This book was Grub Street's lead cookery title for 1999 and was a major publishing event since Marguente Patten is one of Britain's best known and loved cookery writers and often described as England's Cookery Queen. Ainsley Harriott has dubbed her "the cookery icon of our times". Each chapter of the book covers one decade of the century giving both history and recipes. The entire book is illustrated throughout in colour and black and white.