Hilda Leyel

Hilda Leyel was born in 1880, and was an expert cook and herbalist. She wrote numerous books about both subjects, and The Gentle Art of Cookery and Elixirs of Life are her best-known books about each. With training in medicine and a lifelong interest in botany, she founded the Society of Herbalists and set up the Culpeper shops, both of which continue today. She was a fellow of the Royal Institution and l'Academie Francaise. She died in 1957.