The historian and joint chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces on having to wear a bib on the set of her TV shows and the peril of exploding prosecco
Henry VIII’s kitchens at Hampton Court had 200 staff in 55 rooms. Nowadays, when Henry’s kitchen spit is turned and the meat is roasted – properly – for our visitors to see, it’s very resource-intensive. But so worth it, done well. It’s meltingly delicious.
My own office life at Hampton Court is somewhat challenging food-wise. It’s miles from anywhere, off the Chapel Court, deep inside the palace, up a spiral staircase of 51 steps. You can’t just nip out for a sandwich. If we do go out it’s down and then right across to the canteen, which is more mainstream, if you like, than at Kensington Palace, but has a really good salad bar.
When I was 13, my mum had a slipped disc, so I became the family cook for six months and enjoyed it
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