Dinner at Buckingham Palace [Paperback]

Charles Oliver (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

Dinner at Buckingham Palace is a unique collection of authentic recipes from the royal households, based on the diaries and personal recollections of royal servant Charles Oliver. It became a hobby of his to collect royal menus and recipes until he amassed a considerable collection. He also lovingly and respectfully hoarded a treasure of anecdotes, souvenirs and information on royal tastes and entertaining, to make his own unique and individual commentary, as well as a store of never-before-published private photographs. So, from Queen Victoria's habit of eating breakfast to the sound of bagpipes, to Prince Philip's favourite recipe for scrambled eggs, this book provides a delightful memoir of the tastes and traditions of the royal household over several generations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Queen Victoria dined-whether it was breakfast or a dinner party for hundreds of guests-it was no casual affair, and this elegant volume, based on the diaries of the son of a royal servant during the Victorian era, pays homage to the pomp, circumstance and food that came from the royal kitchen, and the dining habits of the present Queen and her family. There are chapters on eggs (part of "the Queen's customary breakfast") and tea ("one of the Queen's most favourite meals") in addition to the sections on soup, fish, meat, desserts and cheese and wine. The recipes have been carefully recreated to work in a modern kitchen, but they're not especially simple or health-conscious; many, such as Delice de Sole d'Antin are influenced by French techniques, while others, such as Poussin Poele aux Nouilles, don't include much in the way of amounts, ingredient lists, or specific instructions. Also interesting are the historical tidbits, insider tales, b&w royal family photographs and menus from Queen Victoria's elaborate state banquets. Anyone who enjoys learning about the royals-or pretending to be royalty-will thoroughly enjoy this invitation to dinner at the palace.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ardent royal-watchers will take at once to Dinner at Buckingham Palace. Based on the diaries of Charles Oliver, a palace operative from the time of Victoria through the reign of the present queen, the book provides insight into the food services of Buckingham Palace and other royal residences. Dinner menus from the Victorian and Edwardian eras make today's meals look positively abstemious. Dozens of recipes supplement the text, most of them of historical interest only. But enough are reproducible to allow a cook to make a typical royal meal at home. A glossary translates unfamiliar British cookery terms. Photographs of the royals from previous generations show the formality that once governed the palace table. And should one happen to have the queen drop in for bite, Her Majesty's food likes and dislikes are spelled out so that the host and hostess may avoid any offense. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: John Blake (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844543714
• ISBN-13: 978-1844543717
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,323,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Priceless Memories, June 28, 2007

By 

Anna V. Carroll - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dinner at Buckingham Palace (Paperback)

I did not buy this book for the recipes. I thought, and was correct, that perhaps this book might offer photographs of the Royal Family I had never seen in print before. The story of how this book came about is a wonderful story by itself. Read it and find out who the man was behind it's creation. There are private photos of the Queen Mother, the Queen, and a young Prince Charles that are ready for framing. And that is what I plan on doing this weekend. While I must purchase another copy to keep, I am going through my copy to remove the wonderful shots and frame them. My kitchen is decorated with numerous photos of the Royal Family. And yes, I have Union Jack rugs on the floors as well. The recipes are wonderful, but the photographs and stories are worth buying the book for. If you are an Anglophile as I am, or a huge fan of the Royals, this is the book for you.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dinner at Buckingham Palace, March 8, 2008

By 

Victoria Howard "Protojew" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dinner at Buckingham Palace (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book, full of history from Queen Victoria to the present, with lovely photos of the Royal Family- A MUST for Anglophiles, and cooks alike! Included are dinner services for Royal Formal dinners, and all the dishes served. There is also a food glossary- very helpful.
This book is from the diaries of a former Butler, a man who grew up in service with his father under the reign of Queen Victoria. A very interesting read- I loved it!

5.0 out of 5 stars Dinner at Buckingham Palace, October 22, 2009

By 

Beverley Chong (Australia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dinner at Buckingham Palace (Paperback)

For British Royal watchers. The Buckingham Palace cooks pay absolutely no attention to the perils of cholesterol when serving up.