Review: Uhtred's Feast: Inside the World of The Last Kingdom

Title: Uhtred's Feast: Inside the World of The Last Kingdom

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Publisher: 2nd August 2023 by HarperCollins Australia

Pages: 272 pages

Genre: historical fiction, short story, recipe nonfiction 

Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

WELCOME TO UHTRED’S FEAST . . . 

Over the course of writing the Last Kingdom series, Bernard Cornwell discovered an increasing fascination for the Anglo-Saxon world: its people, their culture, and their domestic lives beyond the battlefield. And so when he met renowned chef Suzanne Pollak, someone with a passion for Anglo-Saxon cookery, Uhtred’s Feast was born.

A combination of beautifully crafted recipes which incorporate Anglo-Saxon ingredients and cooking techniques, and brand new Uhtred stories by Bernard which show the iconic warrior behind the shield, Uhtred’s Feast opens a door into the ordinary Saxon home – and an extraordinary moment in our history.

My Thoughts

I am such a fan of Uhtred and Bernard Cornwell’s, Last Kingdom series, I will read anything - even a recipe book! I will say from the outset that it is disappointing reviewers are unhappy with only short stories, or that there are recipe’s included - did they not read the blurb? If you go in with your eyes open, then I think this is a fantastic book that lovers of Saxon times are sure to revel in!

I would divide this little gem of a book into three sections - Cornwell’s nonfiction  historical discussion, the joy of more time with Uhtred through a few short stories and some really interesting links and shared knowledge on Saxon cuisine and cooking techniques - what a veritable feast!

The first section provided a fascinating introduction of a brief overview of the history of England. This was especially with regards to how it tied in with the Last Kingdom books. It is wonderful to be provided with the author's thoughts and feelings towards this character that we have all grown to love so much. This book gave Cornwell the opportunity to investigate further into the day to day living of the time. 

‘Fictional history is not real history, novelists leave that to real historians, but our books must be authentic, and authenticity is in the mundane details: What did they wear? How did they travel? What did they eat?’

The book provides three short Uhtred stories - as a boy, as a Royal advisor and one final shield wall battle that, in terms of the timeline, comes after the final book in the series. Wonderful! I really enjoyed the short story on the gift of God which detailed a trip to the country with King Alfred and Uhtred and the story of the former being granted sainthood because he made a girl come back to life. Fascinating story and excellent writing by Bernard Cornwell.

"I looked up at the stars and thought I had fought my last fight, faced my last shield wall, and was racing home to a loving woman, to good ale, and to Bebbanburg."

Interspersed throughout are recipes but what I enjoyed most was the background given on things such as food accessibility and storage. It was very interesting to learn about not only what they ate but things such as quality and quantity. Interesting facts such as:

‘Salting has also been used for thousands of years. Soon after the Romans came to England in AD 43 they started developing saltworks along the east coast. …Later, Hellath du got the Anglo-Saxon name Northwich, meaning 'northern saltworks'. (The Anglo- Saxons called a saltwork a 'wich', so any place in England with 'wich' at the end at one time produced salt.)’

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to readers who love this time period, wish to learn about the history and cuisine and especially lovers of The Last Kingdom. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.