Hear about ‘The Tavern Cook’

Spalding Gentlemen’s Society’s latest lecture programme starts in September 2026 and runs through to March 2027. Gain insights into new discoveries, hear about hidden stories, and learn what goes on behind the scenes with the experts.

The first in the series will be ‘The Tavern Cook – 18th-century cooking and dining through the recipes of Richard Briggs’, held on Friday 25th September 2026 at 7.30pm.

In 1788, Richard Briggs, sometime cook at the Globe Tavern, Fleet Street in London, published his cookery book. It was a lengthy tome: over 700 pages of recipes from a man who cooked, not in a palace, castle or stately home, but in the taverns of London. His cooking was managed in a small kitchen with limited equipment.

This lecture looks at the research undertaken to find out about the man, the cook and the taverns of London. The speaker is Marc Meltonville FSA, consultant food and drink historian who researches and lectures on many diverse subjects across the UK and the world. For over 25 years, Marc was the food historian for the Historic Royal Palaces, working on the Tudor kitchens at Hampton Court and the Georgian kitchens at Kew Palace, along with numerous other projects at further Royal residences.

The town’s well-established programme of educational lectures has proved popular for many years now. Spalding Gentlemen’s Society aims to make the sharing of knowledge accessible for everyone – whether you’re a lifelong heritage enthusiast or are simply curious to learn something new.

Tickets are available on the door at Broad Street Methodist Church, Spalding PE11 1TB. £5 per person, with free entry for full-time students. Doors open at 7pm and the lecture starts at 7.30pm. For more information, please email lectures@sgsoc.org