Food and recipes

Every June, the Duke of Wellington hosted a large banquet to celebrate his victory against Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. Politicians, royalty, and other men from the military were served French foods in a style called ‘à la Française’, which meant that lots of different savoury and sweet dishes were brought to the table to be eaten at the same time – a bit like a very posh buffet!

 

It’s 1832 and the Duke of Wellington is hosting a lavish banquet at his home, Apsley House in London. Click below to download a colouring sheet, and use pencils, pens or paints to create your own version of the scene!

Download your colouring sheet

What's on the menu?

  • Turtle soup

    This soup was made with real turtles, which were imported from places like the West Indies. There was a version called mock turtle that used other meats.

  • Roast mutton

    One of the Duke of Wellington’s favourite dishes was roast mutton. It reminded him of his time as a solider, when he ate quite a lot of boiled mutton.

  • Plover eggs in aspic

    Aspic is a savoury jelly. It was set in an elaborate mould with hard boiled eggs inside. Plovers are small wading birds and we would not eat their eggs today.

  • Flying plates

    Dishes like soufflés were called ‘flying plates’, because they needed to be served quickly before they deflated. Cheese soufflés were popular.

  • Cabinet pudding

    The Duke of Wellington loved puddings and this one is a traditional English steamed pudding made with dried fruits and served with custard.

  • Pineapple jellies

    These were made in copper moulds in the shape of a pineapple. The jellies were decorated with leaves and flowers, and served on a big silver salver.

Make a delicious cabinet pudding

Have a go at making one of the Duke of Wellington’s favourite desserts!

Download our recipe, and ask an adult to help you follow the instructions to make this traditional English steamed pudding made with dried fruits. Serve it with custard and tuck in – yum!

Download the recipe

Over to you...

  • Time to dine!

    Imagine you are going to hold a grand banquet like at Apsley House. Who would you invite? Design a table plan for your guests.

  • Fancy foods

    What do you think of the Duke of Wellington’s banquet menu? Does it sound tasty or not? What would you serve at your own party?