A Closet for Ladies and Gentlevvomen or, The Art of Anonymous, A Closet for Ladies and Gentlevvomen or, The Art of Preseruing, Conseruing, and Candying (London, 1608) This book, which included confections and sugar-work related to banqueting, was particularly associated with female oversight and labour. Its ‘handy’ format meant it could easily be carried in a pocket or hung from a chatelaine when making the daily household inspection. While such books prove the role of women in seventeenth-century domestic management, male cooks remained firmly in command of kitchens in great households. It was not until the early 1660s that printed recipe books written by English women, such as Hannah Woolley’s Ladies Directory, were published.

The Syndics of Cambridge University Library (SSS.27.5)