SC - New Book - All the Kings Cooks

[David & Sue Carter]

- ----- Original Message -----
From: David & Sue Carter <sjcarter at dove.net.au>
To: <sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu>
Sent: Monday, 20 March 2000 8:13
Subject: New Book - All the Kings Cooks


> Hello all,
>
> Our local book store is getting to know me so well that they are buying in
> books for me to look at, unordered, with almost complete certainty that I
> will succumb (deliciously evil people that they are)
>
> This was the latest, and I thought I would share it with you, as it is a
lot
> more that a collection of recipes:
>
> Peter Brears
> All the Kings Cooks: The Tudor Kitchens of King Henry VIII at Hampton
Court
> Palace
> 1999, Souvenir Press (note odd spelling)
> 43 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3PA
>
> ISBN 0 285 63533 6 (hardback) 192 pgs
>
> As the jacket says, it is a practical guide to the running of the Royal
> Kitchens in the last years of King Henry's reign.
> Peter Brears, and a band of volunteers actually cook period food in the
> period way in the real kitchens for a few days each year (Has someone on
> this list been to one of these? If so, what was it like?)
>
> He talks about the joys, pitfalls and all the required problem solving
> inherent in this sort of living history work, and the book is divided into
> topics according to the function of certain parts of the kitchen complex.
> (see below: contents page)
>
> There are some wonderful colour pictures of huge coloured marchpanes, wild
> boar, peacock, garnished brawn and a set table, and lots of black and
white
> illustrations of equipment.
>
> There are lots of high quality recipes, but this is my one frustration
with
> the book: the original and the source are not given next to each recipe,
> although they are numbered to an source index in the back.  Luckily I own
> enough of his published recipes to have copies of most of them that DO
have
> these other bits of info, but anyone else would have to track them down to
> check them.
>
> The contents are:
> Introduction
> 1. The Counting House : the hub of the enterprise
> 2. Serving The Court: numbers, quantities, Costs
> 3. The Outer Courts: poultry, Bakehouse, Woodyard
> 4. The Greencloth Yard:Jewel House, spicery chandlery
> 5. The Pastry Yard: saucery, Confectionary, Pastry
> 6. The Paved Passage: Larders, Boiling House, Workhouses
> 7. The Hall-place and the Lord's-side Kitchens: Boiling, Broiling and
> Roasting
> 8. The Privy Kitchen: Food for the King
> 9. Preparing for Dinner: Pantry and Cellars
> 10. Serving the King: a Royal ceremony
> 11. Dining in Chamber and Hall: Etiquette and Ritual
>
> Bibliography, notes, indices.
>
> I haven't had a thorough read of all of it, yet, but it is promising to be
a
> very good book.
>
> Cheers
>
> Esla of Ifeld
> mka Sue Carter
>
>