About the talk
At Ham House, the Duke and Duchess of Lauderdale lived in grand style – and a sure sign of fashionable status was their employment of a French chef, John Blangy.
We take you on a tour of the kitchen, stillroom and domestic offices at Ham and explore some of the recipes the Lauderdales and their royal guests might have enjoyed at a pivotal moment in English food history when aristocratic chefs were returning from exile in France with new-fangled ideas – like puff pastry.
It is a time of novelty, new ingredients and new techniques – and surprises like chilli bread, made from diarist John Evelyn’s recipe, and an aphrodisiac pie made from sweet potatoes.
Join us for a virtual tasting of some 17th century dishes, sharing the recipes for those who would like to recreate them at home.
About the speakers
Mari Smith has followed a long career in teaching, sharing her enthusiasm for the science of food and nutrition and her interest in the history of food and domestic life. More recently, she has taught children in the film and entertainment industry.
Mary Greene is a journalist and is passionate about historic baking and recipes.
Together, Mary and Mari are volunteer historic bakers at Ham House and Garden, presenting recipes adapted from 17th century cookery books. They have created spectacular sugar banquets and food displays in the Ham House kitchen and dining room, and seasonal displays using produce from the kitchen garden. This has inspired further research into 17th century food and domestic life, with particular reference to Ham House.