Arthur Robert Kenney-Herbert
Soldier and cook
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arthur Robert Kenney-Herbert (née Kenney; 17 August 1840 – 5 March 1916) was a British soldier who served in the British Indian Army, and wrote on cooking.
17 August 1840
Arthur Robert Kenney-Herbert | |
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| Born | Arthur Robert Kenney 17 August 1840 Bourton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire, UKGBI |
| Died | 5 March 1916 (aged 75) |
| Occupations | Soldier, cook |
| Relatives | Arthur Henry Kenney (grandfather) |
Early life and education
Kenney-Herbert was born Arthur Robert Kenney on 17 August 1840 in Bourton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire to The Rev Arthur Robert Kenney, the rector of Bourton-on-Dunsmore, and Mary Louise Kenney (née Palmer).[1][2][3][4] Kenney-Herbert was the paternal grandson of Arthur Henry Kenney, an Irish religious writer and Dean of Achonry.[3]
In 1855, Kenney-Herbert entered Rugby School as Arthur Robert Kenney.[5] The families' surname was later changed to Kenney-Herbert after his father's mother, Mary Lusinda Kenney (née Herbert). Through his paternal grandmother, Kenney-Herbert was related to the Anglo-Irish politicians Henry Arthur Herbert and Colonel Henry Arthur Herbert and the Royal Navy officer Thomas Herbert.[6][7][8][9][10]
Career
He served in the Indian Army from age 19. A cornet in 1859, he served in the Madras Cavalry, having arrived in India on 31 October of that year. He reached the rank of major in 1875,[11] at this rank serving as deputy assistant quartermaster general at Madras until 1881,[12] then as military secretary to the governor of Madras from 1881 to 1884. In 1885, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in the Madras Cavalry.[13] He retired in 1892 with the rank of colonel.[14][15]
Kenney-Herbert wrote regular articles about Anglo-Indian cookery for The Madras Mail, Madras Atheneum and The Daily News, using the pen-name Wyvern. These were collected and published in 1878 as Culinary Jottings for Madras, Or, A Treatise in Thirty Chapters on Reformed Cookery for Anglo-Indian Exiles, which went through six editions between 1878 and 1892.[16] Upon retiring from the army and returning to England, he started a cookery school – the Common-sense Cookery Association – in June 1894. Its premises were at 17 Sloane Street in London.[17]
Kenney-Herbert was not a vegetarian, but he did author the cookbook Vegetarian and Simple Diet in 1904. The book espouses ovo-lacto vegetarian recipes. It was positively reviewed in The Lancet journal, which noted that "we are glad to welcome the appearance of a book which will teach householders that appetising dishes can be made from vegetables with the aid of eggs and milk products."[18]
Kenney-Herbert was fond of kedgeree. His recipe consisted of boiled rice, chopped boiled egg, cold minced fish that is heated with herbs, pepper and salt.[19]
Personal life
He married Agnes Cleveland, daughter of General John Wheeler Cleveland. Arthur Cleveland Herbert Kenney-Herbert of the Northants Regiment was their son.[10] Kenney-Herbert died on 5 March 1916 at Sinclair Gardens in West Kensington.[20]
Selected publications
- Culinary Jottings for Madras (1878)
- Sweet Dishes (1884)
- Vegetarian and Simple Diet (1904)
- Common-Sense Cookery for English Households (1905)