The meals of King Henry VIII of England were among the most fantastic dishes ever created. There were some so outrageous, we would not dream of consuming them today.

Dolphin, whale’s tongue, peacock and pies stuffed with songbirds were all on the menu. King Henry was a passionate hunter and anything that moved was a potential meal. His cooks mastered the method of spit-roasting, their mouth-watering meats the envy of other European cooks.

Tudor food was based on astrology as much as on taste and included elaborate gelatines, some made of deer antler, others stained with children’s urine. Even the alcoholic spirits of the time were amazingly flavoured, some with pure gold. The Tudors also believed that all food was intimately connected with the heavens and, if used the correct way, herbs, plants, flowers and even cheese could provide all sorts of health benefits.

Henry VIII lived in a period of profound change in European food. While Portuguese merchants were bringing back exotic spices from the Far East, Spanish conquistadors were sending home strange new vegetables and animals from their New World conquests. Sugar became a popular staple with the Tudors and wafer candies were so highly prized they were kept under lock and key. Sculpting the sugar into magnificent towers became an art form, one that is still practised today.

Here we challenge the preconceptions of Henry VIII being a barbaric eater with no manners. In fact Henry’s meals were refined occasions lasting hours. Driven by the rules of etiquette, they were undertaken with the formality of a religious ceremony.

Whilst the new foods introduced the invention of marvellously innovative approaches to cooking, the table manners practiced in Tudor times left a legacy that is part of the international world of cuisine today.