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Bowl of creamy Georgian-era icy cream dessert from Richard Bradley's 1736 recipe, showing smooth frozen texture

Georgian England · England

Richard Bradley's Icy Cream

From The Country Housewife and Lady's Director · Richard Bradley · 1736

Verified from original source

One of the earliest English ice cream recipes, a simple frozen cream sweetened with sugar.

Historical note: Take cream, sweeten it with sugar, and freeze it...

History

Richard Bradley's 'Icy Cream' from The Country Housewife and Lady's Director (1736) represents one of the earliest English printed ice cream recipes. Bradley, a Cambridge professor and prolific agricultural writer, adapted continental frozen dessert techniques for English households. His recipe involved cream, sugar, and flavourings frozen in a pewter basin set in ice and salt. Ice cream remained a luxury for the wealthy, as ice houses and imported ice were expensive. Bradley's work helped popularise frozen desserts in Georgian England, bridging French and Italian culinary innovations with English tastes. The basic technique of freezing sweetened cream persists in modern ice cream production.

Sources

  • Bradley, Richard. The Country Housewife and Lady's Director. 1736.
  • David, Elizabeth. Harvest of the Cold Months: The Social History of Ice and Ices. 1994.
  • Brears, Peter. Food and Cooking in 17th Century Britain: History and Recipes. 1985.
  • Quinzio, Jeri. Of Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making. 2009.
  • Mason, Laura. Food Culture in Great Britain. 2004.

Serves

6

Prep

15m

Cook

10m

Difficulty

Medium

Ingredients

  • · 600 ml double cream
  • · 150 g caster sugar
  • · 1 vanilla pod, split
  • · 4 egg yolks

Method

  1. 1

    Heat cream with vanilla pod until almost boiling.

  2. 2

    Beat egg yolks with sugar until pale.

  3. 3

    Pour hot cream over yolks, whisking constantly.

  4. 4

    Return to pan and cook gently, stirring, until thickened (do not boil).

  5. 5

    Remove vanilla pod, cool completely, then freeze in an ice cream maker or freeze and stir every 30 minutes until set.

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