‘The Court and Kitchen of Elizabeth, commonly called Joan Cromwell’, 1664

This cookery book claims to be based on the recipe book of Elizabeth, Oliver Cromwell’s wife. It was published as a piece of Royalist propaganda, with an essay on the evils of the Cromwellian court.

The name ‘Joan’ in the title was meant to be demeaning, often associated with prostitutes. As the recipes included Fenland ingredients like eels the implication was that the Cromwells were far too ordinary and therefore unsuited to rule.

In reality the book is of considerable interest to food historians, giving valuable information into the sort of dishes that were eaten in this area in the mid-17th century.