Royal Brewhouse Dinner

Hello. Welcome to the first installment of my new thread of posts. Major London breweries. Or something like that. The title may need a little work.

On June 7th 1807, one of the partners in Combe and Co. held a Royal Brewhouse Dinner in the Woodyard Brewery on Longacre. This is a newspaper report of the event.

"On Friday, Alderman Combe gave his annual dinner of beef-steaks to several of the Royal Family, at his Brewhouse in Castle Street, Long Acre, commonly termed Gyfford's Brewhouse. The Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of York, and the Duke of Cambridge were invited. About half past the hour of six o' clock the Duke and Duchess of York and the Duke of Cambridge arrived. The Alderman, Mrs. Combe, Mr. Combe and the Misses Combe, were in readiness to receive them. They were conducted upstairs to the stage of the Brewhouse, into a corner on the right side, where a table was laid for their reception, principally composed of the materials that the brewhouse affords. The table cloth was only a hop sack nailed to the table; and it was laid for dinner with wooden trenchers, wooden bowls for the sallads, wooden salt sellers, with bone spoons and Tunbridge-ware pepper-castors. The only articles of a superior kind were good horn-handle knives, and silver three-pronged forks. The Royal Party were joined by the Earl of Lauderdale, Lord Erskine, Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Stepney and several others. The company, after viewing the Brewhouse, took their seats on wooden chairs. To prevent the Royal Party from feeling any inconvenience from wind, or the heat of the copper fire, which was only about ten yards from the table, it was inclosed by a temporary screen, made of hopsacks; this shut out the light, but three patent lamps were introduced. Five capital rumps of beef were provided, and a butcher attended to cut the prime steaks; who afterwards handed them, on a wooden malt shovel, to the stoker of the Brewhouse, who is always cook upon these occasions. The stoker placed them on an iron plate, and turned them with an iron instrument in the shape of a horse-shoe. When he thought the steaks sufficiently done, in the Brewhouse style, he put them into a new malt-shovel, covered with a tin lid, made very hot: it was taken to the table by a brewer, with a clean white apron on, and placed upon the table. The Alderman and his son helped the distuinguised guests to the prime peices. Porter was the only beverage; and the clerks, with white aprons, acted as waiters. About a quarter before eight 0' clock, the company left the Brewhouse, highly gratified with their beef-steaks, on which the Duchess of York was lavish in her praise, for the Alderman's house in Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, where they were joined by several other Noblemen and Gentlemen, and sat down to a second course and desert of every delicacy the season could afford, and the choicest of wines. At a late hour the company departed highly pleased with their worthy host's hospitality."

A couple of things struck me about this event. Firstly, that royals should eat in such modest surroundings, with a hop sack for tablecloth. Secodly, that they drank Porter. "Porter was the only beverage". I wonder if you could get any of the current lot to just drink Porter with their dinner?

I found the story in Barnard's "Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland" (Volume I, pages 277-278) . There will be more to follow. I can say this with certainty. The next couple of installments are already written.