The English Roses in 100 countries translated into 42 languages. On the same day, courier services delivered copies of the book to UK television talk shows like "GMTV" and "", so it could be discussed during the program. The singer appeared at multiple promotional events, reading aloud from the book to children. In the United States, Madonna appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and book signing events at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in New York City's Rockefeller Center. She also appeared at a news conference in Paris promoting the release. The initial print run for "The English Roses" in the United States
The English Bread Book considered the book "excellent, and we trust to be popular". Readers of the book, the reviewer thought, will become possessed of a store of useful knowledge, as well as scientific as practical, upon a question which is essentially that of every man, woman and child in the wide universe". In her work, "English Bread and Yeast Cookery", Elizabeth David writes that "The English Bread Book" heavily influenced and informed her work, and she owes Acton a debt for it. The food writer Elizabeth Ray observes that the book was less successful than "Modern Cookery", and was only reprinted in 1990.