History and recipes....

This was a very informative mix of both history, royal history and recipes.
Since I enjoy both history and recipes, this was a double treat.
Tom Parker Bowles did a great job, he knows food and the royal history.
Recommend.

Book Review: Cooking and the Crown by Tom Parker Bowles

Rating: 5 Stars

As someone who loves both cooking and history, I was absolutely thrilled to dive into Cooking and the Crown by Tom Parker Bowles. This delightful cookbook invites readers into the fascinating world of British royal cuisine, spanning a remarkable 200 years of recipes, traditions, and anecdotes. With over 100 recipes, Parker Bowles combines his expertise as a food writer with intriguing glimpses into the lives of the royals—from Queen Victoria to King Charles III.

The book opens with a charming introduction to British royal food, setting the stage for what’s to come. As I flipped through the pages, I was greeted by an array of recipes organized into sections for breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner, and dessert. Each recipe is prefaced with a brief introduction, followed by a comprehensive ingredient list and clear directions. I especially appreciated that most recipes are accompanied by mouth watering photographs. And the beautiful illustrations throughout the book add a whimsical touch that complements Parker Bowles' companionable writing style. It feels like having a chat with a knowledgeable friend over a cup of tea—informative yet casual.

What truly adds to this book are the historical tidbits sprinkled throughout. Parker Bowles delves into various aspects of royal food history, including rationing during tough times, picnic traditions, and the grandeur of coronation feasts. These insights not only enrich the cooking experience but also provide a deeper understanding of the cultural context behind each dish.

Now, let's talk about some of the standout recipes! The Fried Sole with shrimp sauce immediately caught my attention, and I can’t wait to try making George V’s Curry. The Quiche de Lorraine sounds divine, while the Welsh Teabread and Lemon Meringue Tartlet recipes has me daydreaming about their flavors.

Overall, Cooking and the Crown is not just a cookbook; it’s a sensory feast that captures the essence of British royal dining. I am completely besotted with it! Whether you're a history buff, a passionate cook, or simply curious about royal life, this book promises inspiration and delight in every page. I’m giving it a solid 4 stars and highly recommend it to anyone looking to explore the intersection of gastronomy and royalty. Happy cooking!

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

The author did a wonderful job. The book's style reminds me of "How to Cook the Victorian Way" or the official cookbooks for the "Downton Abbey" series. Every page exudes British charm and the author's personality. The recipes are described in a way that immediately makes you want to try them. However, some recipes are too simple - Coupes Montreuil, a favorite of Queen Mary, is just vanilla ice cream with a peach. The inclusion of a hotdog is surprising.

Apart from that, the book's recipes are organized traditionally, from breakfast to lunch to dinner, with a dessert section included. Each section is introduced with a general discussion about which monarch loved breakfast or which king didn't have lunch at all. Additionally, each recipe mentions who liked it or where it was served (e.g., the wedding breakfast of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip).


I highly recommend "Cooking and the Crown." You'll either find new possibilities for your favorite recipes or fall in love with the stories about what each monarch liked to eat.

I received an advance review copy (via NetGalley) of Tom Parker-Bowles’ Cooking and the Crown. Aside from the recipes (a few of which I’ve marked to cook), I loved the social history. As the queen’s son, Parker-Bowles, a fabulous food writer, is the perfect person to write this. This title was archived before I had the chance to cook from it, but I will be buying a copy for myself and clearing room on my bookshelf for it.

This is a fun read for any fan of the British Royal family. I definitely will try some of the recipes.

I wasn’t a fan of this book.

The recipes looked interesting but not something I would want to try.

Maybe some would like it but it wasn’t for me.

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.

I enjoyed looking at the royal recipes and learning a little bit about royal chef's from Victoria to the present day.

I feel like I learned so much from this cooking book. Not only about cooking, but the royal family as well.

Most recipes are quite clear, they have different levels of difficulty, but there are so many delicious recipes I wanna try. I was shocked to see how much fish they ate, especially since I can't stand it, but there are so many recipes, I don't feel like I'm losing too much if I don't want to make those recipes

I have read and enjoyed some of the previous books/cookbooks by Tom Parker Bowles and I enjoyed this one for the royal connection, the food and of course the recipes. Love the history and the pictures were quite cute and quirky as well. I also enjoy when a recipe has a little blurb at the start as it always makes the recipes that little bit more interesting.

The recipes sound good to and I am sure I will have a go at at least a few of them very soon. YUM!

Thank you NetGalley and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this. It’s fun, Irreverent and really interesting. I’ve tried two recipes so far and both have been lovely. An excellent addition to any bookshelf.

What a splendid cookbook from award-winning food writer Tom Parker Bowles, son of Queen Camilla, with 100 delish recipes from 200 years of the Crown's fare, plus intriguing history and anecdotes. God save British Royal repasts!

I love the royal family and I love cooking. So this cookbook was a lot of fun.
I thought it was interesting and informative but it struck a good balance between stories and recipes.
The recipes were a reasonable length, didn’t sound overly difficult and didn’t have hard to find ingredients.
There were also a lot of nice, high quality pictures which I find really important in a cookbook.

I saved these recipes:
Chicken salad (from Queen Victoria’s day)
Queen Mary’s cheese biscuits
Balmoral shortbread
Macaroni au gratin

The cookbook is a joy to peruse - the snippets of history that introduce each section and precede each recipe, the illustrations are gorgeous and wonderfully whimsical and the well shot photos that accompany most recipes.

I loved this for the history and the artwork but must add that reading this made me so strongly aware of my own inability to eat dairy - this isn’t a cookbook for the lactose intolerant, or vegans (as most of the recipes feature dairy, fish, fowl, or meat).

Recommended, but I would suggest that dairy-free and vegetarians/vegans borrow a copy from the library first.



Thank you to Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for the PDF

First thing is first... those adorable pictures with the Lion & Unicorn are the best.
I have cooked a handful of these recipes and they were great, I know some of the recipes are not all that ground breaking, they are not something you can't google. But the stories and history peppered through the book make this cookbook a fabulous addition to any home.

This book starts at the beginning, with a royal family tree starting with Queen Victoria. This helps us commoners keep everyone straight. I have always heard that the Brits were not known for the food. After reading through the recipes for the breakfast section of the cookbook I have to agree. Deviled lambs kidneys and pickled herrings are not what I would consider breakfast foods or anytime foods really. Lunch doesn't look much better. It is full of seafood items such as crab, lobster, and smoked eel. Their prime rib does look good though. The recipe for Coronation Chicken Sandwiches is included. I remember them talking about this recipe during the Queen's Jubilee. They might be saved by their High Tea recipes. I might not make many of these recipes but it has been interesting.

I would have thought that the crown would have provided more imaginative food give that the royals are often fed by some of the best chefs in the world. However, the recipe's given here are just what foreigners think the British Royals eat. Shame on Mr. Parker Bowles for dumbing us down. with traditional British fare.

The cookbook begins with an introduction to British royal food and the royal family. The cookbook then includes recipes for breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner, and desserts. Every recipe includes an introduction, an ingredient list, and directions. Most of the recipes include a photo, which I appreciate. I would have liked it if every recipe included a photo though especially for those not familiar with British food. Throughout the chapters, there are sections on food history including rationing, shooting, picnics, coronation food, and more. These additions are nice for those interested in the history side of British royal food. That said, I would have liked it if the directions were numbered because it is easier to remember what step you are on especially when there is a page full of just directions. Also, I would have liked it if the recipes included the prep and cook times because you would have to read the directions to see if it takes 10 minutes to make or more than an hour. It is a fine cookbook for those interested in British royal food.

A big thank you to publisher for giving me access to Cooking and the Crown.

Tom Parker Bowles is the son of Queen Camilla. He is well-known the British hospitality industry. He has put together a cookbook of many of the different royal family culinary favourites from Queen Victoria to the current King with the Late Queen Elizabeth II and the late Queen Mother thrown into the mix as well.

It is such a fun book to read, though I wish there had been a Kindle version as I had to read it on my phone and I would've preferred to have it on a larger screen. My full review on Goodreads is linked.