Cherries had been brought to Britain by the Romans during their occupation. During the Middle Ages they were grown particularly in monasteries and royal gardens and so only eaten by the nobility. At this time, they were almost always cooked, particularly in wine, as they were regarded as indigestible if raw. During the sixteenth century Henry VIII ordered that cherry orchards should be established in Kent to join the apples, pears, plums, medlars and cobnuts already being cultivated there. The cherry soon became the most important crop so that, by the eighteenth century, Daniel Defoe could report that “Round this town (Maidstone) are the largest cherry orchards, and the most of them that are in any part of England; and the gross of the quantity of cherries, and the best of them which supply the whole city of London come from hence and are therefore called Kentish cherries”.
Tip: To make breadcrumbs, the best way is to place chunks of bread into a blender and whizz. You may need to turn the blender off occasionally and push the bread pieces down with a wooden spoon.
