Arthur Kenney-Herbert was a cavalry officer who served in India during the British Raj. Using the pen name "Wyvern", he wrote Culinary Jottings for Madras in which he gives instructions to British memsahibs on how to give refined dinners, manage their servants and make Anglo-Indian curries. The book was a great success, and made Wyvern famous in colonial India.

When he retired to England at the rank of colonel, Wyvern built on his reputation as a culinary authority. He founded a cookery school, gave cooking demonstrations, and wrote books and articles for prestigious magazines.

Food writer and author of The Curry House website David Smith charts Wyvern's life and times, recreates his classic recipe for Madras chicken curry, and considers his legacy as a Victorian celebrity chef.