| UoL Library: Cookery Collection | |
|---|---|
| Location | The Brotherton Library, Leeds, United Kingdom |
| Type | Archives, rare books, manuscripts |
| Established | 1939 |
| Branch of | Special Collections, University of Leeds Library |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | Printed cookery books, cookery manuscripts from approximately 16th – 21st century (with one item from 2500 BC) |
| Size | Over 9,000 items |
| Criteria for collection | Cookery, recipes, food history, food production, household management, medicinal uses of food, brewing, gardening |
| Access and use | |
| Access requirements | Visit Special Collections, Brotherton Library - request items in advance |
| Other information | |
| Website | Special Collections: Cookery Collection |
Leeds University Library's Cookery Collection is one of the five Designated collections held by the Brotherton Library at the University of Leeds. It comprises an extensive collection of international books, manuscripts and archives relating to food, cooking and culinary culture.
The collection began with a donation in 1939 to the Library of 1,500 books and a selection of manuscripts. The collection has grown since and been supplemented with further donations. It now consists of more than 8,000 printed cookery books and 75 manuscripts, spanning the period 2500 BC to present day, with the majority of the works from the early 16th–20th century.[1]
In addition to recipes and cookery books, the collection includes texts about food production, household management, brewery, gardening and the medicinal uses of food.
Numerous food historians have used the Cookery Collection to inform their research and publications. The Cookery Collection is located in Special Collections in the Brotherton Library, University of Leeds.