Careme : The First Celebrity Chef

Tracing the fairytale-like rise of Antonin Carême from Parisian orphan to a household name synonymous with culinary luxury, Carême offers a below-stairs perspective on one of the most momentous, and sensuous, periods in European history: First Empire Paris, Georgian England, and the Russia of War and Peace. Carême’s ability to intuit the tastes of European royalty was an unendingly useful and astounding tool: he knew the favourite dishes of King George IV, the Rothschilds and the Romanovs; he knew Napoleon's fast-food requirements, and why Empress Josephine suffered halitosis.

Blending the incredible aetiology of Carême’s stardom and recipes he curated which once graced the dining tables of monarchs of old and remain classics of French cuisine, Ian Kelly offers a window into a sumptuous world of casseroles and kings.