Tudors took there food seriously they only had knives not forks the rich people ate different to the poor people the poor people ate from stale pieces of bread. In the 1500s people stopped using bread and began to eat from square pieces of wood called trenchers even rich people used trenchers. Rich people began to use plates but poor people ate their porridge from wooden bowls with wooden spoons. The rich people ate from silver bowls.

At the table no one was allowed to turn their back on King Henry the Eighth while leaving the room, they had to walk backwards. Everyone had to pass all the food round the table one at a time. They ate meat, fish, bread, pies and some fruit and vegetables which they ate after the feast. People did not ate as many vegetables as we do today and they ate fish on a Fridays and during lent. Butter, milk and eggs were all used in cooking. Most fruit was eaten cooked in pies or made into sweets candied with sugar.

Rich Tudors had feasts and ate all sorts of meat, poorer people often ate rather dull food like porridge and soup made from beans. Meat was cooked over a fire on a spit. Fruit was expensive, so only rich people ate it. Poor people ate rabbits and other small animals that they could catch.

The Tudors would have their meals at about five pm in the evening. They sometimes had pea soup, roast lamb, roasted suckling pig, rabbit, spiced beef, venison pie, and they drank ale which was a type of beer.

The rich people had silver plates and golden goblets too. They had great big feasts with lots of dishes. Many kings and queens held feasts to show off their good taste and wealth. They gave leftovers to the poor people who stood at the gates begging.

It was bad manners to scratch your body when eating as everybody took food from the same bowl. It was also bad manners to eat with dirty fingers because it was unhygienic.

Banquets were large dinner parties. Henry VIII invited many guests to his his banquets.