While watching Heston Blumenthal’s Tudor Feast, I had to agree with Blumenthal that during the reign of the Tudors the English ruled the culinary world. He staged a modern version of a typical Tudor feast to demonstrate the level of sophistication Tudor-era food reached.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etSuOfs8558He did all the research, used authentic recipes, and made modifications only when the source material was unambiguous. Being the chef/owner of one of the best restaurants in the world, with instant access to a research-lab quality kitchen and the world’s foremost food scientists, he was in a unique position to redevelop historic recipes. What he didn’t do, however, was attempt to cook with Tudor-era equipment. That might have been too much of a handicap.
During the family vacation in London, we visited Hampton Court palace, where I took the “kitchen tour.” The photos that follow speak for themselves.
![Prep room The room for basic food preparation.](https://i0.wp.com/blog.belm.com/wp-content/uploads/tudorkitchen1.jpg?resize=320%2C240)
The room for basic food preparation.
![Hearth This is the hearth used for cooking smaller dishes. Note the swing arm used for suspending a kettle.](https://i0.wp.com/blog.belm.com/wp-content/uploads/tudorkitchen2.jpg?resize=320%2C240)
This is the hearth used for cooking smaller dishes. Note the swing arms used for suspending kettles.
![Stove This is a "five-burner stovetop," a brick cooking surface with five small charcoal-fired fireplaces underneath. The three-legged copper pot on the left would be right at home in a modern kitchen.](https://i0.wp.com/blog.belm.com/wp-content/uploads/tudorkitchen3.jpg?resize=320%2C240)
This is a "five-burner stovetop," a brick cooking surface with five small charcoal-fired fireplaces underneath. The three-legged copper pot on the left would be right at home in a modern kitchen.
![Roasting fireplace The roasting fireplace. The iron grates on each side are for suspending multiple=](https://i0.wp.com/blog.belm.com/wp-content/uploads/tudorkitchen4.jpg?resize=320%2C240)
The roasting fireplace. The iron bracket on each side are for suspending multiple spits of meat for roasting.
![Back office The 'back office," where menu planning, inventory, and accounts are managed.](https://i0.wp.com/blog.belm.com/wp-content/uploads/tudorkitchen5.jpg?resize=320%2C240)
The "back office," where menu planning, inventory, and accounts are managed.
![Feast table The toughest audience in the world: She Who Must Be Obeyed and He Who Must Not Be Ignored.](https://i0.wp.com/blog.belm.com/wp-content/uploads/tudorkitchen6.jpg?resize=320%2C240)
The toughest audience in the world: She Who Must Be Obeyed and He Who Must Not Be Ignored.
You can impress me with frog blancmange, a roasted cockentrice, and rice pudding that looks like bangers and mash, but if you really want to blow me away, cook it at Hampton Court. The kitchens are still working.