The Shadow of Great Britain

Capítulo 1664: Chapter 48: Scotland Yard’s 89th Regiment

From the dishes on the table, you can see how much the Duchess of Kent values today’s family lunch.

Turtle soup, seasoned with aged sherry and garnished with fine slices of egg and a touch of herbs—a renowned dish that was all the rage in London—appeared prominently on the table.

However, the turtle soup at Kensington Palace was quite different from the taste Arthur experienced at street restaurants.

The turtle meat was delicious and highly favored by London diners. If you wonder how popular this dish is in London, you just need to know that even at the inaugural dinner of the London Mayor, guests specifically requested additional turtle soup.

Nevertheless, due to the origin of the ingredients, authentic turtle soup was mostly shipped from the Caribbean to London. But because sea turtles couldn’t endure the long sea journey and many would die en route, its price naturally became quite expensive.

Hence, for most restaurants wishing to serve turtle soup, they had to use other animal meat to substitute turtle meat, which caused the widespread proliferation of turtle soup made with ox heads throughout London.

Arthur couldn’t say for sure that the turtle soup he tasted today was genuine, but he had to admit that this soup was at least different from those authentic fakes on the streets.

Was there a dish he could be sure was genuine?

There certainly was.

As a York gentleman who had both eaten pork and seen pigs run, Arthur at least knew for sure that today’s bread was from London’s century-old establishment—Old Chelsea Bakery.

The store’s famous ‘Chelsea Small Round Bread’ was a sweet bread marked with a cross pattern, mixed with dried fruits and spices, and finally glazed with butter.

The reason this bread is so renowned can be attributed at least partly to George III, as this King and Queen Charlotte would frequently visit the store for bread during their evening strolls. According to the King and Queen, aside from bread, this store’s apple pie and muffins were also exceptionally good.

Furthermore, what surprised Arthur the most was the Lancashire County specialty ‘Sinder Wicks’ and the little dessert from York ‘Yorkshire Pudding’.

In local Lancashire lore, Sinder Wicks is actually a French dish, introduced in the 14th century by a textile worker from the Flanders region. Translated, its name is ‘Festival Chicken’. The method is roughly summarized: stuffing the chicken belly with a mixture made of breadcrumbs, dried plums, and herbs, and then roasting it.

Although Arthur found the taste of this dish not particularly noteworthy, it was still a dish that tested the chef’s culinary skills in terms of cooking time. Moreover, when cut open, the chicken mixed with black fruit and green herbs gave the table some added color.

As for the Yorkshire Pudding, it was a dessert made from a type of ginger-flavored oatmeal with honey called parkin.

The Yorkshire Pudding on the Kensington Palace table was practically indistinguishable from the taste made by local dessert chefs in York. It must be said that being able to make these two local dishes so well was commendable.

In addition to the Yorkshire Pudding, dessert also included Anglesey Black Cake and Welsh cake topped with cream.

For Arthur, who was fond of sweets, this indeed was a very satisfying meal.

If asked where the shortcomings of today’s meal were?

It might only be that today’s main dish was bread instead of rice.

No matter how others evaluate, at least Arthur believed London’s finest meal belonged to the banquet held at No. 1 London by the Duke of Wellington.

This venerable old general of all Great Britain had long gotten used to eating rice due to years of fighting in India and Spain, and there was a highly skilled Indian chef at his residence.

In the chilly London, truly there was no more suitable taste for Arthur’s palate than fiery Indian curry with rice.

Arthur was just placing a piece of Anglesey Black Cake with black cherry jam into his mouth when he happened to bite into a hidden currant inside; instantly, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

He had just put down his fork when he noticed Victoria sitting opposite staring at him, gently swallowing.

Arthur picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth and looked strangely at the cake on Victoria’s plate: “Your Highness, doesn’t this cake suit your taste?”

Victoria glanced down at the cake on her plate, pursed her lips without speaking.

Instead, Lady Leisen intervened to cover for her: “Sir, you must know, ladies care greatly about their figures, and to maintain a good external appearance, Her Highness the Princess is controlling her intake lately.”

“Controlling intake?”

Arthur solemnly examined this future Queen.

Indeed, she couldn’t be called slim, but she was far from being fat. According to the gentlemen’s words, at most she would be considered voluptuous.

Moreover, from Arthur’s personal experience, he felt that weight barely needed deliberate control.

In his early years, he patrolled the streets for tens of miles a day, would occasionally brawl with East District ruffians.

Later, when he didn’t rely on street rounds for full attendance awards from Scotland Yard, sitting in the office reading books and newspapers, he gained some weight. But after a trip to Russia, he nearly turned into skin and bones from starving for a week at a countryside inn in Druiysk.

However, although Arthur struggled to understand the need for dieting, he had plenty of ways to lose weight.