Cookware during the Reign of Edward Ⅲ of England

　　Pots and pans were once considered to be precious possessions.In the fourteenth century, during the reign of Edward Ⅲof England, the pieces of cookware——iron pots, griddles, spits, and frying pans—were numbered among the king's jewels.They were difficult to come by and, being rare, were extremely valuable；when the monarch went on a journey or made a visit, the pots and pans traveled along in a separate coach.

　　By the time Henry Ⅴ, Edward's grandson, ascended the throne in the following century, the royal frying pans were made of silver, and so were the roasting spits.

　　The kettles at Westminster during the early sixteenth century, when Henry Ⅷ held the throne, were “coppergilt”and quite lavishly decorated with chasing.The handles of the cooking ladles were chased with the royal arms, and one of the two-pronged toasting forks is known to have been tipped with an ornate metal ball.

　　英国爱德华三世在位时的炊具

　　圆锅和平底锅曾一度被认为是贵重家私。14世纪英国爱德华三世在位时，几样炊具——铁制圆锅，炙烤架，炙叉和煎锅皆列为国王的珍宝。获得这些炊具颇不容易，它们因是稀世之物而显得极为贵重。君王旅行或出访时，圆锅和平底锅单独装在一辆马车上随行。

　　到了下个世纪爱德华孙子亨利五世继位时，王室的煎锅便是银制的了，炙叉也是银制的。

　　16世纪初叶亨利八世在位时，威斯敏斯特的水壶是镀铜的，并且有十分讲究的雕花装饰。烹饪用的勺子把手上镂刻着皇家的纹章。人们也知道，有一只两齿烤叉，其顶端镶着一只华丽的金属球。