Marianne Skerrett remained in contact with Queen Victoria, visiting her and writing to her, until her death in 1887 at the age of 94. She bequeathed to Queen Victoria a painting by the British painter William Hogarth, The Popple and Ashley Families, a colonial family in Bermuda, one of which had been Marianne's grandmother (the child in the painting). 'A chef to nobility and a cook for the common man' One of the culinary legends of his time, Charles Elme Francatelli(1805-1876) was an Italian who journeyed to France for the opportunity to study under the legendary Chef Marie Antoine Careme who many call 'the architect of French cuisine.'
Charles Elmé Francatelli (1805–10 August 1876) was an Italian Britishcook,[1] known for his cookery books popular in the Victorian era, such as The Modern Cook.
Biography[edit]
Francatelli was born in London, of Italian extraction, in 1805, and was educated in France, where he studied the art of cookery. Coming to England, he was employed successively by various noblemen, subsequently becoming chief chef of the St James's Club, popularly known as Crockford's club. He left Crockford's to become chief cook to Queen Victoria from 9 March 1840 to 31 March 1842,[2] and then returned to Crockford's. He was managing steward of the Coventry House Club from the day it opened on 1 June 1846 until it closed on 25 March 1854, and at the Reform Club from 1854 to 1861. He was Manager of the St James's Hotel, at the corner of Berkeley Street and Piccadilly, from 1863 to 1870. He worked as chef de cuisine to the Prince and Princess of Wales at the nearby Marlborough House from early 1863 until at least late September 1866. From 1870 to 76 he was manager of the Freemasons' Tavern.[3][4]
Works[edit]
Francatelli was the author of The Modern Cook (1845);[5] of A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes (1852), The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant (1861), and of The Royal English and Foreign Confectionery Book (1862). Francatelli died at Eastbourne.
A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes was reprinted in 1993, complete with the original advertisements and introduction.
Reception[edit]
Clarissa Dickson Wright, describing Francatelli as 'the Italian confectioner', describes him as liking 'his elaborate sugar decorations. He also talks about making pearls, birds and feathers out of sugar to decorate your dessert course.' She compares it to a meal in Daisy Ashford's The Young Visiters, and comments that while such fiddly decoration may have looked good, she wasn't sure it did anything for the taste.[6]
In media[edit]
In Victoria Charles Francatelli is played by Ferdinand Kingsley. In the series, Francatelli works at the palace for several years until he marries Nancy Skerrett, the Queen's Head Dresser,[7] and the couple leaves the palace to open their own hotel.[8] But in real life, Francatelli never married the Queen's Head Dresser (whose real name was Marianne Skerrett).[9]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Francatelli, Charles Elmé' . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
- ^Account books of the Lord Steward of the Royal Household for 1840–42, National Archive, Kew, refs. LS 2/66, LS 2/67 and LS 2/68
- ^Colin Smythe, 'Charles Elmé Francatelli, Crockford's and the Royal Connection' in Petits Propos Culinaires 101 (2014), pp. 42–67, and 'Charles Elmé Francatelli, Additions & Supplementations' in Petits Propos Culinaires 102 (2015), pp. 100–118
- ^Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). 'Francatelli, Charles Elmé'. Encyclopædia Britannica. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 774–775.
- ^The Modern Cook
- ^Wright, Clarissa Dickson (2011). A History of English Food. Random House. pp. 340–341. ISBN978-1-905-21185-2.
- ^London Bridge is falling down. Victoria Series 3 2019. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8098850/?ref_=ttep_ep2
- ^Foreign bodies. Victoria Series 3 2019. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9280046/?ref_=ttep_ep4.
- ^Dennison, Matthew (2016). ITV didn't need to embellish Queen Victoria's life... https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/sep/03/itv-didnt-need-to-embellish-queen-victoria-life
External links[edit]
Queen Victoria Chef
- Works by Charles Elmé Francatelli at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Charles Elmé Francatelli at Internet Archive
Charles Francatelli Cookbook
:format(webp)/avatars/Charles_Elme_Francatelli.jpg "Charles")
Francatelli was born in London, of Italian extraction, in 1805, and was educated in France, where he studied the art of cookery. Coming to England, he was employed successively by various noblemen, subsequently becoming chief chef of the St James's Club, popularly known as Crockford's club. He left Crockford's to become chief cook to Queen Victoria from 9 March 1840 to 31 March 1842,[2] and then returned to Crockford's. He was managing steward of the Coventry House Club from the day it opened on 1 June 1846 until it closed on 25 March 1854, and at the Reform Club from 1854 to 1861. He was Manager of the St James's Hotel, at the corner of Berkeley Street and Piccadilly, from 1863 to 1870. He worked as chef de cuisine to the Prince and Princess of Wales at the nearby Marlborough House from early 1863 until at least late September 1866. From 1870 to 76 he was manager of the Freemasons' Tavern.[3][4]
Works[edit]
Francatelli was the author of The Modern Cook (1845);[5] of A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes (1852), The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant (1861), and of The Royal English and Foreign Confectionery Book (1862). Francatelli died at Eastbourne.
A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes was reprinted in 1993, complete with the original advertisements and introduction.
Reception[edit]
Clarissa Dickson Wright, describing Francatelli as 'the Italian confectioner', describes him as liking 'his elaborate sugar decorations. He also talks about making pearls, birds and feathers out of sugar to decorate your dessert course.' She compares it to a meal in Daisy Ashford's The Young Visiters, and comments that while such fiddly decoration may have looked good, she wasn't sure it did anything for the taste.[6]
In media[edit]
In Victoria Charles Francatelli is played by Ferdinand Kingsley. In the series, Francatelli works at the palace for several years until he marries Nancy Skerrett, the Queen's Head Dresser,[7] and the couple leaves the palace to open their own hotel.[8] But in real life, Francatelli never married the Queen's Head Dresser (whose real name was Marianne Skerrett).[9]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Francatelli, Charles Elmé' . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
- ^Account books of the Lord Steward of the Royal Household for 1840–42, National Archive, Kew, refs. LS 2/66, LS 2/67 and LS 2/68
- ^Colin Smythe, 'Charles Elmé Francatelli, Crockford's and the Royal Connection' in Petits Propos Culinaires 101 (2014), pp. 42–67, and 'Charles Elmé Francatelli, Additions & Supplementations' in Petits Propos Culinaires 102 (2015), pp. 100–118
- ^Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). 'Francatelli, Charles Elmé'. Encyclopædia Britannica. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 774–775.
- ^The Modern Cook
- ^Wright, Clarissa Dickson (2011). A History of English Food. Random House. pp. 340–341. ISBN978-1-905-21185-2.
- ^London Bridge is falling down. Victoria Series 3 2019. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8098850/?ref_=ttep_ep2
- ^Foreign bodies. Victoria Series 3 2019. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9280046/?ref_=ttep_ep4.
- ^Dennison, Matthew (2016). ITV didn't need to embellish Queen Victoria's life... https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/sep/03/itv-didnt-need-to-embellish-queen-victoria-life
External links[edit]
Queen Victoria Chef
- Works by Charles Elmé Francatelli at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Charles Elmé Francatelli at Internet Archive
Charles Francatelli Cookbook
