The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1903-02-14
KING EDWARDS KITCHEN.
1t 1s an Elaborate Affair and Employ
Hundreds of Domestics,


Hundreds of Domestics.
The royal Kitchen is a room Of con-
siderable size, much larger, in fact
than the kitchens Of many Of the lead
ing London restaurants, for some hun
dreds Of meals have to be prepared
there every day. 1t Is fitted up with
black oak throughout, for which
George III. was responsible, he hav-
ing expended $4,000 in this direction
alone. Besides the kitchen proper there
are the confectionery room, the pastry
room and the bakehouse.
The clerk of the kitchen, who re-
joices in a salary of $500 a year, is
responsible for the conduct of these de-
partments, and he has to deal with
all the tradesmen who supply the royal
household. But the potentate of the
kitchen Is the chef, who also receives
$500 year and under him are four
master cooks, each Of whom has con-
troll Of small army Of assistants,
while the confectionery department
is ruled by two yeomen with salaries
Of $1,000 and $1,25O.
Such thing as unpunctuality is IN
known in the kings kitchen. The most
rigid economy is practiced, and such
food as remains unconsumed is dis
tributed among the poor, who apply at
the castle gate every day.
The kings kitchen hides something
like $4,000 in copper and iron uten-
sils and 100000 in plate. Among the
former should be mentioned the enor-
nous meat screen of solid oak lined
with metal, which ts nearly, 300 years
old, and. bears the imperial badge of
the house Of Tudor--the portculIis and
arms. Connoisseurs have sighed in
vain for this meat screen, for it's
worth Is ,inestimable. Then, there are
1000 knives, 5000 forks and as many
spoons used for cooking and kitchen
purposes, which do not include the
5000 forks and spoons of massive sill
yer for use at the royal table. There
are 300 pots and pans, mostly of cop
per, and five scourers are solely en-
ployed to keep them brightly FURNISH
ed.
Not far away are the plate rooms,
two in number, which, although they
measure only 10 by Is feet, hold treas
ures eighteen tons of sovereigns would
not buy.
The most valuable item in the store.
room is, of course, the famous service
consisting Of plates. dishes, tureens,
epergnes and candelabra, all of solid
gold, which were made by Roundelle
& Bridge for George ". This service
Is only used on state occasions. Equal
ly famous Is the emperor's service Of
silver gilt, the worth of which may he
vaguely CLEANED from the fact that
each plate weighs a sstone and the
epergnes two hundredweight apiece.
There is one gold dish of surprising
loneliness which is supposed to have
been used by Alexander the Great be-
fore the battle Of Hydaspes and for
upward of six centuries it has reposed
at Windsor. Another much-valued
piece of plate is the silver gilt fiagon
three feet in height, which was recov-
cred from an Armada wreck three CEN
turtles ago, while there Is a table Of
solid silver, the surface of which meas
ures nine feet square, and is engraved
with the four emblems of Great Brit
ain.
But perhaps one of the most cher
lshed relics in the kings pantry, says
the London Tit-Bits, is the golden eagle
which was taken from the Tippoo Sa-
hib's throne. 1t is of solid gold
throughout, the feather tips being
pointed with priceless diamonds and
rubies, while the beak Is carved from
a fawless emerald.