William Verrall – författare

William Verral, the redoubtable eighteenth-century landlord of the White Hart Inn in Lewes, Sussex, trained under a continental chef and was determined to introduce the 'modern and best French cookery' to his customers. Gently mocking Englishmen who eat plain mutton chops or only possess one frying-pan, he gives enthusiastic advice on must-have kitchen gadgets and describes enticing dishes such as truffles in French wine and mackerel with fennel. This selection also includes the recipes that the poet Thomas Gray scribbled in his own well-thumbed copy of Verral's Complete System of Cookery, which was one of the best-loved food books of its time.

The book is about a young elephant who loves to sing. It is written in such a way that the reader can put-on the voices of the characters and can pretend to be frightened, happy, worried or exultant. Through such reading a love of stories can be developed in children and the vital foundation stones of their education can be laid. As children become confident and begin to mimic the reader, so their love of reading is developed. Best of all, this happenes in a caring, happy, loving atmosphere. The book is designed to be scrumptious. Reading should be fun!