The Kids Rule! Guide to… Food and Feasting

Supports the

T MAGAHZE FOR YO INE MEMBEUNG RS!

Key Stage 2 Curriculum

MAXIMUS MARKETUS!

GRUESOME

GRUB

Inside Wroxeter Roman City’s food market

Discover history’s most unappetising dishes

Dinner with the duke

By royal invitation

t Take a seat af o e k the Du Wellington’s banquet

Belly-busting royal feasts through the ages

a prehistoric dinner party How the builders of Stonehenge celebrated winter with a huge hog roast!

Fill your boots!

HOT CROSS BUNS! • WIN A £100 GOODY BAG! PLUS • MIND YOUR MANNERS QUIZ! • LOLS!

d o o F for thought ing words to start learning missing n the missi Hungry for history? Fill iin all about food and feasting through the ages at our sites

From prehistory to the present day, our basic need to eat and has never changed. But what is different is the food we eat, how we store and prepare it, and the variety of available to us. In this issue, we’re inviting you to join us on a mouth-watering journey through time to discover the stories of different through the ages, the people who enjoyed them and the tasty (and not so tasty) dishes that were on the menu.

From prehistoric hog and medieval royal feasts to extravagant Georgian banquets and Victorian country house , there are stories of grand gatherings and fine dining at our historic sites across the country. So, grab a napkin and get ready to tuck in!

MISSING WORDS

5 things to spot

Can you find d these t se fi five things hiding iin n the ep pages ge of this issue?

Recipe book Knife

Feasts Dinners Drink Roasts Ingredients Salt cellar

Candelabra

Cooking pot

Answers (in order): 1 Drink, 2 Ingredients, 3 Feasts, 4 Roasts, 5 Dinners

What’s on the menu?

The tasty treats you’ll find in this issue of Kids Rule!

2

Follow a day in the life of novice monk Edmund at Bury St Edmunds Abbey Page 4

Find out what the builders of Stonehenge liked to eat at their winter gatherings Page 6

Look inside Wroxeter Roman City food market to see what was on offer Page 8

Bake hot cross buns During Elizabeth I’s reign, the London Clerk of Markets banned the sale of spiced buns except at burials, Christmass or on Good Friday. This established the tradition of eating hot cross buns on Good Friday. Now it’s your turn to make these tasty Easter treats…

• 500g strong white bread flour • 1⁄2 tsp salt • 2 heaped tsp mixed spice • 50g caster sugar • 50g melted butter • 200g mixed dried fruit • 7g sachet easy-blend dried yeast • 200ml milk • 2 eggs For the crosses and glaze • 3 tbsp plain flour • Honey or golden syrup

Send us your photos!

Before you scoff your hot cross buns, please ask a grown-up to send us a photo to membersmagazine@ ourmedia.co.uk and we’ll share the best in our next issue!

Brace yourself for our guide to the most gruesome grub in history Page 9

What you need to do…

1 Tip the flour into a bowl and stir in the salt, mixed spice, butter, yeast, dried fruit and sugar.

2 Gently heat the milk so it feels warm to touch but not too hot.

3 Beat the eggs, then pour into the dried ingredients and milk.

Mix into a dough and leave to soak for five minutes.

4 Shape the dough into buns on n a floured surface. Space apart on a baking sheet, cover loosely with cling film, then leave in a warm place for an hour.

5 Heat oven to 220ºC (fan oven 200ºC)/gas mark 7. For the crosses, mix the plain flour with two tablespoons of water to make a paste and pour into a plastic food bag with a nick in the corner to distribute. Pipe crosses on top of each bun.

6 Bake for 12–15 minutes until risen and golden. Trim any excess cross mixture, then brush the buns with honey or golden syrup.

Discover the stories of belly-busting royal feasts through the ages Page 10

Read about the Duke of Wellington’s banquet and design your own plate!

Page 12

It’s A feast for your eyes!

Meet Audley End House’s Victorian cook Mrs Crocombe!

Page 14

200867

Ingredients (makes 10–12 buns)

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Why OL! do like c n’t eggs hefs?

Beca u s e t alwa ys be hey’re them ating !

A day in the life

Yawn…

I miss my old bed!

It’s 1095 and Edmund the novice monk is helping to prepare a special feast at Bury St Edmunds Abbey

It’s the middle of the night and nine-year-old Edmund is awake for prayers. He hates getting up so early but it’s all part of the daily routine in his new life as a child monk, called an oblate.

Edmund is the youngest of seven children. While his brother William is in Normandy being trained to be a knight, Edmund was ‘given’ to the abbey by his family.

It’s an honour but he would rather be with his brother.

Praise the Lord, you have a lovely singing voice child

Edmund is getting used to the monks’ simple breakfast of milk and bread. After being presented to the monastery, he and the other oblates had the top of their heads shaved as a sign of religious devotion.

It’s a beautiful day, brother

I had a lovely sword arm, too!

Edmund grew up nearby as his parents are tenants of the abbot of Bury St Edmunds. What he misses most about his old life is the food, but the Master of the Children who looks after the boys has little sympathy.

I’d do anything for a decent meal

Then why is my head so cold?!

Every day is filled with prayers, Latin lessons and learning all 150 Psalms. But Edmund and the other oblates are excited to find out that a grand feast is planned later for important guests.

I wonder what the food will be like

You can start by scrubbing these floors!

Wait until you feast your eyes on the pies!

Edmund and the nine other oblates, aged between 5 and 13, are asked to help the cellarer (who is in charge of provisions) to work out how much food they’ll need, and carry everything to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Edmund can’t resist trying some of the lovely cheese. The kitchener, who runs the kitchen, is furious and about to give Edmund a thrashing. Then he remembers what life is like for oblates and lets him off.

Where shall I put the cheese and bread?

As punishment you can get those pies out of the oven…

Oh, I don’t know, I’m in a right pickle!

And keep your fingers out!

Before the feast, the monks and important guests have a ceremony. The relics (remains) of St Edmund are moved to a beautiful new shrine. Edmund and the abbey are named after St Edmund – a brave king killed by the Vikings.

Be quiet and have some respect!

What an honour to be named after such a great man

Later, the 80 monks are joined in the dining hall by the Bishop of Winchester. They sit in silence, surrounded by plates of delicious bread, tasty pies, huge cooked fish, and even a little wine for the young monks.

For the first time since his arrival Edmund is full. He considers taking some cheese but remembers how kind the kitchener was to him earlier. Lots of this remaining food will be given to the poor on this special occasion.

Bless St Edmund and everyone at St Edmunds, from me, Edmund, Amen!

Could you pass the…?

Sssshhh!

t ou ab ed, e r v i mo nd l lishu rn ea Edm .eng k/ l To ere ww rg.u swh to w ge.o und go erita t-edmy h y-s be r ab bu

PREHISTORIC

PARTY

Around 4,500 years ago, people travelled to Stonehenge to enjoy midwinter feasts and look forward to the warmer days of spring

COUNTING THE DAYS

w For farmers who gre of rds he d de ten d an crops en wh ing animals, know ging the seasons were chan was r nte Wi was important. as r fea of e tim a bly proba d an r rte sho the days grew d ge lon y the d an r, colde ys. for lighter, warmer da le cyc y arl ye s thi ng rki Ma of e on en may have be the reasons they built Stonehenge.

P E R F EC T TIMING

Around 2500 BC, the people who built Stoneheng e probably lived at Du rrington Walls, about two mi les aw The stones of Stonehe ay. nge were placed to align with the set ting sun on the shortest day of the ye ar, the midwinter solstice, wh ich is close to our Christm as!

6

BONE BONANZA

gton Excavations at Durrin over led ea rev ve Walls ha imal 38,000 discarded an 00 bones from around 1,0 of animals. That’s a lot nes meat! Most of the bo the came from pigs, with ing dy stu By e. ttl ca rest from tell these bones, we can from where the food came who and how the people n Walls feasted at Durringto als. me prepared their

Into the groove

HEALTHY SNACKS

LOL!

What kind of nut always seems to hav e a cold?

Cashew!

Talk about going the whole hog!

How prehistoric pottery reveals what was cooking g wild ing ntin As well as hu istoric eh pr s, al anim ered people gath ch as wild foods su d an s m oo hr mus ! berries. Yum

LO N G DISTANCE DINERS

al bones By studying the anim covered dis and teeth, we’ve s were pig the of e that som , reared in west Wales nd gla En ern rth no some in so and some as far away a re as Scotland. These we a long probably herded over henge distances to the Stone en be ve area and may ha at. bo by ted or transp

GROOVED WARE The people living at Durrington Walls used a type of pottery now known as Grooved Ware because of its grooved pattern decoration. This is often found at ceremonial sites and seems to have been made with feasting and serving in mind. When a pot is used for cooking, some of the food molecules seep into the pot itself. Scientists have recently developed new ways of taking these from the bits of pottery to study them. At Durrington Walls, the pots were mostly found to contain pork and beef fats.

Skull: Clare Kendall/Historic England Zooarchaeology Reference Collection. Bowl: Clare Kendall/ On loan from Salisbury Museum. Pig teeth: Clare Kendall/Mr & Mrs SJ Rawlins/Mr & Mrs WH Rawlins

Although the people at Durrington Walls cle arly loved a meat feast, the y had a very varied die t. From the remains of seeds and plants found here, we know they ate fruit, seeds and nuts, including crab apples, hazelnuts, sloes (the berries of the blackthorn bu sh) and blackberries.

PIGGING OUT

The burnt remains of pigs’ feet suggest the pork was roasted on spits over open fires, while cut marks made by flint tools suggest the beef was cut into pieces an d made into stews cook ed in large pots. Some of the bones were thrown aw ay with meat still attache d, so there must have be en plenty of food!

7

LOL!

THEN

Wh tomatyo did the tu Becaus rn red? e the s it saw dressainlad g!

1 6

2 5

3

4

Look inside…

Wroxeter Roman food market The food market in Wroxeter Roman City in modern-day Shropshire was like an ancient shopping and leisure centre!

1

One of a kind

Wroxeter Roman City in Shropshire is home to Britain’s only excavated Roman food market. Traders here sold quality food from cubicles that were arranged around a courtyard.

2

Choice cuts

Archaeologists have found animal bones buried in the ground at the site of the market, which suggests that some of the traders sold cuts of meat from their stalls.

3

Fresh from the sea

4

Taking the plunge

Oysters are a delicacy today, but they were an everyday dish in Roman Britain. They were gathered and transported to the market in saltwater barrels to keep them fresh.

The market was part of the public bathhouse. Like a modern-day leisure centre, it had an exercise hall, a bathing suite with hot and cold baths, and even an outdoor swimming pool.

NOW

5

Stocking up

6

Thirsty work

We imagine that people used the market to buy fresh ingredients to cook for friends after meeting them to spend an afternoon relaxing and catching up at the baths.

Archaeologists have also found several drinking cups and glasses at the site of the market. This suggests there was probably a bar in the market or nearby.

To discover more about Wroxeter Roman City, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/wroxeter 8

LOL!

Hold on to your stomachs as we reveal history’s most unusual dishes!

Dormouse

ng The Romans were keen on eati a as seen e wer ch whi ice, dorm e treat. The unlucky rodents wer kept in special pots and fed a diet of walnuts, acorns and e chestnuts to fatten them up. Onc e wer they , ugh eno big e wer they cooked and served at banquets.

Cockentrice

Inventive medieval cooks created their own mythical creature, the cockentrice, which was half pig, half rooster. The upper body of a suckling pig was stitched on to the bot tom half of a rooster.

The creation was then stuffed, decorated with potatoes, eggs and herbs, and oven-baked.

Ambergris

Ambergris is a greyish-brown, waxy substance produced in the intestines of sperm whales.

Usually found floating in the sea or washed up on beaches, it was used as an ingredient in food and drink for many centuries.

Charles II’s favourite dish was eggs mixed with ambergris.

Stewed warden pears

This Georgian dish was actually rather dangerous.

The pears were stewed in red wine in a dish with a lid made of pewter (a kind of metal). This made the pears turn purple as they absorbed poisonous tin, copper and lead from the pewter!

Wha of tabtl kind you eeatcan A veget ? able!

Lamprey

The lamprey is a rather uglylooking fish with a suction cup for a face that attaches itself to other, bigger fish and sucks thei r blood. During the medieval period they were often eaten by the wealthy during Lent when eating meat was forbidden.

Roast swan

Roast swan was a popular dish for the Tudors and a favourite of Queen Victoria.

The bird would be skinned and roasted on a spit, then put bac k in its skin and feathers and served up as a centrepiece to amuse dinner guests.

Turtle soup

Turtle soup was a popular choice at Georgian dinner par ties. Turtles were caught in the Caribbean and brought to England alive in tubs of sea water. The soup was more like a stew made with turtle meat, sherry, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, herbs and spices.

Jellied eels

First eaten during Georgian and Victorian times, this dish is still sold in London’s pie and mash shops today. The eels are boiled, chopped and served in a cold, fishflavoured jelly. Yum! 9

LOL

What c ! is mahdeese backwa e rds?

Edam!

My lords and ladies, please be seated for the belly-busting royal feasts that made history at our sites!

Minstrels and merriment

On 5 January 1516, Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, held a great feast at Eltham Palace in London. The festivities started with a play, then a wooden castle was wheeled into the hall and knights, minstrels and ladies popped out from it. To finish, there was a grand banquet with 100 dishes served, including boar’s head, roast peacock and venison pie!

Romancing the throne

From 9–27 July 1575, Elizabeth I stayed at Kenilworth Castle at the invitation of her great friend, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Dudley spent a fortune on food and entertainments in an attempt to woo the queen. Food served at the banquets included gold covered jelly, custard tarts, sturgeon (a type of fish) and intricate sugar sculptures.

10

King of the desser t

James I stayed at Kirby Hall in 1616.

The king was known to have had a sweet tooth, so it’s likely that his host, Sir Christopher Hatton, laid on a sumptuous dessert banquet. In the Stuart period, banquets were meals consisting only of sweet treats!

Putting on a per formance

William Cavendish, Earl of Newcastle put on a pageant involving music, dancing and acting for Charles I at Bolsover Castle in July 1634. The earl spent nearly £15,000 (that’s over £2.5 million in today’s money) staging the event. His wife Margaret said that he spared ‘nothing that might add splendour to that feast’.

Christmas with the queen

Osborne was Queen Victoria’s private residence, so dinners here were less elaborate than at Buckingham Palace, although 16 cooks were still needed in the 1890s! On Christmas Day 1894, the queen dined on soup, salmon hollandaise, roast beef, mince pies and plum pudding.

By international invitation

Edward VII visited the American ambassador, Whitelaw Reid, at Wrest Park on 24 July 1909.

Villagers lined the avenue to the house and the trees were decked with bunting. Once inside the house, the king sat down to a lavish dinner that was accompanied by music from an orchestra.

11

DINNER WITH

THE DUKE Discover the story of the Duke of Wellington’s annual feast to celebrate his victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo

1 A war hero

After defeating French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, returned to England as a national hero. In 1816, he bought Apsley House in London and turned it into a luxurious home.

2

The Waterloo Gallery

In 1820, he invited 35 senior officers from the battle to attend a feast called the Waterloo Banquet.

It became an annual event. In 1828, Wellington employed Benjamin Dean Wyatt to construct a larger dining room, called the Waterloo Gallery, which could seat 85 people.

3 Spoils of victory

The new dining room was completed in time for the banquet in 1830 and hung with around 100 pictures. The dinner was a private occasion but a few members of the public were admitted to see the table setting from the gallery before the dinner.

4

Celebrating victory

The Waterloo Banquet took place every year until 1852, when the duke died. You can still see the duke’s treasures at Apsley House today. These include nearly 3,000 fine paintings, sculptures and works of art in silver and porcelain, gifted by emperors, tsars and kings.

To see where the Waterloo Banquet took place, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/apsley

12

LOL!

Wh t’s the best a put intthing to oa Your te pie? eth!

THE MENU Just a few of the dishes the Duke served at his 1839 feast STARTERS • Turtle soup • Matelotte of eels • Veal head en tortue MAINS • Pigeon fillets a la maréchale • Escalope of leveret (young hare) with mushrooms • Barded quails • Loaf of game in jelly DESSERTS • Ramequins of parmesan • Garnished plover eggs in aspic

’re You oes r e h all me! to

YOU diD it!

Last issue, we asked you to nominate your own heroes of history and here are the winning entries!

ERRUNN UP

g Grace Darlin , h et

by Elsp age 7

WINN ER!

RUN NE UP R-

es Claudia Jon , ie n n o B by age 10

COMPETITION Sir David gh Attenborou 9 e g a ,

by Jake

Super sta tue In our last issue we asked you to design a statue of someone you admire. Here’s one of our favourites, by Isla, age 9, of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Great work, Isla!

Now design your own ow wn wn fancy dinner plate!

Enter our competition for your chance to win a brilliant £100 goody bag!

Now you’ve learned about the Duke of Wellington’s Waterloo Banquets, with each course served on fancy dinner plates, we’d like you to have a go at designing your own. Go to our website to download a special template (no pun intended!), then draw your most eye-catching design on it and send a photo for our judges to drool over! Go to www.english-heritage.org. uk/kids for more details and to enter.

The designer of the most fantabulous plate will win a goody bag worth £100!

The closing date and time for entries is midnight on Monday 6 May 2024.

For full terms and conditions, go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/kids

This magazine is published on behalf of English Heritage by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk For English Heritage Louise Dando, Johanna Lovesey, Megan Anders, Tony Dike, Daniel Di Paolo, Tersia Boorer, Richard Leatherdale, Tom Moriarty, Harry Rosehill For Our Media Ltd Group editor Matt Havercroft, Managing editor Oliver Hurley, Senior art editor Steve Gotobed, Senior account director Esther Procee, Account manager Joanne Robinson, Director Julie Williams, Editorial director Dan Linstead Contributors Adam Rees, Michael Carter, Jennifer Wexler, Andrew Roberts, Andrew Hann Illustrations Wesley Robins

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MRS CROCOMBE’S

KITCHEN EN N Discover the story of Audley End House’s Victorian cook – and those who worked in the kitchens at our other grand houses Audley End

House

LEADING LADY Avis Crocombe was cook to Lord and Lady Braybooke at Audley End House in Essex in the 1880s.

She was quite unusual in being a woman cook in a grand country house, as most aristocrats hired male chefs. French chefs were especially prestigious.

OK CO WITH

mbe croMcrso Crocombe Watch er in our making dinn ube series popular YouT Way The Victorian

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A LIFE OF SERVICE

Avis grew up in north Devon and started working, aged 13, as a servant for her older brother.

By her early twenties she was a kitchen maid in London. She became cook-housekeeper at Langley Hall in Norfolk, before moving to Audley End around 1880.

LOL

FAVOURITE RECIPES

!

Why slice odfid the get sen bread from sct home h It was ool? feeling crumm y!

We know so much about Avis from her cookbook, which was donated to English Heritage in 2009. The book includes many of the recipes she prepared for Lord and Lady Braybrooke, including fillet of beef, chocolate pudding and even roast swan.

cooking up a

storm Meet the cooks at our other grand houses

MRS GEYTON AT WREST PARK Mrs Geyton was cook at Wrest Park in Befordshire during the First World War, when it was a hospital for soldiers. With five kitchen maids, she was responsible for preparing meals for 300 patients and staff.

TASTY TREATS ALPHONSE GOUFFÉ AT OSBORNE Alphonse Gouffé became head pastry chef to Queen Victoria and worked in the royal kitchens for over 30 years. As a pastry chef he was responsible for making elaborate desserts for the queen’s table.

I like to stir things up!

MAID TO IMPRESS

Avis was responsible for preparing all the meals for the family, their guests and the other servants. She was helped by two kitchen maids and a scullery maid. She would have decided on the menu with Lady Braybrooke and sourced the ingredients.

EMMA TRUCKLE AT ELTHAM PALACE Emma Truckle worked as cook for Stephen and Virginia Courtauld at Eltham Palace in the 1930s–40s, catering for all their lavish dinner parties.

Virginia Courtauld kept notes about the quality of the food!

Private collection; Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2024

Avis and the other kitchen staff would have prepared three meals a day – breakfast, luncheon and dinner. Dinner was the fanciest meal, with at least three different courses. The th Victorians loved soups, V rroast meats, pies, rich puddings and sorbets.

15

I be May ed? s u c ex

Simply scrumptio us!

Elizabeth I

MIND your

James I

MANNERS! Take our quiz to find out if you’d be the perfect guest at feasts through the ages

1

You’re at a feast at Lullingstone Roman Villa and the host makes a toast to the gods. What should you do?

A Put your plate on your head in respect B Take a drink from your wine cup to show agreement C Throw salt over your ur left shoulder

2

The host of a Saxon feast at Portchester Castle calls for some entertainment. Do you…

A Play videos on your phone B Recite some poetry while playing the lute C Put on a silly hat and take out some juggling balls

3

A servant gives you a slice of stale bread during a medieval feast at Eltham Palace. What do you do with it?

A Use it as a frisbee to start a food fight B Start eating it C Use it as a plate for your food

4

5

You’re hosting a Georgian dinner party at Marble Hill.

Should you remember to…

A Sit the most honoured guest at the head of the table B Blindfold your guests and see if they can find the dining room C Insist everyone changes places between courses

6

A Victorian dinner party has just finished at Brodsworth Hall. Do you?

A Dash off to catch the last train home B Belch loudly and pat your full stomach C Retire to the drawing room

7

It’s the 1920s and you’ve been invited to dinner at Audley End House. Do you?

A Arrive early to enjoy the lawn games and music B Get changed into fancy dress C Bring along some friends who look hungry

how many did you get right?

4-5

You’ve been invited to a Tudor feast at Gainsborough Old Hall. What should you remember to do?

You’re a A Bring your own knife disgraceful and spoon to the table diner!

B Lick your plate clean when you’ve finished C Bring a doggy bag with you to take away any leftovers

1-3

Don’t expect another invite!

6-7

You’re the toast of the table!

tteThe etiquetteometer

Answers: 1B, 2B, 3C, 4A, 5A, 6C, 7A

16

LOL!

Wha you call tc do that is shaeese d?

Blue chee se!

FINE DINER

More challenges to put your dining skills to the test!

YOUR SERVE Try serving a meal to your parents, Victorian-style.

Remember to dress up smartly and serve from the left-hand side.

LYING LOW Try eating a meal reclining i i on a sofa or couch like the Romans did – but watch that you don’t drop too many crumbs!

WARTIME MENU Have a go at making a meal using ingredients available as Second World War rations.

You’ll need to be resourceful!

GUEST OF HONOUR Invite some friends over to dinner and create a seating plan for the dinner table like the Georgians. Who will get to be head of the table?