702-078-6 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ^ Warner, Emily (16 December 2024). "Veggie Alternatives To Serve This Christmas". Country and Town House. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  11. ^ "Christmas dinner: A passionate defence of the humble nut roast". The Telegraph. 24 December 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  12. ^ George, Florence A. (1912). Vegetarian Cookery (6th ed.). London: Edward Arnold.
  13. ^ Nash, Andrew; Squires, Claire; Willison, I. R., eds. (13 June 2019). "Cookery books: from the servant problem to culinary superstars". The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain (1 ed.). Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9780511862489. ISBN 978-0-511-86248-9.
  14. ^ "Moving Armistice Centenary Commemoration at KEHS". King Edward's High School for Girls. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  15. ^ "Deaths". The Gloucester Journal. 13 July 1918. p. 6. Retrieved 5 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b c Bevir, Joseph Louis (1920). The Making of Wellington College: Being an Account of the First Sixteen Years of Its Existence. London: Edward Arnold. p. 6 – via Internet Archive.
  17. ^ "Deaths Sep 1918". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  18. ^ Evans, Sarah (2011). "A cookery book for the modern age". The Free Library. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  19. ^ O’Connell, Anne. "Early Vegetarian Recipes". Vegetarianwomen.com. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  20. ^ Gray, Annie (17 September 2019). The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook. Weldon Owen International. ISBN 978-1-68188-593-3.
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