18th Century food - and how it compares to today's

The book contains both a modern mince pie recipe and this one from Grandmother Gell:

Minc'd pyes: Take 2 tongues the same weight in Beef Suit, 4 pound of Currans and two of Raisins, half an ounce of Nutmeggs, a quarter of an ounce of Mace, half a quarter of an ounce of Cloves and Cinnamen and Do of Lemon Peel, Wine, Brandy and Sugar to your taste.

The bigness of the Tongues must be considered when you put in the above nam'd Spices.

Grandmother Gell's recipes were a lot more labour intensive than modern food preparation.

Instructions include beating eggs for up to two hours to ensure they rise, and kneading huge amounts of dough by hand.

Salted and potted meats were more common than today as it was vital to keep meat fresh.

And desserts were often candied fruit – a Christmas treat now but eaten regularly in the 18th century.

Syllabubs were also common, and cakes and biscuits were as popular back then as they are today.