Born in Bath, Marguerite Patten was one of the most famous and influential cookery writers of the 20th century and the first ‘celebrity chef’. During WW2 she worked for The Ministry of Food where she shared recipes that could work within the limits of war rationing. From the 1940s and into the 2000s she appeared regularly on radio and television. Her book Entertaining at Home represented the era of fondue parties, vol-au-vents, make-your-own sundaes and mock béarnaise sauce. Her 170 published books sold over 17 million copies.
She was much loved in Brighton, after first setting up a guesthouse with her husband in Hove (losing money and sleep in the process) then moving to Withdean. She received an OBE in 1991 and CBE in 2010 for services to the Food Industry. See Brighton Museum for more information:
