Biddesden Cookery

Biddesden House is the Guinness family home. It was bought in 1931 by Bryan Guinness (Lord Moyne) and his first wife Diana Mitford. It was here that Mirabel Guinness found her inspiration for this cookery book. As she points out in her introduction, there are often at least twenty people to lunch at Biddesden. This is not surprising with such a large family: she is the youngest of nine brothers and sisters who all grew up there. Charmingly illustrated by Roland Pym, the book is a compilation of recipes contributed by the whole Guinness family, ranging from the amateur to the professional and reflecting Biddesden life from the nursery tea to the dinner party. The book shows how best to enjoy the familiar ingredients of English country cooking.