Elizabeth "Eliza" Acton was an English cook and poet, who produced one of the country's first cookbooks aimed at the domestic reader, rather than professional cooks or chefs: Modern Cookery for Private Families. This introduced the now-universal practice of listing ingredients and giving suggested cooking times with each recipe. It included the first recipe for Brussels sprouts. Isabella Beeton's bestselling Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management was closely modelled on it. Delia Smith is quoted as calling Acton "the best writer of recipes in the English language". Modern Cookery long survived her, remaining in print until 1914.
To Caroline (1826)
