27th May 2022 - 07:00
Image
Abstract
To commemorate the upcoming Queen’s Jubilee, which celebrates her 70 years on the throne, we have found our favourite royal-related food facts.
- King Henry I of England was known for his love of the taste of lamprey, a type of eel, and is widely believed to have died by eating too many of them.
- A red leather book of menus, written in French, is sent to the Queen from which she chooses for the week ahead, according to former Royal chef Darren McGrady.
- Garden parties have been held each year at Buckingham Palace since the 1860s. Typically 27,000 cups of tea are served and 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cakes are eaten.
- Henry VIII used banquets to show off his wealth and power and got his chefs to serve cockentrice, a ‘mythical beast’ created by sewing together a pig and capon, to impress the King of France
- Queen Elizabeth II likes to eat fruits and vegetables that are in season at the time of consumption.
- In the film Spencer (2021) Princess Diana tells William: "The chef has made Souffle d'Abricots just for me.” The correct name is "Soufflé aux abricots" or "Soufflé à l'abricot."
- Historians estimate that 600,000 gallons of ale (enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool) and around 75,000 gallons of wine (enough to fill 1,500 bathtubs) were drunk every year at Hampton Court Palace during Henry VIII’s reign.
Category