book review the language of food

BelEdit Book Reviews

Fiona's Book Blog

The Language of Food

Some background: I’ve been a huge fan of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management since, well, forever. I even have not one but three copies of it. One abridged version from the 1980s, another, old version that belonged to my grandmother and that crumbles to dust if I ever lift it out of its plastic wrapping, and finally a digital version from the Gutenberg Project on my Kindle.

I knew the name Eliza Acton as being that of another cookery writer from around the same era, but that was all. When I saw a novel about her, I thought it was next best thing to a novel about Mrs Beeton, so I was thrilled to receive a review copy from the publisher.

This is a long-winded way to say I was primed to like this novel from the start. But I was astonished by how much I LOVED reading it.

First, as pure story, The Language of Food is brilliant . The domestic details and the different story threads are gripping and come alive on the page. The narrative of how Eliza finds herself in the kitchens after her father’s financial ruin and sudden fall from their social position is fascinating. Eliza faces financial difficulties and professional setbacks with her publisher with determination. It is wonderful to watch her discover her passion and vocation in cooking. Ann lifts herself from miserable poverty through hard work and intelligence, and becomes not just an inspired and gifted help but a muse to Eliza.

This is girl power at its best . Any woman must be thrilled by the independence, intelligence and creativity of these two wonderful women. For me, I just fell in love with them both. It is almost pure fiction of course (little is known about Eliza and the novel is built around the spare facts that are known). She was a poet first and a cook second, but the poetry runs through her cookery writing.

While reading The Language of Food , I went online to dig out some Eliza Acton recipes from Modern Cookery and was delighted to realise that the lyrical but down-to-earth voice of the novel, which I loved so much, was the same voice as Eliza’s own in her original recipes.

Abbs captures Eliza’s voice, and the poetry of her style. I savoured every word, every page, every scene. It is so beautifully written. There is a luminous, Vermeer-like quality in the way the novel shines a light on Ann and Eliza in the kitchen, as they lovingly taste, test and study ingredients and dishes. It was a joy to immerse myself in and I wished it would never end.

My only quibble, if I had to find one, would be the lack of actual recipes. The chapters are named according to an ingredient or recipe relevant to the chapter’s contents. I would have loved if each chapter had started (or finished) with an actual recipe , quoted directly from the original text. In fact, it’s a sign of how engaged I was with this book that not only have I found myself pondering Eliza and Ann’s actual lives, I’ve even found myself imagining the author’s discussions with the editor or publisher about whether or not to put actual recipes in the book…. Yeah, I think I got a bit carried away on this one…

It’s an understatement to say I’m grateful to have received an ARC in exchange for a review. The Language of Food was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in the last couple of years, and one of the most memorable. It’s bound to be a bestseller.

Finally, the cover and title are marvellous. Perfect for this book.

You might also like:

Lucy Lethbridge | Servants

Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management. Make sure you get the 1200-page unabridged version. The abridged version, at some 600 pages, is only the recipes.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Book review: The Language of Food, Annabel Abbs

Writing and Publishing

A novel based on the life of Eliza Acton, an English food writer poet who produced one of Britain’s first cookery books. Photo of Annabel Abbs supplied.

Before there were flashy cooking shows on television networks, there were other, more genteel approaches to cooking. There were Bills of Fare and Receipts – Recipes in French, which were handed down in upstairs-downstairs styled establishments throughout 19 th century Europe. 

In an earlier novel, historical fiction author Annabel Abbs turned her attention to the ‘real’ Lady Chatterly, to critical acclaim. She has now rolled her lifelong passion for collecting recipes into a novel based on the life of Eliza Acton. 

Published in 1826 as a poet, Acton spends a decade painstakingly creating her next volume, only to be told by her boorish publisher that people don’t want poetry written by women. She is sent home to write a cookbook instead, and when she complains, she is met with the back-handed compliment, that ‘a recipe can be as beautiful as a poem’. 

Though quick to concoct with a quill in hand, she can’t cook a quail. Neither can she boil an egg. 

She decides her editor is a buffoon, and pushes around a line of poetry, ‘and the sun like a vast golden orb in a dome of unbroken blue’, before teaming up with aspiring young cook Ann Kirby. Together they share and shape the narrative of The Language of Food. 

Words that have departed the lexicon like ‘Michelmas’ and ‘somnambulist’ push the tale along, rather than weighing it down like a heavy sauce on a hot day, as Abbs wanders effortlessly through the archive of time. For Acton, this was an easier task, since she left behind scraps, notes and papers; research that Abbs folds neatly into the story, rather than laying it out self-consciously and cold on a plate. For Kirby however, very little is known. 

Though she’s the woman with the talent for food, Kirby is not mentioned at all when Modern Cookery for Private Families is published . This novel, then, is a story of class. But it is equally a story of gender, for if Acton were a man, like her contemporaries Keats and Wordsworth, she would not have been banished to the kitchen.

Read: Book review: Loveland, Robert Lukins

Discovering that ‘blasphemy is in a sip of coffee’, Acton sneaks off to read mail from a poetry publisher, the way another woman may have snuck off to read correspondence from a lover. When an offer to publish arrives, it is as though the times have come full circle: she is ecstatic just to be published, accepting the terms of ‘no payment at all’. 

She closes her reference books in despair, finding them only useful for feasts, one of which requires 24 eggs for a sponge cake. Then she writes the modern cookbook, with methods on how to choose a fish still favoured today: clear eyes, fresh smell, gills clear and red. 

Yet it is the chapter titles which hold the most intrigue, drawn from Acton’s Modern Cookery , which sold 125,000 copies: Boiled Eels with Sage, German Style. Mauritian Chutney. Ortolans Garnished with Cocks’ Combs . 

Though much is made of their day-to- day lives, little is made of the procurement of ingredients, or the work of storing and preserving without electric fridges and freezers. Similarly, the methods of production, and the stories of interesting characters supplying the kitchen do not take centre stage. 

Where the drama focuses on food it is the most enticing: ‘I am pulling an iron tray of potato rolls from the oven straining to see if the crusts are sufficiently browned and crispy when the kitchen maid appears. Her hands scrambling at the ribbons of her apron, she cries out in surprise for the mantel clock shows it is barely six and the rush light throws only the splendorous beam upon my person.’ It is these and similar passages which will lure the reader into The Language of Food . 

The Language of Food , Annabel Abs Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 9781398502239 Pages: 399pp RRP: $32.99 Publication date: March 2022

Share this:

Elizabeth Walton

Elizabeth Walton is a freelance writer and musician. Her words and music have appeared in The Weekend Australian, Oz Arts and ABC Radio and internationally. Insta:@elizabethwalton.au

Related News

Reverberations through time and place

This year’s NT Writers Festival asks us to consider causality and effect, and the impact of our actions on others…

Book review: Plot Twist, Jana Firestone

A self-help guide to surviving life’s curveballs.

Barrina South

Book trailers: moveable blurbs on screen

Book trailers are visual shortcuts and can be part of a targeted marketing plan.

This week's arts news and trending topics

We break it – you read it. This week's top arts news stories.

Gina Fairley

The Indigenous Literacy Foundation wins the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2024 

The Indigenous, Community-led organisation wins the largest award of its kind in the world.

Want more content?

Get free newsletters full of the best in Australian arts news, jobs and more delivered to your inbox!

{Pages Bar}

• Home · About ·
• Cheap London Tips
• Exhibitions
• Food and Drink
• Netherlands

Monday 7 February 2022

Book review: the language of food by annabel abbs [blog tour].

Blog tour stops for 'The Language of Food' by Annabel Abbs

Thanks so much for the blog tour support x

Share Button

• Competitions & Giveaways
• My Reading Corner – Web & Print
• Non-Fiction Reviews
• Privacy Policy
• Review Policy

The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs | Book Review | #TheLanguageOfFood #HistoricalFiction

Eliza Acton is a poet who’s never boiled an egg.

But she’s about to break the mould of traditional cookbooks And change the course of cookery writing forever.

England 1835 . Eliza Acton is a poet who dreams of seeing her words in print. But when she takes a new manuscript to a publisher, she’s told that ‘poetry is not the business of a lady.’ Instead, she’s asked to write a cookery book.

Eliza is horrified but her financial situation leaves her no choice. Although she’s never cooked before, she is determined to learn and to discover, if she can, the poetry in recipe writing. To assist her, she hires seventeen-year-old Ann Kirby, the daughter of local paupers. Over the next ten years, Eliza and Ann change the course of cookery writing forever.

“A portrait of Victorian domestic life that is both encompassing and finely detailed… Recipe-loving readers will appreciate the detailed descriptions of Victorian dishes like apple Hedgehog and Buttered Celery on Toast; fans of women’s history will find plenty to admire in the way Ann and Eliza inspire one another to be true to themselves in a culture that has little use for intelligent single women” Historical Novel Society

Told in alternate voices by the award-winning author of The Joyce Girl, The Language of Food is the most thought-provoking and compelling historical novel you’ll read this year. Abbs explores the enduring struggle for female freedom, the complexities of friendship, the creativity and quiet joy of cooking and the poetry of food, while bringing Eliza Acton out of the archives and back into the public eye

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Format: Ebook, Audio, Hardback (3 February 2022) Pages: 410 Source: Copy received for review

MY THOUGHTS

My thanks to SJV of Simon & Schuster for the unexpected review copy and for Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the tour invite. I’m delighted to be one of the bloggers starting off the blog tour today. When the book dropped through the letterbox, I was blown away by the stunning cover. Now having read it, I can confirm that the content is as fabulous as the outside.

Before receiving the book, I had never heard of Eliza Acton. I now know that she produced one of the first cookery books for the domestic reader giving precise instructions and a list of ingredients, something she noticed was lacking from books of that time. Her ideas were so innovative and successful that some of her recipes were apparently used by the famous Mrs Beeton in her own books.

The story is told in turn by Eliza and the younger Ann Kirby with whom she formed a friendship, despite their different backgrounds. Ann was initially employed as a scullery maid but her interest and cookery skills together with the fact that unlike many of her status, she could read and write made her invaluable to Eliza.

There is a whole cast of characters – some based on real people, others fictitious as explained in the author’s note. What comes over clearly through the author’s research is the stark difference between the rich and the poor and even those in between like the Actons. Set in the 1830’s, the vivid imagery of life at that time together with the poverty and hardships that the poor had to endure comes through clearly. Social standing, the treatment of the mentally ill, the expectation of women and their dependency upon men – these aspects of social history are part of the story and it gives that extra interest.

Eliza was an extremely independent character. Her family’s reduced circumstances forced her to put aside her dream of getting her poetry book published but she didn’t abandon her love of verse. Instead she incorporated her love of words into her recipes to make them stand out and be more appealing than other cookery books. She loved being in the kitchen at Bordyke House, the boarding house she rented with her mother, creating dishes and adapting foods from other cultures.

Beautifully written, the first person account from the two women provides insight and a connection to their characters. I engaged with both, but on balance, my favourite was Ann. She tried to do the very best for her family, was trusting and there were times when I was heartbroken for her when I could see the situation rather more clearly than her. Eliza was kind to Ann and a good employer but seemed rather too obsessed with her own interests to really be aware of the struggles and poverty that others like Ann and her family faced.

I loved this story and could quite happily have carried on reading more about Eliza and Ann. I did think that the ending came rather too quickly than I would have ideally wanted although on reflection this was probably the perfect time to bring their partnership to a conclusion. There is an epilogue as well as several pages of author notes, character notes, further reading and some of Eliza’s recipes, some of which sound quite appealing – however I think I will give the eels a miss!

This is not just a book about food and cooking – it is so much more than that and I have deliberately left out much of the story involving the characters so as not to spoil anyone’s enjoyment when they read it for themselves. This is certainly a book that I have no hesitation in recommending.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Annabel Abbs is the rising star of biographical historical novels. She grew up in Bristol, Sussex and Wales before studying English Literature at the University of East Anglia. Her debut novel The Joyce Girl won the Impress Prize and was a Guardian Reader’s Pick and her second novel Frieda: The Original Lady Chatterley was a Times 2018 Book of the Year. She regularly appears on national and regional media, with recent appearances on Radio 4 Woman’s Hour and Sky News, and is popular on the literary festival circuit. She was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award, the Caledonia Novel Award and the Waverton GoodRead Award. Annabel lives in London with her husband and four children.

Abbs’s third novel, The Language of Food, the story of Eliza Acton, Britain’s first domestic goddess, publishes in the UK in February 2022 and is currently being translated into 14 languages.

“When I inherited a collection of antiquarian cookery books I suspected a story might be lurking in one of them. Researching and writing the story of Britain’s first domestic goddess has been a wonderful culinary adventure.” – Annabel Abbs

Author Links:

Thank you for reading 🙂

4 thoughts on “The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs | Book Review | #TheLanguageOfFood #HistoricalFiction”

Thanks for the blog tour support x

My pleasure Anne x

This sounds… well… delicious! I really want to read this one. Thanks.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did Davida

I do love to read any comments 😊 Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Email Address

Are you searching for something?

Currently reading.

karendenise023

Karen's bookshelf: read

2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge

2024 reading challenge.

NETGALLEY BADGES

Recent Posts

PINTEREST: BOOK BLOG TOURS

2021 goodreads challenge, 2023 reading challenge.

• Juliet by LyraThemes.com

• ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN

THE LANGUAGE OF FOOD

A linguist reads the menu.

by Dan Jurafsky ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 2014

A highly informative and entertaining compendium of food and word facts sure to appeal to foodies and etymologists alike.

The evolution of the names and ingredients in popular foods.

Have you ever wondered why ketchup bottles have the word "tomato" on them, why you "toast" to someone's health or why salt is used in the process of making ice cream? In this thoroughly researched book, Jurafsky (Linguistics and Computer Science/Stanford Univ.) answers these questions and many more as he explores the interconnected worlds of food and words. Combining history, geography and etymology, the author travels the world searching for the origins of ethnic dishes and provides readers with a fascinating study of how foods, and the words used to describe them, have been modified over the centuries as cuisines have been absorbed into local cultures. English, Dutch and Portuguese sailors traveled to Asia and brought back fermented fish stews and sauces that added new flavor combinations to the European diet. Spices from India and the Middle East were traded around the globe, and the New World introduced turkey, corn and avocados to the large food-trading houses in Europe. Combining history with modern computer programs to analyze data, the author examines the subtle nuances in the language used on a menu, which can help indicate whether a restaurant is expensive or not. He also studies the way negative words used in product descriptions help push consumers into thinking one brand of potato chips is far superior to another, when in fact, both brands are made from potatoes cooked in oil and covered in salt. Jurafsky also includes intriguing recipes for dishes such as a version of fish stew from 13th-century Egypt or a 1545 recipe from a Tudor cookbook called Chekyns upon soppes (“basically chicken on cinnamon toast”).

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2014

ISBN: 978-0393240832

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2014

GENERAL NONFICTION

Share your opinion of this book

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

More by E.T.A. Hoffmann

BOOK REVIEW

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

Episodes from the life of lady mendl (elsie de wolfe).

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.

Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955

ISBN: 0670717797

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955

More by Ludwig Bemelmans

developed by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno

by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno

by Ludwig Bemelmans

• Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
• News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
• Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
• Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
• Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
• More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
• About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy

© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Popular in this Genre

Hey there, book lover.

We’re glad you found a book that interests you!

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

• Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Contact us: 1-800-316-9361 or email [email protected].

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.

Tuesday 25 January 2022

Book review: the language of food by annabel abbs.

No comments:

Post a comment.

Book Review: Annabel Abbs’ The Language of Food is a tasty look at female friendship

• June 24, 2022
• Annabel Abbs
• simon and schuster
• The Language of Food

The Language of Food is a book with a tasty premise. It is based on the true events involving cook book author Eliza Acton, a woman who inspires chefs to this day. With its strong female characters working hard in a male dominated world, it is one that will appeal to fans of Natasha Lester’s books. It should also appeal to those readers who enjoyed a snapshot of food history, like in films such as Delicious.

This is the third book from English author, Annabel Abbs. Her previous two works, The Joyce Girl and Frieda: A Novel of the Real Lady Chatterley were also works of historical fiction. The Language of Food is set in England of 1835. It was a time when women from the upper classes did not venture into the kitchen; and when the English were being increasingly introduced to exotic fruits and spices from abroad.

The novel’s main protagonist, Eliza Acton is based on a real woman. Initially a published poet, she was told by her publisher to go and write a cook book. Acton was not a cook herself, but with a bankrupt father circumstances made her venture into the culinary world. It was one she would excel in, bringing structure and precision to her recipes. They would ultimately be poached by other cooks and they formed a template for how we see recipes presented today.

The other main character in this story is Ann Kirby. She provides an alternating first person perspective to Eliza’s own first-person narrative. Eliza employs Kirby to assist in the kitchen at her boarding house. It’s a job that Kirby both likes and needs as her mother is in an asylum and her father is incapacitated after fighting in the war.

Readers of the novel should enjoy the sumptuous prose and the rich recipes. Each chapter is even named after a different one. We’d advise you to not read this book on an empty stomach! But, if you are hungry after you have finished it you can always go and try one of Eliza’s recipes, as a few of these feature at the end.

While the proceedings are beautiful and satiating for the most part, there are a few minor issues with the pacing. The ending seems quite rushed, with the two female leads working towards finalising the recipes that would ultimately be published into their cookbook.

Eliza also seems to go from writer to multi-course making chef in a heartbeat. The latter seems a little hard to swallow at times. One would think she’d have had a few culinary disasters as she was experimenting and learning. But, if you can look past these things, you are in for a satisfying look at food and female friendship.

The Language of Food is a Victorian family drama examining things like power, poverty and a food pioneer forging her own path in the world of cooking. The idea is such a unique and interesting one that it should intrigue many readers. In essence, this is a tasty treat about two empowered women who find a home in the kitchen.

THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

Annabel Abbs’ The Language of Food is out now through Simon & Schuster . Grab yourself a copy from Booktopia HERE .

Share this:

More to explore on the au:.

Natalie Salvo

-more blurbs-

‘The Language of Food’ by Dan Jurafsky

In “The Language of Food,’’ Dan Jurafsky’s fun, fascinating, and absorbing linguistic analysis of our food culture and its origins, the Stanford professor of linguistics and computer science cites an episode of the cult television comedy “Portlandia’’ in which “obsessive locavores” Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein grill their waitress about the chicken they’ve ordered. Skeptical that the chicken’s diet of hazelnuts are locally grown, they decide to journey to the chicken farm to see for themselves. It’s ridiculous and, yet, these days such obsessiveness can cut pretty close to the bone.

Though Jurafsky uses the “Portlandia’’ episode in his first chapter to help describe the contemporary evolution of menu language, the skit also serves to illustrate one of the book’s central themes. We inhabit a mad age where it will not do to simply be a dedicated foodie, where it is imperative to one’s social standing among other foodies to — at the very least — have a raw dairy supplier who is on the lam from the FDA.

Advertisement

Still there is scant attention paid to the words that describe that with which we have become so single-minded and obsessive. As Jurafsky intriguingly ponders in his introduction: “Why is the turkey, a bird native to Mexico named for a Muslim democracy. . . . Why do we give toasts at weddings. . . . Why were flour and flower once the same word and what does that suggest about our unhealthy obsession with refined food?”

Based on the lectures he gives to his freshman linguistics class, Jurafsky often begins chapters locally in his hometown of San Francisco, as if he were musing on a restaurant’s menu, bacon-flavored ice cream, the origin of toasts, the history of macaroni. The polymath’s considerable imagination and curiosity then leads him on a wide-ranging investigation.

In the chapter, “Ketchup, Cocktails, and Pirates,’’ Jurafsky shows how the word ketchup originally meant fish sauce in Fujian and that the origins of the world’s favorite condiment goes back thousands of years to the ancient Khmer. It was adopted by 17th-century Western sailors in the Far East attempting to enliven their drab fare and made its way back to England, where walnuts were substituted for fish paste until tomatoes were used in the 19th century. Jurafsky goes on in this chapter to point out that the origin of ketchup is significant because it symbolizes the globalization of trade. In the 17th century, China was the richest country in the world, and Europe was desperate to get a piece of the action. Ketchup, oddly enough, became one of the most significant treasures with which Europeans returned.

While the “Language of Food’’ sounds like required reading for the food-obsessed, it is also for any readers who have thought twice about what goes in their mouths. In the chapter, “How to Read a Menu,’’ I was fascinated by the author’s research into “linguistic fillers,” that is, words used by restaurants to tempt diners toward what in reality may be quite mediocre dishes. “These words seem to promise something special . . . but in a subjective enough way that the restaurant sneakily avoids incurring any actual obligation. . . . For each positive vague word like delicious, tasty or terrific . . . the average price of the dish is nine percent less.”

While many, if not all, of the chapters in “The Language of Food’’ find their roots in college lecture halls, the book is virtually free of dry or stuffy academia. You get the sense that Jurafsky is a pretty fun, idiosyncratic guy who adores his Chinese biologist wife and her culture, is completely immersed in the considerable food culture of San Francisco, knows a ton about a lot of pretty diverse and arcane knowledge and is absolutely unafraid of digressing to uncover interesting bits of truth about food.

You don’t have to be a foodie to find “The Language of Food’’ a high enjoyable and compelling read — but you might be a convert by the time you finish.

Kent Black is an editor and writer who lives in New Mexico.

• The Language of Food. A Linguist Reads the Menu

Dan Jurafsky, computational linguist at Stanford University, achieved what many academics only dream of when his blog The Language of Food – a collection of quirky linguistic investigations into the history and sociology of food – was published as a mass market book. The book promises to “peel away the mysteries from the foods we think we know” (book jacket copy) by illuminating the etymologies of iconic food items like ketchup and applying regressions to large datasets to reveal patterns across menus and restaurant reviews. The wandering musings that worked so well in the blog format unfortunately translate into a book with not much cohesion, held together most obviously by constant references to the author’s hometown (San Francisco) and wife (Janet).

Nevertheless, the book is an accessible and entertaining romp through various aspects of the culture and history of food with stops included from thousand year old Persian cookbooks all the way to ice cream made with liquid nitrogen.

In another four chapters, Jurafsky describes the more sociological aspects of the language of food and consumption not only through the analysis of large datasets but also by introducing concepts such as sound symbolism. Jurafsky shows us the linguistic indicators on menus that distinguish expensive restaurants from mid-range and cheap restaurants. Similarly, a study of restaurant reviews reveals that the metaphors used for positive descriptions of food also differ depending on whether the food is expensive or affordable, that a lot of languages have a limited set of descriptors for taste, and that descriptors of tasty foods vary across cultures. In a chapter that begins with the commonalities of names for ice cream versus names for crackers and chips, sound symbolism is introduced to argue that while there are certain almost universal synesthetic associations in the abstract (front vowels refer to small, thin, light things; back vowels refer to big, fat, heavy things), the extent to which these sounds are associated with cultural objects is a matter of socialised conventions. Finally, Jurafsky introduces the only ‘theoretical’ contribution to the book by arguing that cuisines, like languages, are governed by a ‘grammar’ that determines conventions of meal order and acceptable flavour pairings. He believes that this grammar in part explains how and why new foods introduced into a cuisine are changed in order to be acceptable to that cuisine’s grammatical conventions.

Photo by William Hartz (flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The book familiarises the reader with a great variety of food items and their histories across large swaths of the world. Many different culinary traditions and technologies are touched upon that will delight food enthusiasts. Jurafsky also makes a point of correcting some common (ethnocentric) misconceptions, great and small. One such idea was that an isolated China was somehow dragged into wealth by the Europeans; rather, it was British, Dutch, and Portuguese eagerness to tap into the vibrant trade going on in East Asia that drove colonial exploration. Likewise, stereotypically ‘medieval’ sweet and savoury dishes combining meats with dried fruits, ginger, and other spices were actually spread to Europe through Muslim Andalusia and Sicily. Jurafsky deftly chronicles the vast borrowing and profound interconnectedness of culinary cultures throughout history, showing that notions of globalisation or ‘fusion’ are certainly not new when it comes to cuisine. The writing is accessible and Jurafsky skilfully employs historical sources, sometimes to great comedic effect (examples to chuckle at include “language mavens” complaining about changing usage, p. 95).

The book’s coverage of great breadth sometimes leads to overly facile periodisations and simplistic oppositions such as ‘ancient’ or ‘traditional’ versus ‘modern’. The constant references back to San Francisco may be charming for Bay Area residents (and probably made a lot of sense in the blog) but it came across to me as a narcissism of the local. Furthermore, the mass market format probably led to some of the exaggerated and disputable claims about universal features of human language that Jurafsky tries to push in the chapter on restaurant reviews.

These types of claims are also sometimes due to researchers basing their studies on so-called “WEIRD” (Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic) populations, which Jurafsky does by focusing on restaurant reviews in several large American cities.

This oversight is all the more surprising because Jurafsky cites and describes cross-cultural studies that contradict his claims. Similarly, he shows a keen understanding of the social stratification that runs through cultural practices of food consumption in some of his chapters, but the extremely tight link between food and social class is elided in a lot of the historical chapters. Finally, scholars of language not convinced by the methods of computational linguistics might also find that the chapters employing these methods do not adequately address the complexity of the phenomena studied. For example, including both restaurant reviews and tasting notes in a corpus of text to be analysed ignores the differences in genre, and thus also history, function, and audience between these two types of writing. This may explain why Jurafsky seems surprised that restaurant reviews tend to focus more on the general service experience than the sensory qualities of the food itself (as a tasting note does).

Overall, the book is an entertaining light read for food enthusiasts who won’t be dismayed by the lack of critical depth and overall cohesiveness. Scholars of language, food as cultural practice, and culinary history could be entertained as well but might be better off seeking out Jurafsky’s academic research outputs for a more complex engagement with the topic.

Jurafsky, Dan. 2014. The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu . New York: W. W. Norton & Company. 272pp. Hb: $26.95. ISBN: 9780393240832.

• Latest Posts

Anna Weichselbraun is a research and teaching postdoc (2018-2024) at the University of Vienna. In 2022-2023 she is also a USC-Berggruen Fellow.

• Technologies of Trust: Introduction
• Trust, truth, and the blockchain

You may also like

Why ‘Framing Gaza’?

We can know no innocent futures, letter in support of easa executive committee’s statement on the situation in gaza.

Authorship in the post-academic, post-human age

Gaza and the coming age of the ‘warrior’, statement on humanitarian action and the situation in palestine, leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Sign up and get a free ebook!
• Join our mailing list!

The Language of Food

"mouth-watering and sensuous, a real feast for the imagination" bridget collins.

• Unabridged Audio Download

LIST PRICE £14.99

• Amazon United Kingdom logo
• Booksellers Association logo
• Bookshop logo
• ColesBooks logo
• WHSmith logo
• Waterstones logo

Table of Contents

• Rave and Reviews

About The Book

About the author.

Annabel Abbs is the new rising star of biographical historical novels. She grew up in Bristol, Sussex and Wales before studying English Literature at the University of East Anglia and Marketing at the University of Kingston. Her debut novel The Joyce Girl was a Guardian Reader’s Pick and her second novel Frieda: The Original Lady Chatterley earned critical acclaim including Times 2018 Book of the Year. She regularly appears on national and regional media, with recent appearances on Radio 4 Woman’s Hour and Sky News, and is popular on the literary festival circuit. She was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award, the Caledonia Novel Award and the Waverton GoodRead Award. Annabel lives in London with her husband and four children. 

Product Details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (February 3, 2022)
• Length: 416 pages
• ISBN13: 9781398502222

Browse Related Books

• Fiction > Historical
• Cooking > Methods > Baking
• Biography & Autobiography > Women

Raves and Reviews

‘Best Feel Good Books of 2021' Washington Post ‘Best New Historical Novels’ New York Times

“A compelling tale of friendship, freedom and food” BBC History Magazine “Based on real-life events, The Language of Food shines a light on the woman who invented the recipe as we know it today, and whose fascinating story has long been overlooked” History Revealed Magazine “Based on the life of cookbook writer Eliza Acton, this is a really charming historical novel that’s full of gorgeous recipes and descriptions of food. At its core is the heart-warming story of the class-defying friendship between Eliza and Ann Kirby, her kitchen help” GOOD HOUSEKEEPING “This charming story of a friendship that was formed in a kitchen is based on the real life of food writer and poet Eliza Acton, who created one of Britain’s first cookery books. I loved the bond that she and her kitchen help Anna Kirby forge despite the huge difference in their class; they’re both very determined women. A fabulous historical novel” PRIMA “Eliza Acton had never even boiled an egg so how did she become a successful cookery writer? We find out in this beautiful fictionalisation of her life. It is 1835 and poet Eliza is told by her publisher to write a cookery book instead. Disheartened but determined, she hires teenagers Ann Kirby to help her. Over the next 10 years they develop a friendship that sees them change the face of cookery writing forever” WOMAN & HOME " Before Nigella, before Julia Childs, before even Mrs Beeton, there was Eliza Acton who dreams of being a poet but in 1835, the only way for her to get published and to keep her family in funds is to write a cookery book. To this end, Eliza takes on a maid, Ann Kirby, and forge an unlikely partnership even as Eliza embarks on writing what is now considered the first modern cookery book.Told from both Eliza and Ann’s voices, The Language Of Food , is a feast for the senses and also shows that its friendship, rather than food, that nourishes the soul. Julie And Julia but make it Victorian!" RED “Cleverly wearing together the story of how Modern Cookery for Private Families came to be written, the author divides the narrative voice between Acton and Kirby, her housemaid, two women from different backgrounds, but who share the same feelings of frustration and loneliness… The pair are beautifully fleshed out characters, who become adept at the balancing of tastes, textures and unfamiliar spices” COUNTRY LIFE "A feast for the senses, this inspiring book is about friendship, passion and determination. I loved it!" MY WEEKLY "The two women’s exploration of food and friendship is winningly told and we are rooting for Eliza in her quest for independence and publishing success. The novel comes with some of Eliza’s recipes; and I can gluttonously report that the chocolate custards are as delicious as the novel" THE TIMES “Eliza Acton had never even boiled an egg, so how did she become of the top cookery writers of all time? We find out in this beautiful fictionalisation of her life” WOMAN and WOMAN'S WEEKLY

Resources and Downloads

High resolution images.

• Book Cover Image (jpg): The Language of Food Hardcover 9781398502222

Get a FREE ebook by joining our mailing list today!

Get our latest book recommendations, author news, competitions, offers, and other information right to your inbox.

Book Reviews

'lilith' cuts to the heart of the gun debate and school shootings.

Gabino Iglesias

Eric Rickstad's Lilith is one of the most uncomfortable novels you'll read this year. Full of sadness and rage, this timely narrative cuts to the heart of the gun debate and school shootings with a scalpel of words.

Lilith forces readers to look at one of the ugliest parts of U.S. culture, a too-common occurrence that is extremely rare in other countries. This is novel that acts like mirror; it shows you society with love and great insight into what makes us tick, but also with brutal honesty and under a stark, unwavering light.

Elisabeth Ross is a single mother and teacher raising her son Lydan by herself. One morning. Lydan wakes up with an "icky" feeling about the day and begs Elisabeth to stay home. But working mothers rarely take a day off, so even though she wants to stay at home and spend the day with her beloved boy, she takes him to school and gets to work. That day, a man breaks into the school with a powerful rifle and kills a lot of people, mostly kids. Elisabeth breaks the rules and manages to get some of her kids out and then goes back in to rescue Lydan, who suffers devastating injuries that leave him almost dead.

In the aftermath of the traumatic event, Lydan is a shadow of his former self. He becomes strangely haunted in many ways, often talking about dark things and saying he's already dead. After leaving the hospital, the boy spends his days limping around the house with injuries that will change his life forever, taking pain meds to get through the day, and dealing with PTSD. Meanwhile, Elisabeth must deal with bosses that want to fire her for breaking the rules — and with the simmering rage that's threatening to boil her alive. The system is broken. Evil men make money from every tragedy. Elisabeth needs her insurance more than ever and her bosses want to give her a six-month suspension without pay.

Buy Featured Book

Your purchase helps support NPR programming. How?

• Independent Bookstores

Then something clicks. Someone must do something, and she's the perfect person to do it. Elisabeth morphs into a persona she names Lilith, the first wife of the biblical Adam, a woman who refused to serve a man. Elisabeth, well, plans revenge and then must face the consequences of her actions. Is she a hurt, loving mother doing the right thing or no better than the man who shot up the school? The answers to the questions her actions raise aren't easy, and they make the core of Lilith a truly emotional conundrum.

Reading Lilith is an endurance exercise. Lydan's destroyed body and psyche, the unreasonableness of Elisabeth's bosses, and the growing pain and anxiety add up to a powerful novel you can't look away from, but that hurts you with every page. Rickstad, with impeccable pacing and economy of language, delves deep into the gun culture that uses every school shooting as an excuse to celebrate guns and sell more guns. Also, he gets to the core of how misogyny is part of not only that culture but also of everything Elisabeth has ever experienced. As Elisabeth develops her plan and becomes Lilith, the unkindness and abuse history has shown women become something that's always present, and the men who insist on perpetuating that become something she wants to fight against: "They shape the world through violence and conquest, pillaging and rape and genocide, oppression and control; they use their own language to mold a world that's male dominant, male centric, male first."

Perhaps the most powerful thing Rickstad accomplishes here is that he never spells out any answers while constantly presenting the right questions. Yes, we know school shootings are awful and this country's obsession with guns — and the push by some to completely deregulate them — is unhealthy and dangerous, but the anger we feel and the violence we wish upon those who don't seem to care about dead children is no better. The person who shot up the school doesn't matter here; he is a symptom of a much larger disease. Elisabeth and Lydan matter. They are the heart of this narrative, and that serves as a reminder that the discourse exists, but that the people behind it, those who suffer and die as well as those whose lives change as they become caretakers, are more important than any political discussion. This is a brave, timely novel that goes straight to the damaged soul of this country.

Gabino Iglesias is an author, book reviewer and professor living in Austin, Texas. Find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @Gabino_Iglesias .

Food & Function

Medicinal and edible polysaccharides from ancient plants: extraction, isolation, purification, structure, biological activity and market trends of sea buckthorn polysaccharides.

* Corresponding authors

a State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China

b State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Ethnic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China E-mail: [email protected] , [email protected]

c Meishan Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Meishan, China

Sea buckthorn ( Hippophae L.), a well-known medicinal and edible plant, is known as the “king of VC”. Due to its excellent medicinal and nutritional value, it has been developed into a variety of functional products. Sea buckthorn polysaccharides (SPs), one of the important and representative active components, have attracted the attention of researchers in the fields of health food and medicine because of their potential beneficial effects on human health. Recently, SPs have shown various biological activities in in vitro and in vivo studies, such as anti-obesity, immunomodulatory, anti-tumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-fatigue, and hepatoprotective activities. This review provides a comprehensive and systematic summary of the extraction and purification methods, structural characterization, biological activity, and market trends of SPs to provide a theoretical basis for their therapeutic potential and sanitarian functions. A future scope is needed to further explore the medicinal and nutritional value of SPs and incorporate them in functional food products.

• This article is part of the themed collection: Food & Function Review Articles 2024

Article information

Download citation, permissions.

X. Xu, X. Liu, S. Yu, T. Wang, R. Li, Y. Zhang and Y. Liu, Food Funct. , 2024, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D3FO04140A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page .

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page .

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content .

Social activity

Search articles by author.

This article has not yet been cited.

Advertisements

• Cookbooks, Food & Wine
• Cooking Education & Reference

Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Amazon Prime includes:

Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.

• Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
• Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
• Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
• A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
• Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
• Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access

Important:  Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.

Buy new: $22.29 $22.29 FREE delivery: Monday, April 22 on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon. Ships from: Amazon Sold by: numberonestore

Return this item for free.

Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges

• Go to your orders and start the return
• Select the return method

Buy used: $17.84

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and Amazon Prime.

If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Learn more about the program.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu Illustrated Edition

Purchase options and add-ons.

2015 James Beard Award Nominee: Writing and Literature category Stanford University linguist and MacArthur Fellow Dan Jurafsky dives into the hidden history of food.

In The Language of Food , Stanford University professor and MacArthur Fellow Dan Jurafsky peels away the mysteries from the foods we think we know. Thirteen chapters evoke the joy and discovery of reading a menu dotted with the sharp-eyed annotations of a linguist.

Jurafsky points out the subtle meanings hidden in filler words like "rich" and "crispy," zeroes in on the metaphors and storytelling tropes we rely on in restaurant reviews, and charts a microuniverse of marketing language on the back of a bag of potato chips.

The fascinating journey through The Language of Food uncovers a global atlas of culinary influences. With Jurafsky's insight, words like ketchup, macaron, and even salad become living fossils that contain the patterns of early global exploration that predate our modern fusion-filled world.

From ancient recipes preserved in Sumerian song lyrics to colonial shipping routes that first connected East and West, Jurafsky paints a vibrant portrait of how our foods developed. A surprising history of culinary exchange―a sharing of ideas and culture as much as ingredients and flavors―lies just beneath the surface of our daily snacks, soups, and suppers.

Engaging and informed, Jurafsky's unique study illuminates an extraordinary network of language, history, and food. The menu is yours to enjoy.

• ISBN-10 0393240835
• ISBN-13 978-0393240832
• Edition Illustrated
• Publisher W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date September 15, 2014
• Language English
• Dimensions 6.5 x 1 x 9.6 inches
• Print length 272 pages
• See all details

Similar items that may ship from close to you

Editorial Reviews

About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; Illustrated edition (September 15, 2014)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393240835
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393240832
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1 x 9.6 inches
• #1,336 in Gastronomy Essays (Books)
• #2,791 in Linguistics Reference
• #51,791 in Unknown

About the author

Dan jurafsky.

Dan Jurafsky is Professor of Computer Science, Professor of Linguistics, and Reynolds Professor in Humanities at Stanford University. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a 2002 MacArthur Fellow. His book "The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu" was a finalist for the 2015 James Beard Award, and has been translated into 3 languages, and was a bestseller in Korea. His co-authored textbook "Speech and Language Processing" is the most widely used text in Natural Language Processing.

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Start Selling with Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Host an Amazon Hub
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

• Ilmington Tourism
• Ilmington Hotels
• Ilmington Bed and Breakfast
• Ilmington Vacation Rentals
• Flights to Ilmington
• The Red Lion
• Things to Do in Ilmington
• Ilmington Travel Forum
• Ilmington Photos
• Ilmington Map
• All Ilmington Hotels
• Things to Do
• Restaurants
• Vacation Rentals
• Travel Stories
• Rental Cars
• Add a Place
• Travel Forum
• Travelers' Choice
• Help Center

Excellent family friendly food & service - The Red Lion

• Europe    
• United Kingdom (UK)    
• England    
• Cotswolds    
• Ilmington    
• Ilmington Restaurants    

“Excellent family friendly food & service” Review of The Red Lion

Me, my husband and two kids (7 & 10) were staying in nearby Ebrington for a few days over the Easter break. We wanted some simple honest pub grub on our last night, and we were so impressed with this gem. My kids had the burgers (beware, they’re huge!), my husband had sausage and mash, and I had the steak & kidney suet pudding. Generous portions, fresh and delicious. Would definitely recommend.

• Excellent 55
• Very good 32
• All languages
• English  (105)
• English (105)

1 - 5 of 105 reviews

Staying in the village, we wandered in for an early evening pint looking for a cosy fireside to enjoy and were not disappointed- in fact, two roaring fires here with plenty of space, cosy seating and a real homely, proper country village-pub atmosphere. Had booked dinner at our accommodation so didn’t eat here but given the glowing reviews we may well plan to next time.

We booked a table for Sunday lunch following a walk in the area. I had the rib of beef which was melt in the mouth perfect, husband had the pork…both served with a pile of fresh veg, crisp roasties and an extra jug of gravy. We eat out a lot on Sundays and as roasts go, this was up there with the best of them (if a little on the more expensive side) Would heartily recommend. Sadly we were so full we couldn’t fit a pudding in.

Visited here for lunch on a Saturday and returned next day for Sunday lunch on both visits the food was amazing large portions and all homemade, excellent value, the staff are friendly and efficient and made us feel very welcome,we would definitely return

Absolutely fabulous Sunday lunch today, thank you Red Lion Team. 👍😊 Between us we chose roast rib of beef, the brisket and the roast Lamb. Soo much tender delicious meat, huge tasty yorkies, crispy potatoes and lovely FRESH veggies! Really was the best roast we’ve EVER eaten out and we ordered a wonderful cauliflower cheese as an extra. Extremely generous portions as always and top notch home cooking at its absolute best. No mean portion controlled meals that you get elsewhere… Soo generous that we have as yet to have room left to try any of the deserts!! We don’t eat out as a family often, it’s a treat for us and whenever we do we choose to go to the Red Lion as it is consistently GREAT and all the staff are always really nice. The homemade minted lamb burger they have done in the past is the best burger any of us have ever tried!! 👌 Their pies are all fresh and homemade, the veg fresh and their gravy yummy! They welcome dogs too which is always a win win for us and for hubby that pops in during a dog walk for a drink and warm up. A traditional old school pub with most excellent food!

Travelers who viewed The Red Lion also viewed

Been to the red lion share your experiences, owners: what's your side of the story.

Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.

Browse nearby