Insatiable Appetites

Name: Insatiable Appetites
Price: 65.99 AUD
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ISBN: 9781851246649

Eating Out in Georgian London

Peter Ross

$65.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Bodleian Library
02 June 2026

History; British & Irish history; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; Food & society

This book follows the hungry citizens of Georgian London over one day as they navigate culinary pleasures and horrors in the capital's diverse food landscape.

Step into the kitchens, streets and chop houses of Georgian London

one day, one city, countless appetites.

From dawn until past midnight, Londoners dined at taverns, coaching inns, oyster rooms, confectioners, coffee shops, chocolate houses, soup shops and dining rooms. For the poor, the streets bustled with vendors offering early versions of fast food: hot green peas, baked potatoes, suet puddings, curds and whey, rice milk, gingerbread, pastry 'pigs,' and the now-forgotten saloop, a warming drink made from orchid roots. After dark, sex workers and their clients indulged in a glass of jelly, then considered an aphrodisiac, as a precursor to a visit to the brothel. As the empire expanded, culinary influences poured in: London's first Indian takeaway appeared in 1773, while the East End became home to Jewish fried fish, Italian boloney and German sausages.

Through the course of a single day, this book takes readers on a journey through breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper in Georgian London, drawing on contemporary archives to follow hungry citizens from all walks of life as they navigate the city's diverse food landscape. It reveals not only culinary pleasures and horrors, but also the social challenges and daily struggles that shaped life in the capital.

By: Peter Ross
Imprint: Bodleian Library
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781851246649
ISBN 10: 1851246649
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 02 June 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Dr Peter Ross was,until recently,the Principal Librarian at the City of London's Guildhall Library. He is an historian of both food and crime in Georgian London, an Arts Society lecturer, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

Reviews for Insatiable Appetites: Eating Out in Georgian London

Ross...achieve[s] that rare thing: a happy balance of academic rigour and vivacious storytelling, with an eye for the details that bring the past delectably to life. -- Alice Loxton Insatiable Appetites combines rigorous research with an engaging style. Its portrait of Georgian London is vivid and surprisingly modern, showing how many of today’s eating habits have eighteenth century roots. -- Rebecca Williams Superbly illustrated, and enhanced by exhaustive notes and bibliography, 'Insatiable Appetites' is a supremely satisfying read. If this book was a meal, it would be Sunday roast with extra Yorkshires, English mustard and a big jug of gravy. Utterly delicious. -- Joceline Bury