The Universal Cook is an English cookery book written in 1773 by John Townshend. He was the owner of The Greyhound Tavern, Greenwich, and "Cook to his Grace the Duke of Manchester" and was happy to proclaim himself as such on the title page, indicating that the nation was becoming increasingly interested in going out to eat good food.
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Contemporary
As well as recipes for food, the book included instructions for such things as "To hinder wine from turning", recommending readers to "put a pound of melted Lead in fair water into your cask pretty warm, and stop it close." It was noted as early as 1807 (by Thomas and Edward Percival) that "it must be supposed that Mr. Townshend is ignorant of the poisonous quality of Lead; but he is certainly deserving of censure for presuming to give receipts without better information."