HAMPTOM COURT PALACE
Recently I was doing a bit of researching about ornate chimney stacks and it led me to Hampton Court Palace, on the outskirts of London.
They were an integral part of the original design for Thomas Wolsey's palace and Henry VIII added even more to make it an impressive roof-line of 241 decorative chimneys, the largest collection in England. Red brick, rather than stone, were the most fashionable building material of that time. They could be easily molded and shaped as raw clay and then were easier to carve than stone.
However, the more I read the more I was fascinated with what went on below those ornate chimneys. I was in awe of the elaborate gardens and this is a wonderful video that shows it all:
Hampton Court Palace Gardens: A Year in the Life – YouTube
But my favorite take away was the fact that they actually had a room called the Chocolate Kitchen. It was for the one and only purpose of grinding cacao beans and other spices to exact specifications used to brew a frothy cup of hot chocolate every morning for George II's breakfast.
posted by Goldendaze-Ginnie at 6:10 AM
5 Comments:
I read that it wasn't until the 1700's that hot chocolate was made with milk. In the interest of lowering sugar and fat intake, I've tried to convince myself to make a concoction with water and other spices, but I just can't. I'm a plant-based eater, so mine is made with a vegan milk, but milk it is, made as bitter as I can stand it to lower sugar content.
I’m with George. Chocolate, including the hot stuff, are my weaknesses.
Impressive and I am sure job security for a whole team of chimney sweeps.
And a whole room just for hot chocolate? Ah the decadence.
I just rad/heard a reference in a fictional book, reminding me that Wolsey gave it to Henry to attempt to stay in his good graces. Apparently, it was not sufficient long term.
Fascinating — I didn’t know about all this. Thanks!
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