£13.5 Million Christmas? Inside Henry VIII’s Royal Feast

Welcome to Day 2 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series!
Today, we’re stepping into the smoky, bustling, gloriously extravagant royal kitchens of Henry VIII to uncover the unforgettable dishes served at a Tudor Christmas feast.

While Advent was a month of fasting and restraint, everything changed the moment Midnight Mass ended on Christmas Day. And nobody feasted with more splendour — or spent more money — than Henry VIII. His very first Christmas as king cost the modern equivalent of £13.5 million!

Join me, historian and author Claire Ridgway, as we explore:

• The dazzling meats on the king’s table
• The terrifying Tudor showpiece: the “cockatrice”
• The ceremonial boar’s head, carried in to trumpets, drums, and song
• Sugary marvels like marchpane sculptures, leech, gilded fruits and sugar-plate creations
• Tudor Christmas drinks — mulled wine, hippocras, Christmas ale, and lamb’s wool
• The original Christmas pie, stuffed with layer upon layer of birds

We’ll also explore what ordinary Tudor families ate, why Christmas food symbolised power, and how feasting became a kind of royal performance.

Thank you for joining me for Day 2 of our journey toward Christmas!
Tomorrow, in Day 3, we’ll dive into Tudor gift-giving — when presents were exchanged and what a king or queen might receive.

If you’re enjoying this Advent series, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and ring the bell so you won’t miss the next podcast.   Related videos: Tudor Quince Marmalade - https://youtu.be/LgVJt7yWH2I
Tudor Hippocras - https://youtu.be/yabiVqlV4pw Tudor Gingerbread - https://youtu.be/nFRvDxsDAPk
Lambswool Wassail - https://youtu.be/9GDrnPesC2Y
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