Kids

Historical makes and bakes

Find out about what people ate in the past, then serve up your own slice of history with our delicious recipes.  Whip up a batch of Mrs Crocombe's favourite Queen Drop Biscuits, make a statement with a grand medieval pie, and watch our interview with a Tudor cook to find out what marchpane is, and how to decorate Shrewsbury biscuits with it!

What's for dinner?

Discover what was on the menu at feasts in the past, colour your own themed poster and try out our historical recipes in this new mini-series!

  • What's for dinner in the Stone Age?

    8,000 years ago, before farming came to Britain, people were called hunter-gatherers for a reason: if they wanted food, they had to hunt and gather it from the landscape. Click to find out what kinds of tasty things people were tucking into in the Stone Age.

  • WHAT'S FOR DINNER IN A NORMAN CASTLE?

    The Norman bishop, Roger of Salisbury, is hosting a feast at Sherborne Old Castle. But can you guess what’s on the menu? Feasts were important events for the Normans and they were used to celebrate special occasions like Christmas or the end of the harvest.

  • WHAT'S FOR DINNER IN A MEDIEVAL MONASTERY?

    Did you know that for most of the year, monks had one main meal a day? Find out what's on the menu at Cleeve Abbey in the 15th century, and download our poster to colour in your own meal-time scene. Then design your own modern menu for a monk!

  • WHAT'S FOR DINNER IN A Medieval CASTLE?

    While many of the poor people who worked on the land and in castles had basic meals of bread, vegetables and a bit of meat, the rich and powerful enjoyed vast feasts. Feast your eyes on the menu for Lord Lovell's feast at Old Wardour Castle...

  • What's for dinner at a Georgian banquet?

    Every June, the Duke of Wellington hosted a banquet to celebrate his victory against Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. Lots of different dishes were served at the same time – a bit like a very posh buffet! Find out what was served, and try cooking a Georgian pudding!

  • WHAT'S FOR DINNER IN A Victorian country house?

    Lord and Lady Braybrooke are holding a grand dinner party at Audley End. Dinners could be very fancy, with 15 to 20 guests enjoying several courses, each served with wine from the house cellar. Find out what's on the menu and try out one of Mrs Crocombe's recipes!

Food history stories

Why do we use certain foods to celebrate different times of the year?

Discover the tasty history of food, from why we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, to how real eggs became chocolate Easter eggs and what people ate for Christmas dinner in the past – plus lots of things in between.

Look out for our recipes and how-to guides so that you can have a bite of history at home! 

'step into englands story