, ▁the ▁private ▁secretary ▁to ▁Queen ▁Victoria ▁and ▁later ▁to ▁Edward ▁VII . ▁She ▁decided , ▁she ▁said , ▁to ▁study ▁cook ery ▁" in ▁a ▁practical ▁way ", ▁helped ▁by ▁a ▁collection ▁of ▁reci pes ▁inherited ▁from ▁her ▁great - grand m other , ▁her ▁grand m other ▁and ▁mother . ▁Her ▁reci pe ▁collection ▁was ▁first ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 5 , ▁the ▁year ▁of ▁her ▁husband ' s ▁death . ▁Despite ▁their ▁position ▁in ▁the ▁higher ▁e ch el ons ▁of ▁British ▁society , ▁the ▁family ▁were ▁" ne ver ▁particularly ▁well " ▁off , ▁according ▁to ▁The ▁Oxford ▁Dictionary ▁of ▁National ▁Biography , ▁and ▁at ▁one ▁point ▁had ▁to ▁withdraw ▁their ▁daughter ▁from ▁board ing ▁school ▁because ▁they ▁could ▁not ▁pay ▁the ▁fe es . ▁Un like ▁other ▁upper - class ▁food ▁writers ▁of ▁the ▁inter war ▁years , ▁such ▁as ▁Ag nes ▁J ek yll , ▁R ia ▁S ys on by ▁needed ▁the ▁money ▁that ▁her ▁cook book ▁brought ▁her . ▁But ▁her ▁love ▁of ▁food ▁was ▁wh olly ▁genu ine , ▁re called ▁her ▁friend ▁Lord ▁E sh er ▁after ▁her ▁death , ▁in ▁a ▁letter ▁to ▁The ▁Times . ▁He ▁remembered ▁her ▁" ex quis ite ▁cook ery ", ▁her ▁" original ▁and ▁char ming ▁person ality " ▁and ▁that ▁she ▁demanded ▁" quality ▁in ▁everything ▁around ▁her ". ▁ ▁She ▁and ▁her ▁husband ▁( who ▁went ▁by ▁the ▁nick name ▁" F ritz ") ▁had ▁two ▁children : ▁Edward ▁P ons on