The Original Suffrage Cookbook

As featured in The Guardian - Superb edition of this historic gem!

Celebrate the centenary of women getting the Vote by cooking and eating some of the Suffragettes' favourite meals.

Dozens of vintage recipes contributed by some surprising supporters of the popular cause, including famous writers, governors and even a judge.

With none of the fads of modern-day cooking, these simple recipes range from hearty breakfasts to healthy soups, salads and meaty casseroles, alongside witty contributions such as Pie for a Suffragist's Doubting Husband and the Dumplings That Never Fail. Choose between the many tasty desserts such as Suffrage Angel Cake or Devil's Food to enliven your party.

Why not devise your own Suffragette Menu with recipes like Blanquette of Veal or Sweet Potato Soufflé? And don't forget your Creole Balls! You might follow that up with Parliament Gingerbread or Strawberry Shortcake á la Mode. To top it off, why not toast the Suffragettes' success with a Peppermint Cup or an Albuminous Beverage?

Originally published in 1915 to help raise funds for the campaign for the vote for women.

History and fun all in one book!

This new edition includes vintage illustrations and short biographies of many of the contributors as well as a new endnote by award-winning writer Cheryl Robson, which places the book both in its historical and contemporary contexts.

Authors

Mrs L.O.Kleber (compiler)

Born in Freeport, Pa on April 4th,1867, she moved to Pittsburgh where she lived for 40 years and was often referred to as Pittsburg's 'most interesting woman'. She devoted herself to public works and was years ahead of her time, organising food relief and garden projects in the city's slum districts. Initially opposed to women having the vote,she was converted to the suffrage cause by Mrs Henry Villard, the daughter of William Lloyd Garrison, a famous slavery abolitionist.

She wrote to many famous men and women to collect the recipes for The Suffrage Cookbook which she published in 1915 to raise funds for the suffrage cause. Theodore Roosevelt was the only man who failed to send a recipe, claiming that he was too busy to do so.

Following the success of the campaign for the vote in 1920, she became the director of the Allegheny County League of Women Voters.

She died on April 4, 1939, aged 72 at her home at 1135 Murrayhill Avenue, Pittsburgh.

Cheryl Robson (editor of new edition and author of afterword)

Cheryl is the founder of Aurora Metro Books. She has won numerous awards for her plays, books and films.

She decided to revise and re-publish Kleber's 1915 Suffrage Cookbook to coincide with a touring exhibition that she had produced about the suffragists' campaign for the vote in the UK. Titled 'How the Vote was Won', the exhibition toured to libraries, museums and theatres in southeast England in 2018, the centenary of some women gaining the right to vote in the UK.

You can watch a video about the project here. https://vimeo.com/276278481

Reviews

"It's a fabulous historical document of its time but also an interesting cook book to boot, interspersed as it is with line drawings and including letters to the editor or Editress as she is described in the contents section of the book. Recipes aside this is a great gift idea. It's both practical and fascinating on so many levels and I'll be trying out more of the recipes over time. A unique way to celebrate the centenary of women getting the vote." Frost Magazine

"Great fun for cooks." ***** Robert Armin, Amazon