Wolf Hall, the £7m BBC blockbuster starring Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance, has already become the TV event of the year, exposing the skullduggery and political intrigue at the heart of the Tudor Court.
And now a historic west London bakery has given a fascinating new insight into the story behind the love affair that triggered the Reformation - revealing it was a simple custard tart that captivated the king's attention rather than Anne Boleyn's own charms.
Newens Tea House in Kew, west London, started baking Anne's delicate pastry Maids of Honour tarts in 1850 and still uses the 500-year-old recipe discovered in the 16th-century by Henry VIII.
How Anne Boleyn wooed Henry VIII with her Maids of Honour custard tarts... and the London tea house still using the recipe that's remained a secret for 500 YEARS
Anne Boleyn served the tarts in the ground of Hampton Court Palace
The original 500-year-old recipe was passed down through generations
Newens Tea House in Kew started selling the delicate pastry in 1850
By Anucyia Victor for MailOnline
23 January 2015
Daily Mail
Wolf Hall, the £7m BBC blockbuster starring Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance, has already become the TV event of the year, exposing the skullduggery and political intrigue at the heart of the Tudor Court.
And now a historic west London bakery has given a fascinating new insight into the story behind the love affair that triggered the Reformation - revealing it was a simple custard tart that captivated the king's attention rather than Anne Boleyn's own charms.
Newens Tea House in Kew, west London, started baking Anne's delicate pastry Maids of Honour tarts in 1850 and still uses the 500-year-old recipe discovered in the 16th-century by Henry VIII.
The Maids of Honour tarts are baked using a 500-year-old recipe discovered in the 16th century by Henry VIII
Wolf Hall stars Damian Lewis as Henry VIII and Claire Foy as his ill-fated second wife Anne Boleyn
It's said the King, then still married to Spanish wife Catherine of Aragon, was introduced to the delicacy by Anne Boleyn.
Anne, who was then the queen's lady-in-waiting, was sharing a plate of the tarts in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace with her maids of honour.
The King was so taken by the simple pastry tart, which is made using rennet, he ordered the recipe - and Anne's Maid of Honour who baked them - to be locked up at Hampton Court.
They were released only to produce the Maids of Honour tarts for the king and his court.
The tea house is now bracing itself for a spike in visitors following the success of Wolf Hall.
Dean Martin, who bought the business from the Newens family five years ago, said: 'We're already doubling our production of Maids of Honour because we're expecting a big rise in visitors after the success of Wolf Hall.
'Ours are the original Maids of Honour tarts, baked using the exact recipe that drew Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn 500 years ago and we're honoured to be a part of an iconic relationship that changed the course of English history.'
Newens Tea House in Kew, west London has been serving the historic Tudor tarts since 1850
TV chef Jamie Oliver visited the Kew bakery last year as part of his Channel 4 Friday Night Feasts series, to see if modern methods could improve the 500-year-old recipe - the verdict was that he couldn't
They've got the X Factor: Simon Cowell visiting Newens in Kew, west London, last summer
And now a historic west London bakery has given a fascinating new insight into the story behind the love affair that triggered the Reformation - revealing it was a simple custard tart that captivated the king's attention rather than Anne Boleyn's own charms.
Newens Tea House in Kew, west London, started baking Anne's delicate pastry Maids of Honour tarts in 1850 and still uses the 500-year-old recipe discovered in the 16th-century by Henry VIII.
How Anne Boleyn wooed Henry VIII with her Maids of Honour custard tarts... and the London tea house still using the recipe that's remained a secret for 500 YEARS
Anne Boleyn served the tarts in the ground of Hampton Court Palace
The original 500-year-old recipe was passed down through generations
Newens Tea House in Kew started selling the delicate pastry in 1850
By Anucyia Victor for MailOnline
23 January 2015
Daily Mail
Wolf Hall, the £7m BBC blockbuster starring Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance, has already become the TV event of the year, exposing the skullduggery and political intrigue at the heart of the Tudor Court.
And now a historic west London bakery has given a fascinating new insight into the story behind the love affair that triggered the Reformation - revealing it was a simple custard tart that captivated the king's attention rather than Anne Boleyn's own charms.
Newens Tea House in Kew, west London, started baking Anne's delicate pastry Maids of Honour tarts in 1850 and still uses the 500-year-old recipe discovered in the 16th-century by Henry VIII.
The Maids of Honour tarts are baked using a 500-year-old recipe discovered in the 16th century by Henry VIII
Wolf Hall stars Damian Lewis as Henry VIII and Claire Foy as his ill-fated second wife Anne Boleyn
It's said the King, then still married to Spanish wife Catherine of Aragon, was introduced to the delicacy by Anne Boleyn.
Anne, who was then the queen's lady-in-waiting, was sharing a plate of the tarts in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace with her maids of honour.
The King was so taken by the simple pastry tart, which is made using rennet, he ordered the recipe - and Anne's Maid of Honour who baked them - to be locked up at Hampton Court.
They were released only to produce the Maids of Honour tarts for the king and his court.
The tea house is now bracing itself for a spike in visitors following the success of Wolf Hall.
Dean Martin, who bought the business from the Newens family five years ago, said: 'We're already doubling our production of Maids of Honour because we're expecting a big rise in visitors after the success of Wolf Hall.
'Ours are the original Maids of Honour tarts, baked using the exact recipe that drew Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn 500 years ago and we're honoured to be a part of an iconic relationship that changed the course of English history.'
Newens Tea House in Kew, west London has been serving the historic Tudor tarts since 1850
TV chef Jamie Oliver visited the Kew bakery last year as part of his Channel 4 Friday Night Feasts series, to see if modern methods could improve the 500-year-old recipe - the verdict was that he couldn't
They've got the X Factor: Simon Cowell visiting Newens in Kew, west London, last summer
Newens has already enjoyed a taste of fame when TV chef Jamie Oliver visited the Kew bakery last year as part of his Channel 4 Friday Night Feasts series, to see if modern methods could improve the 500-year-old recipe - the verdict was he couldn't.
The bakery also counts Hollywood royalty and former Prime Ministers among its fans.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have visited, as has X Factor judge Simon Cowell and even Britain's war time Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who wrote a personal note of thanks to the former owners in 1947 following his visit.
Damian Lewis as Henry VIII and Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell in the BBC adaptation of Wolf Hall
The tarts have been deemed so intrinsic to the shaping of Tudor history they will be on the menu of original Tudor dishes as part of Hampton Court's celebrations for the palace's 500th anniversary events this Easter
Newens Tea House has just opened a franchise in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The bakery has just opened its first franchise 6,000 miles away Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to target the booming market for classically English products in south east Asia.
It was the first time in 500 years the Maids of Honour tarts had been baked outside the UK in history.
The adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Booker-prize winning novel Wolf Hall charts the rise of Thomas Cromwell from blacksmith’s son and former mercenary to one of the King’s most senior and trusted advisors.
THE STORY BEHIND THE TARTS
The Maids of Honour tart recipe remained a Court secret for 200 years until it was leaked by a palace cook to a John Billet, a baker in nearby Richmond, west London, in the mid-18th century, who began producing the delicacies for wealthy customers.
By 1850, John Newens, a former apprentice Billet's bakery, had opened his own baking business, bringing with him the secret recipe he had been taught.
The original Maids of Honour recipe was passed down through the generations and the Maids of Honour continue to be baked by Newens at their Kew tea shop to this day.
The tarts have been deemed so intrinsic to the shaping of Tudor history they even made it on to the menu of original Tudor dishes as part of Hampton Court's celebrations for the palace's 500th anniversary events this Easter.
Read more: How Anne Boleyn wooed Henry VIII with her Maids of Honour custard tarts | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
The bakery also counts Hollywood royalty and former Prime Ministers among its fans.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have visited, as has X Factor judge Simon Cowell and even Britain's war time Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who wrote a personal note of thanks to the former owners in 1947 following his visit.
Damian Lewis as Henry VIII and Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell in the BBC adaptation of Wolf Hall
The tarts have been deemed so intrinsic to the shaping of Tudor history they will be on the menu of original Tudor dishes as part of Hampton Court's celebrations for the palace's 500th anniversary events this Easter
Newens Tea House has just opened a franchise in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The bakery has just opened its first franchise 6,000 miles away Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to target the booming market for classically English products in south east Asia.
It was the first time in 500 years the Maids of Honour tarts had been baked outside the UK in history.
The adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Booker-prize winning novel Wolf Hall charts the rise of Thomas Cromwell from blacksmith’s son and former mercenary to one of the King’s most senior and trusted advisors.
THE STORY BEHIND THE TARTS
The Maids of Honour tart recipe remained a Court secret for 200 years until it was leaked by a palace cook to a John Billet, a baker in nearby Richmond, west London, in the mid-18th century, who began producing the delicacies for wealthy customers.
By 1850, John Newens, a former apprentice Billet's bakery, had opened his own baking business, bringing with him the secret recipe he had been taught.
The original Maids of Honour recipe was passed down through the generations and the Maids of Honour continue to be baked by Newens at their Kew tea shop to this day.
The tarts have been deemed so intrinsic to the shaping of Tudor history they even made it on to the menu of original Tudor dishes as part of Hampton Court's celebrations for the palace's 500th anniversary events this Easter.
Read more: How Anne Boleyn wooed Henry VIII with her Maids of Honour custard tarts | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
