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A review by lavanda4
Cooking and the Crown: Royal Recipes from Queen Victoria to King Charles III A Cookbook by Tom Parker Bowles, Tom Parker Bowles
5.0
Cooking and the Crown by Tom Parker Bowles is a fascinating glimpse into the culinary lives of the British Royals from Queen Victoria to King Charles and Queen Camilla. As the son of Queen Camilla, the author gives great personal insight into cooking and those who enjoy(ed) it which makes me feel privy to delicious royalty secrets. Chapters include Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, Dinner and Desserts with an emphasis on regional seasonality (not aleays the case in the past). Up to fourteen courses could be served at meals in generous portions.
What intrigues me most about this book are the historical snippets about daily life including war rationing, both elaborate and plain tastes and personal predilections of family members, Queen Victoria's outdoors breakfast rituals, royal kitchens and coronation dishes. I was not aware that King Charles and Queen Camilla forage for mushrooms, one of my most beloved pastimes. What surprised me most is the simple tastes of some of the family, especially with access to excellent chefs and beautiful produce tended by knowledgeable gardeners. However, the simplest dishes can be aa exquisite as Carême or Escoffier creations were. How exciting that Carême was chef to the Prince Regent!
Recipes include mouthwatering dishes such as Baked Eggs, Herrings Fried in Oatmeal, Portage Parmentier (potato leek soup is my all-time favourite soup to make), Crab Mousse which Deborah Mitford loved, Duck with Stewed Peas (sounds sublime to me), Partridge Hotpot, Potted Sheimp (reminds me of Agatha Christie books, very nostalgic), Spring Vegetable Risotto (I make similar with wild asparagus), Crepes au Naturel and Lemon Meringue Tartlets. So much inspiration and scope for adapting to one's taste. I've had many of the dishes (or similar) in this book and really enjoy most British fare.
Written in a companionable tone with quirky and lovely illustrations, this book is an all-sensory feast. I am besotted with it!
My sincere thank you to Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this stellar book.
What intrigues me most about this book are the historical snippets about daily life including war rationing, both elaborate and plain tastes and personal predilections of family members, Queen Victoria's outdoors breakfast rituals, royal kitchens and coronation dishes. I was not aware that King Charles and Queen Camilla forage for mushrooms, one of my most beloved pastimes. What surprised me most is the simple tastes of some of the family, especially with access to excellent chefs and beautiful produce tended by knowledgeable gardeners. However, the simplest dishes can be aa exquisite as Carême or Escoffier creations were. How exciting that Carême was chef to the Prince Regent!
Recipes include mouthwatering dishes such as Baked Eggs, Herrings Fried in Oatmeal, Portage Parmentier (potato leek soup is my all-time favourite soup to make), Crab Mousse which Deborah Mitford loved, Duck with Stewed Peas (sounds sublime to me), Partridge Hotpot, Potted Sheimp (reminds me of Agatha Christie books, very nostalgic), Spring Vegetable Risotto (I make similar with wild asparagus), Crepes au Naturel and Lemon Meringue Tartlets. So much inspiration and scope for adapting to one's taste. I've had many of the dishes (or similar) in this book and really enjoy most British fare.
Written in a companionable tone with quirky and lovely illustrations, this book is an all-sensory feast. I am besotted with it!
My sincere thank you to Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this stellar book.