Archdeacon and diplomat Peter of Blois was a frequent guest at the laden tables of King Henry II, but he had little appetite for the fare on offer.
Hollywood has made us familiar with the image of medieval kings at table with their nobles, the tables groaning under the weight of platters of venison and flagons of wine, and everyone rejoicing in plenty. What Hollywood does not tell us, but Henry II’s courtier Peter of Blois (?1130-?1211) does, is that most of it was well past its sell-by date.