Practical Daily Menu

The Practical Daily Menu is one of the forefathers of the world of meal planning. In the preface the author, Mrs Peacock, states; "Every housewife has felt the urgency of the ever-recurring query, 'What shall we have for breakfast, for dinner, for supper?'"

Clearly Mrs Peacock has the answers. In this book she suggests 365 breakfasts, dinners and suppers, on a rotating monthly menu. Dinners include a soup course, a main and a pudding, with breakfasts and suppers being a lighter one course only affair. Once you get past the annual menu she has a large collection of recipes to match everything she has listed. It's a fascinating insight into early 20th century food.

Title: The Practical Daily Menu
Author: C.B. Peacock
Publisher: W. & R. Chambers, Limited.
Publication Year: 1926
Pages: 172 (including index) plus 5 more pages of adverts

This book has green cloth covers with an illustration, title and author in the front in black. The edges of the covers are quite worn, especially along the spine and the corners, and there are a few marks on the front cover in particular.

On the first page is a small pencil written dedication that reads "J.S. Blyth 14.9.26". The spine is cracked between the first page and the title page, but the binding in the rest of the book is secure and no pages are missing. There are some light marks across the pages but nothing that stops you from reading the recipes or other information. A bookmark advertising the National Book Council has been left tucked into the main title page.

Overall this book has clearly seen a lot of action over the years, but with a bit of careful handling should last for more years to come.