Description
A collection of 5 letters written to a Mrs Taylor, thanking her for cooking and asking advice on possible cooks to employ, including: two letters from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, dated 1924 and 1928 respectively asking Mrs Taylor to advise on a good cook, each signed 'Elizabeth'; letter from 11 Downing Street, dated 7th December 1927, stating that Mrs Churchill was "very much pleased with the delicious dinner...", in a secretarial hand; and 2 others from Beatrice Lascelles and V. Clark; [AND] Manuscript list of ingredients for a meal or event on Holland House note paper, including "12 live lobsters"; [AND] Manuscript recipe book entitled "Cooking Notes" with the inscription "Alice M. Bond ? ? Training College" and "Miss Griggs" to the upper cover, 41pp. manuscript recipes, c.25x19cm; [AND] 46 menu cards, 1920s-1930s, from meals at the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Dudley House, Wentworth Woodhouse and other locations (quantity)
Footnote
Note: This collection appears to relate to a cook called Mrs Taylor, whose address is given as "White Lodge, Richmond Park" in a letter of 1924 from the Duchess of York (later to become Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother). At the time, the White Lodge, now the Royal Ballet School, was inhabited by Queen Mary, mother of George VI, and it would seem reasonable to assume that Mrs Taylor was the household's cook. Subsequent letters reveal that Mrs Taylor's skills became highly respected and sought after in London society in the 1920s and 1930s.