A taste of Elizabethan England at Kenilworth Castle

Thursdays and Fridays in August and September

A delicious range of treats awaits visitors to Kenilworth Castle this summer, as the tearoom offers a taste of the past every Thursday and Friday, taking inspiration from the Elizabethan cook book!

Historic food expert, Dr Annie Gray, will be visiting the castle to train members of Kenilworth’s tea room catering team in some of the techniques and recipes that would have been cooked at the castle during the time of Robert Dudley, and then each week, visitors will be offered free samples of some of the unusual delicacies, from flower-infused cream cheeses to Elizabethan pies, which blur the lines between sweet and savoury dishes.

“In general, Elizabethan food has many similarities to today, with plenty of herbs and spices used to add flavour to foods, but one thing that the modern palate will perhaps struggle with is the way that sweet and savoury were combined,” explains English Heritage’s visitor operations manager, Holly Woodward. “Meat and fruit would often sit side by side in pies – indeed, if you add real minced meat to a fruit mince pie, you’ll get the idea of the kind of dish they would enjoy. Sugar was widely used by the nobility as it was an expensive commodity, and therefore sweet dishes were a way of showing off to your guests.”

Joining the tea room’s menu will be a delicious Elizabethan gingerbread, which is different from modern biscuit-style gingerbread as it is boiled rather than baked, and chilled to hold its shape. Each week, visitors will be offered samples of different Elizabethan foods, including rice puddings, pickles and tarts, with a recipe card so they can try to make period dishes for themselves at home.

English Heritage is also encouraging visitors to try out some of the recipes at home, with a selection of Elizabethan recipes posted on Kenilworth Castle’s web page that are ideal to bring along for picnics within the castle walls. Alongside the more complicated recipes for bean tart and gingerbread, children can try their hand at some Elizabethan cheats, including a simple fruit and custard tart, and Elizabethan-inspired flavoured cream cheeses that can be spread onto digestive biscuits for a picnic-friendly cheesecake-style dessert!

Kenilworth Castle is open daily throughout the summer from 10.00am to 5.00pm, with the tearoom open from 10.30am to 4.30pm. The free samples of Elizabethan food will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, please visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/kenilworth or call 01926 852078.

ENDS
Notes to editors: Dr Annie Gray will be visiting Kenilworth Castle in full Elizabethan costume on Friday 12 August from 12 noon to 3.00pm with a range of Elizabethan foods for journalists to sample. If you would like to attend or send a photograph, please contact Jay Commins on 0113 251 5698.

For further media information, please contact:
Jay Commins PRO – English Heritage (West Midlands)
Tel: 0113 251 5698
Mobile: 07810 546567
Email: jay@fim.org.uk