The Tudor Kitchen

Overview

A fascinating history of Tudor food and drink, from swan-neck soup to roasted-alive goose

Did you ever wonder what the Tudors ate and drank? What was Elizabeth I's first meal after the defeat of the Spanish Armada? Which pies did Henry VIII gorge on to go from a 32 to a 54-inch waist? The Tudor Kitchen provides a new history of the Tudor kitchen, and over 500 sumptuous – and more everyday – recipes enjoyed by rich and poor, all taken from authentic contemporary sources.The kitchens of the Tudor palaces were equipped to feed a small army of courtiers, visiting dignitaries and various hangers-on of the aristocracy. Tudor court food purchases in just one year were no fewer than 8,200 sheep, 2,330 deer and 53 wild boar, plus countless birds such as swan (and cygnet), peacock, heron, capon, teal, gull and shoveler. Tudor feasting was legendary; Henry VIII even managed to impress the French at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520 with a twelve-foot marble and gold leaf fountain dispensing claret and white wine into silver cups, free for all!

Author Biography

Terry Breverton is a former businessman, consultant and academic and now a full-time writer. Terry has presented documentaries on the Discovery Channel and the History Channel. Terry is the author of many books for Amberley on many subjects, including: Owain Glyndwr, Richard III, Jasper Tudor, Owen Tudor, Tudor recipes, Henry VII, Welsh history and the First World War. He lives near Maesycrugiau in Carmarthenshire.