Photo credit: © Lucy Sutton-Long
Handel Hendrix House will be hosting A Georgian Cookery – a special evening held in Handel’s kitchen that will include a culinary talk (by food historians Marc Meltonville and Robert Hoare) and tasting on Saturday 31 May. This will form part of a weekend showcasing Georgian cookery at the museum.
About
Handel, a known gastronome, loved to share fine foods and wine with his friends and patrons at Brook Street. It’s recorded that at one meal, he enjoyed “Rice soup with mutton in, petty patties, lamb’s ears, [and] an eel pye’ with ‘French claret, rhenish wine, madeira.”
Marc Meltonville (consultant food historian and author of The Tavern Cook) and Robert Hoare (history chef) will be talking about Georgian cuisine, cooking practices and dining habits whilst showing real dishes (prepared ahead of the event). The evening will end with the opportunity to taste an authentic Georgian dessert – a rich syllabub made with Rhenish wine.
Director of Handel Hendrix House, Simon Daniels, describes Handel’s kitchen: “It is a faithfully re-created Georgian townhouse kitchen and the only one of its type open to the public in London. This unique space is equipped with everything a Georgian cook would need to create the latest dishes which were arriving from France, and which changed the future of British dining. Visitors can explore the shelves lined with handmade pewter, ceramics, and discover what 18th century wine bottles looked like.” He goes on to explain: “Food historians Marc Meltonville and Robert Hoare will be in period costume and using replica Georgian kitchenware to create authentic Georgian dishes in Handel’s kitchen, which has been recently re-created at Handel Hendrix House. Join us over the weekend of 31 May to 1 June for an immersive culinary experience, as Marc and Robert prepare 18th-century dishes and fill Handel’s house with the smells of Georgian dining. For a special treat, come to our evening event on Saturday 31 May for the chance to taste an 18th-century pudding!”
Tickets for this exciting and unique event can be purchased from Handel Hendrix House.
On Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June, the museum will also be showcasing Georgian cookery throughout the day.
Handel Hendrix House
Established in 2001, Handel Hendrix House spans two terraced houses on Mayfair’s Brook Street – no. 25 (Handel’s home) and no. 23 (Hendrix’s flat). It exhibits a range of the musicians’ personal possessions and instruments and gives a fascinating insight into life in Georgian and 1960s London.
Getting there
Handel Hendrix House is a 15-minute walk from Hertford Street. Alternatively, it can be reached by taking the no. 22 bus from Park Lane to Conduit Street.