In order to supplement his £10 annual income he opened a school in Durham in July 1745 where he taught ‘young Ladies and Gentlewomen the Art of Pastry, Confectionary, Pickling, Preserving and any Thing that is required in Cookery.’
‘The Art of Cookery’ first appeared in the form of a monthly magazine in 1746 for 6d per issue. On January 7th 1758 it was published as a complete book with a second edition following in 1762.
The book contains 650 recipes, many of which were probably served at the cathedral at some point during his service. He also included various seasonal ‘Bills of Fare’ along with menus for specific events held at the cathedral.
We have adapted some of these recipes so you can have a go yourself, inspired by John Thacker’s recipes
Queen’s Biscuits
Take twelve ounces of flour, dry it well, and mix in a pound of double-refined sugar pounded and sifted; take twelve eggs, leave out four of the yolks.
Beat them very well, and strain them through a sieve into your sugar and flour. Take a few aniseeds, bruise them, put them into the rest, and beat them very well together; the more you beat them, the lighter all will be.
Then lay some water paper upon a tin plate, and drop them upon that; dredge them over with fine sugar, sprinkle them with rose water, and bake them in a moderate oven.
When baked, cut them asunder, and keep them in a dry place in a papered box.
Almond Cakes Gateaux d’Amandes
Blanch a pound of almonds in warm water, beat them fine in a marble mortar, adding a little rose water, and half a pound of sugar finely sifted by degrees.
Add the whites of two eggs, and likewise two spoonfuls of flour, and beat all well together.
Butter your pans, put them in, dredge them with fine sugar, and bake them until light brown in colour.
Then draw them out, and turn them on their papers, then set them in a little again. Keep them in a dry place.
Chocolate Cream to make Crème Chocolate
Boil a quart of milk and cream, mixed and sweetened to your taste; then scrape as much chocolate as will give it colour, then boil it, keep stirring it with a whisk, but first put in three or four yolks of eggs beaten.
Strain, it and put it into glasses or a glass bowl.
Biscuit Cake How to make Gateau Bisquit
Take a pound of fresh butter, beat it with your hand to a cream; break as many eggs as will fill a pint, beat them well, put them to the butter a little at a time, still keeping beating till you have put all of eggs in.
Then take a pound of fine flour well dried, put in a little at a time, keep beating till that is all in. Then put in a pound of fine sugar sifted, doing this in the same manner, and a little salt; keep beating it from the beginning to the end.
It will bake in an hour; paper your pan, put in the cake, and bake it in a hot oven; take care it is not scorched; you may put in an ounce of caraway seeds if you please.
Beef Steak Pie Paté de Beuf en filets
Cut the beef steaks off the rump, hack them with the back of a large knife, and season them with pepper and salt.
Sheet your dish with pastry, lay in your beef steaks, lay over them some good large oysters, and sprinkle them over with a little shredded parsley and thyme, as well as some capers and a little onion.
Lay butter on that, lid it, and bake it; when baked, put in some good gravy, shake it to mix it with the ingredients in the inside, and send it up.
Sausages Saucisses à faire
Take from the tenderest part of pork, and mince it fine; take the equal weight of fat pork, and mince it; season it with pepper and salt, a little sage, parsley, and thyme, with a few chives; shred your herbs very fine, mix all together, with a few fine breadcrumbs; pound it in a mortar until very fine.
Then having your hog’s guts cleaned, fill them and tie them in proper lengths, and boil, fry, or broil them, as you like.
You may use them for turkey, fowls, or anything that sausages are proper to be used with. See which you like best.
Lamb Pie Paté d’Agueau
Take a loin of lamb, cut it into steaks, flatten it with a cleaver, season it with pepper, salt, and nutmeg.
Sheet your dish with pastry, lay in the steaks with forced meatballs, and the yolks of eggs boiled hard. Sprinkle over it some parsley shredded finely, with some lemon peel; lay on some butter, put in a little good gravy or strong
broth. Lid it, bake it, and send it up.
Custard Flanc pour faire
Take a quart of milk or cream, and boil it with a stick of cinnamon, three or four blades of mace, one or two bruised bay leaves*, and a piece of lemon peel.
Let it boil softly for ten minutes; keep stirring it with a small whisk to hinder it from setting at the bottom; strain it through a sieve.
Then beat eight eggs and strain them; sweeten it to your taste with fine sugar; set it on the fire again, and keep stirring it till it begins to thicken.
Then take it off, and keep stirring it for five or six minutes; put it into cups or glasses.
*the original recipe states ‘laurel leaves’, however these are poisonous and we believe that the recipe is referring to ‘bay laurel leaves’.