The kitchen of the great composer G.F. Handel will be alive with the smells and sounds of Georgian cookery this spring. On Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, 2025 between 10.00 – 17.00, expert food historians Marc Meltonville and Robert Hoare will be cooking food and preparing drinks that Handel would have shared with his friends and colleagues. Dressed in the uniforms of Georgian chefs, Marc and Robert will reveal the mysteries of 18th century cooking techniques and bring the kitchen to life by creating meticulously-research recipes only using utensils of the time.
On the evening of Saturday, May 31 between 18.00 – 19.30, there will be a special culinary talk with tasting. Food historians Marc Meltonville and Robert Hoare will deliver an in-depth presentation into Georgian cooking and the sorts of food that Handel’s own cooks might have prepared for him and his guests (see details below).
Handel’s kitchen is part of the Handel Hendrix House museum on Brook Street, Mayfair – close to Bond Street and Oxford Circus tube stations.
As Simon Daniels, Director, Handel Hendrix House, explains: “It is a faithfully re-created Georgian townhouse kitchen and the only one of its type open to the public in London. This unique space is equipped with everything a Georgian cook would need to create the latest dishes which were arriving from France, and which changed the future of British dining. Visitors can explore the shelves lined with handmade pewter, ceramics, and discover what 18th century wine bottles looked like.”

Handel’s cook provided tasty refreshments and sustenance for a steady stream of musicians coming to Brook Street to rehearse for Handel’s upcoming performances, patrons who came for a preview of the latest opera tunes, and numerous friends. It is even possible that music and cooking skills combined with bass singer Gustavus Waltz who sang for Handel and, for a time, seems to have served as Handel’s cook!
From 10.00 until 17.00 on Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, Marc and Robert will prepare a feast of different dishes. Visitors will be surrounded by the smells of 18th-century cuisine, while watching the cooking process up-close, and discovering the history of these fascinating dishes as the cooks explain their provenance and context.
Please note, it is not possible to taste or handle the food prepared during this event.
The demonstrations are included in general admission. Tickets also include access to all of Handel’s beautifully re-created house, exhibits including an audiovisual display about Messiah and an exhibition celebrating the 300th anniversary of the first performance of Handel’s great opera, Rodelinda, and Jimi Hendrix’s flat. Hendrix, lived in a flat in the adjoining 23 Brook Street 1968-69 and his Hendrix’s bedroom has been evocatively restored and exhibitions explore the rock legend’s career, impact and legacy. More details can be found at www.handelhendrix.org
Discover the Georgian Kitchen!
On the evening of Saturday 31 May, 18.00 – 19.30, Handel Hendrix House will host a special culinary talk with tasting. Food historians Marc Meltonville and Robert Hoare will deliver an in-depth presentation into Georgian cooking and the sorts of food that Handel’s own cooks might have prepared for him and his guests. There are many accounts of Handel enjoying good food with his friends and patrons. At one meal, he is known to have tucked in to ‘Rice soup with mutton in, petty patties, lamb’s ears, [and] an eel pye’ all accompanied by ‘French claret, rhenish wine, madeira’.
With real dishes, made by hand in the run up to the event, Marc and Robert will talk about the Georgian diet, dining habits, cookery techniques and much more. As a sweet treat, the talk will end with a rare opportunity to taste an authentic 18th-century dessert: a rich syllabub made, of course, with Rhenish wine.
As Simon Daniels, Director of Handel Hendrix House explains: “Food historians Marc Meltonville and Robert Hoare will be in period costume and using replica Georgian kitchenware to create authentic Georgian dishes in Handel’s kitchen, which has been recently re-created at Handel Hendrix House. Join us over the weekend of 31 May to 1 June for an immersive culinary experience, as Marc and Robert prepare 18th-century dishes and fill Handel’s house with the smells of Georgian dining. For a special treat, come to our evening event on Saturday 31 May for the chance to taste an 18th-century pudding!”
Tickets to the evening event are £20.00 and more details can be found at www.handelhendrix.org