Eating Like a King: A History of Royal Recipes - Hardcover

What did Richard III have in his lunchbox? What did Mary Tudor eat for breakfast? And what exactly was it that made George IV so very fat? The fascinating world of royal diets is revealed in this collection of recipes used by monarchs from William the Conqueror to Edward VII. Fascinating details about each monarch accompany the recipes they used: did you know that William the Conqueror had to be physically restrained from killing the man who served him underdone roast crane? Or that Queen Elizabeth, whose household consumed 1,240 oxen and 4,200,000 eggs a year, was herself an abstemious eater and shocked her court by preferring to eat alone? In this fascinating romp through the kitchens of British monarchs, readers will find recipes for such royal delights as roast peacock and blackbirds baked in a pie, but will also enjoy more practical cookery tips for dishes like Almond Tart and Turbot au Gratin that will inspire a feast fit for a king.

Michele Brown read history at St Anne's College, Oxford. After several years as a television reporter and scriptwriter, she now works in publishing and as an author. Her other books include Ritual of Royalty, The Guiness Book of Theatrical Quotations and The Little History of the Teddy Bear. She is married to Gyles Brandreth and lives in London.