At the King's Table: Royal Dining Through the Ages by Susanne Groom

At the King's Table: Royal Dining Through the Ages Reviews

• 
  Jenny

  Even though this book was a gift and I probably would not have picked it up (or probably even stumbled across it) if left to my own devices, "Foreword by Heston Blumenthal" captured my attention right away. I imagine anybody who's done Heston Blumenthal's batshit flip-the-steak-every-15-seconds thing would react the same way.
  
  This book is great. It provides a fascinating account of how the dining habits of British monarchs evolved from ridiculously plethoric French menus of disgusting gluttonous excess (excess which, I think speaking as a Chinese person, I can speak of with some expertise) to reasonable consumption of locally and sustainably sourced foods (including vegetables!) Part of the reason the book reads so quickly is the wealth of pictures. There are a ton of art prints, photographs of items (hope you like grand salt cellars, because there are a shitload) and candid photos of royalty. Groom also takes care to note that the more modern the monarchy, the more it hobnobs and relates to its constituents; notably, the royal family using ration books along with everybody else during the war shortage. There are also a lot of fun little anecdotes about various monarchs, like how Charles I nearly escaped his prison except that he got too fat to fit through the bars of the window (not a spoiler, because Heston Blumenthal did it first in his foreword). Or how Henrietta Maria was given the gift of a pie boy (not a spoiler, because of how abstruse that sentence is). I was even provided with the origin of the abomination that is coronation chicken, one of the most vile concoctions I've ever had the displeasure of having in my mouth, and now I know who to blame for its existence.
  
  The only major issues I have with this book are probably unfair. Clearly this book is meant for Britons ("our monarchs", "this country"), or at least anglophiles familiar with English history. There were several times when I had to consult either Wikipedia or the boyfriend. Sometimes both.
  
  Me: Why was Charles I executed?
  Him: [ponders how to digest for American girlfriend] He lost the civil war.
  Me: Oh, ok. [Rushes to Wikipedia to look up English Civil Wars; sees words like 'Parliamentarian' and 'Glorious Revolution' and decides another book may be in order].
  
  There's also an assumption of familiarity with Middle English and a general working knowledge of which monarch ruled for how long and what cool shit that monarch did. For example, we skipped William IV, George V, Edward VIII, and George VI entirely. The only reason I knew who Henrietta Maria was is because my goddamn Catholic state is named after her.
  
  This book is a worthwhile read for anybody who likes that bizarre cross section of food writing and history, but I caution anybody who picks it up to get cozy with British history first, because otherwise there is a depth to the information that goes decidedly lacking.
• 
  Rachel

  As I am fascinated by British Royalty and food history, this seemed like a very appropriate topic for me to read. It gives a history of royal dining from the time of Richard II in the mid 14th century to the present day. As far as styles of cooking goes, there was a lot of French influence on the British court, depending on whether or not they were at war with the French at that time. The earlier courts pretty much up until King George II had prodigious appetites, then there was a lull during the reign of Mad King George III due to his illness and his wife’s pickiness. The banqueting picked up again during George IV’s reign as he was a prodigious eater, followed by a lull during the Victorian era due to Victoria and Albert’s strict upbringing of their children, and renewed again by their son Edward VI. He was a lover of all things French and it was during the Edwardian era that the French style of cooking really came into prominence in Great Britain. Once you get into modern times, the World Wars effectively put an end to the multiple-course menus. I loved all the illustrations in the book, which really set the stage for the history. Highly recommended, 5 stars.
• 
  Jennifer

  What I love about At the King's Table: Royal Dining through the Ages are all the wonderful color illustrations. It's chock full of great images accompanying the text. The book starts off in medieval England and finishes in present day England.
  
  I think this book is definitely geared towards the British (or for those who are definitely into British history) because it's assumed you know a lot about British history. I have a general sense of English history and cursory knowledge of Scottish history, but I constantly confuse certain monarchs. I mean I just can't get my head around all the James and Charles, especially when it's James I and James IV of Scotland and England and it's the same person.
  
  I have The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Kings & Queens of Britain which I love namely because it has highly illustrated, but it's a great introduction to monarchy. It's written from the beginning of time to the present and it features the major and minor players of British history. So I think it's a great companion piece because I was constantly looking up who certain kings were.
  
• 
  Lisa

  I'm ever so grateful for libraries when I check out a book like this.
  
  An interesting book that looks at the royal table and food for British monarchs. I was guessing that it might have discussed non-British royalty, but I suppose it had to have a focus.
  
  I'll admit, I read every caption, every printed menu and every chapter title...skimming the majority of the text. I was interested in Victoria's table and King George IV, as I connected with several things in the book on my trip to England in April.
  
  Over all a good research book, but not something you're going to use to cook anything from.
• 
  Rebecca Huston

  The title is different on the actual book