Rarely has a man defined the spirit of an age as well as Alexis Soyer, popular hero of the Crimean War. Soyer designed the famous kitchens of the Reform Club, which he filled with ingenious inventions such as the gas stove. He devised the sauces that would make household names of Mr. Crosse and Mr. Blackwell and he set up revolutionary soup kitchens during the Irish potato famine. Later in his career, he travelled to the Crimea where he transformed army catering, saving many soldiers from starvation. Yet this heroic figure was also a secret bigamist and alcoholic who died penniless and dropped completely from public view after his untimely death. Today the grave of one of the most enigmatic and extraordinary figures of the Victorian age lies neglected in Kensal Green cemetery.

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