A sweet taste of history: marmalade and Hampton Court.

This weekend I will be peddling my wares at the Hampton Court Palace Food Festival, my thoughts turn, perhaps predictably to that most celebrated of serial husbands, Bluff King Hal.

In 1524, never one to turn down a freebie, Henry is reported to have received a ‘box of marmalade’ from a Mr Hull of Exeter. This was most likely marmelada—a solid, brick-like quince paste from Portugal – possibly an early form of the tasty paste we now know as membrillo.

Where the king went, people followed, and by 1530, "marmalet’ was posh enough to make an appearance at the wedding banquet of nobleman John Neville’s daughter in Yorkshire. Clearly, even then, the British were keen on adopting foreign delicacies.

The Portuguese connection is evident in letters from the time, where the well-heeled sent "boxes of marmaladoo" along with the more usual social incentives of wine and exotic animals.

Originating in Britain’s noble houses, marmalade, made from bitter Seville oranges, sugar, and water, became both a luxury and a practical solution for preserving citrus long before refrigeration.

Beyond its flavour, marmalade was valued for its health benefits, particularly its ability to prevent scurvy, making it a popular accompaniment for long sea voyages.

The preserve’s popularity among the nobility, bolstered by Mary, Queen of Scots' reported fondness for our favourite presevet, eventually secured marmalade’s place in the royal kitchens of Hampton Court.

Today, Hampton Court's Tudor kitchens offer visitors a glimpse into the culinary past, where chefs in period costume recreate the arts of the era. And while marmalade isn’t their focal point, it represents the palace’s rich food heritage, one that is celebrated today, through festivals such as this one.