Henry VIII
Henry VIII, the fatty-boom-batty of Tudor England was no shy eater either. He managed to spend the equivalent of around £5 million through feasting alone when he was busy trying to impress a French King. His court, of around 600 people managed to smash their way through this little lot each year:
- 1240 oxen
- 8200 sheep
- 2330 deer
- 760 calves
- 1870 pigs
- 33,000 chickens
- 24,000 larks
- 53 wild boar
That means that each person in the court would have eaten 23 whole large animals per year (not including the little critters). I’m not sure I could pack that much in.
Henry VIII probably had gout and diabetes which his meat heavy diet would have done nothing for, but it’s also thought he may have been suffering from malnutrition despite consuming around 5,000 calories per day. This was purely because he avoided his greens so thoroughly.
So, if I were to be transported back to the days of Tudor feasting I would certainly have a try of everything on the menu, but I might ask if I could skip brunch and go home before tea.
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