Victor Ceserani

Victor Joseph (né Vittorio Giuseppe) Ceserani decided to save time by having the recipes printed. Kinton suggested that they should collaborate on and publish a recipe book specifically aimed at catering students. This was the genesis of their 1962 book Practical Cookery.

The Acton school became part of Ealing College of Higher Education in 1957. In 1959, when the Catering Teachers' Association was formed, Ceserani was its first chairman, serving for four years. From 1962 to 1972, he combined his Ealing post with that of chief examiner for the City and Guilds of London Institute, the principal body awarding qualifications to students at catering (and many other) colleges. In 1965 he was appointed head of Ealing College's School of Hotel Keeping and Catering. It was one of the largest catering schools in Europe, with a staff of 40 teachers, and 300 full-time and 350 part-time students. The latter said of him:

blockindent|Victor was simply the best, most passionate academician, an excellent cook and a great chef – a rare combination, not just in the UK, but also in the world. He was a giant in our profession, yet so gentle, humble and generous with advice and support. He was a man of action and an inspiration who led by example. The first edition came out in 1962. There are no pictures, except for a few line drawings showing cuts of meat. All the measurements in the first edition are imperial. The first two chapters cover the basic methods of cookery and culinary terms (with an emphasis on French terms). In the rest of the book are chapters on

Stocks and sauces Hors d'oeuvre Soups Egg dishes Farinaceous dishes Fish

Lamb and mutton, Beef Pork Veal Bacon Poultry and game

Salads Vegetables Potatoes Pastry Savouries Sandwiches

Because Practical Cookery was written to help students prepare for national qualifications, the authors continually revised it to reflect changes in the awarding bodies, the curriculum, and in the way students were assessed. By the late 1980s, both authors, approaching seventy, looked to the future of the book and co-opted a younger co-author, David Foskett, a colleague of Ceserani at Ealing. He was co-author from the seventh edition (1990) onwards. Before the eleventh edition (2008) Kinton withdrew and a new co-author joined the team − John Campbell, a Michelin star-winning chef. From 2009 a separate volume, Foundation Practical Cookery, was published, designed for students in their first year, and Practical Cookery was aimed at senior students. Ceserani retired from the authorial team before the twelfth edition (2012). Editions YearAuthorsReference First 1962 Ceserani and Kinton Second 1967 ib Third 1972 ib Fourth 1974 ib Fifth 1981 ib Sixth 1987 ib Seventh 1990 Ceserani, Kinton and David Foskett Eighth 1996 ib Ninth 2000 ib Tenth 2004 ib, Foskett listed first Eleventh 2008 John Campbell, Foskett and Ceserani (without Kinton) Twelfth 2012 Campbell and Foskett (without Ceserani) Thirteenth 2015 Foskett, Neil Rippington, Patricia Paskins, Steve Thorpe Fourteenth 2019 Foskett, Paskins, Rippington, Thorpe

Honours and awards Ceserani was a Chevalier des Palmes académiques, an honorary member of the Association culinaire français and the Académie culinaire de France, and an honorary fellow of Ealing College. He received the Grand cordon culinaire and a Catey Special Award (1984) and Lifetime Achievement Award (1992). In 1975 he was created MBE for services to catering education.

Notes, references and sources