Pies and Tarts at Hampton Court

Food and history are my two favourite things in the world. Put them together they make a killer combination. My recent visit to Henry VIII's palace, Hampton Court, did just that!

To celebrate Hampton Court's 500 anniversary, a series of short plays about the well known inhabitants are being staged in the splendid rooms and courtyards. I witnessed Henry VIII composing some music, Elizabeth I interrogating a Scottish envoy about Mary Queen of Scots as well as Shakespeare's company rehearsing 'the Scottish play'. These sketches all took place in the rooms where their real counterparts plotted and schemed which made the whole place come alive.

Elizabeth I

As you can tell from Henry VIII's rather large physique, feasts played an important role in court life. The kitchens where these vast banquets were prepared are still on show and even have a man operating a spit to invite tourists to get cooking! There is even a chocolate kitchen, one of the first of its kind as back then chocolate was a luxury that only the very rich could afford. I better start saving up then!

The Kitchens

However, the best kitchen is Elizabeth I's personal kitchen. The kitchen's primary use was to prepare her lavish picnics as Elizabeth was a keen hunter. Nowadays, the kitchen operates as a café for visitors serving hearty pies. I was reliving history whilst tucking into a gorgeously tender steak and ale pie at long wooden banqueting tables.

For pudding, I discovered the Maid of Honour Tart. Coincidentally, I'd heard of the tarts a few weeks earlier on a TV programme describing them as 'Richmond's lost dessert'. The story goes that Henry VIII visited his wife Ann Boleyn at Hampton Court or Richmond Palace (stories differ on the location) and found Ann and her ladies in waiting digging in to these cheese curd pastries. Henry enjoyed the tarts so much he declared that only royalty could eat them until the recipe appeared in the 18th century. They then became hugely popular in the tearooms of Richmond until the last twenty years where they fell out of fashion. Now they have appeared in the Hampton Court Café! As a bit of a cake geek, I was excited to try this slice of history. The mixture of almonds and brandy reminded me of a Christmassy version of a custard tart.

If it's fit for a king, it's good enough for me! Happy 500 year anniversary Hampton Court!

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