Prospect Books, £12.50) The Romans were besotted with food and all things relating to the stomach and the senses -- yet they only left one cookery book for future generations to study, writes Helen Peacocke.

Evidence of exactly what they enjoyed eating therefore, has to be gleaned from other sources, particularly poetry written by men such as Horace, Martial, Lucretius, Juvenal, Catullus, Ovid, Livy and Seneca.

Classical scholar and poet Alistair Elliot has used this to compile a fascinating collection of poems that include tips on manners and all things gastronomic.

They tell us how the food tastes, where to get it, how to serve it and how to eat it -- without a fork, of course -- who to eat with and, most importantly, how much to drink.

Horace tells us where guests are seated during a meal, and Martial relates a polite way of dismissing a host who spends too long entertaining the guest with noxious poems.

Each poem adds something to our understanding of the Romans -- who, after all, are said to have conquered Britain because we had such excellent oyster beds.