Tom Parker Bowles is a celebrated food writer and critic with a lifetime spent exploring the pleasures and science of food. From the family kitchens of the Royal household to tracing the tastes of Victorian Britain, Parker Bowles has a rather astute understanding of food as the lens through which one can understand history, the world and ourselves. Throughout his established career (he won the Guild of Food Writers Award in 2010) he has turned his love for cuisines into a defining lens on culture. Now, Parker Bowles is embarking on a new venture: Christopher’s Cordials, a line of alcohol-free drinks crafted from quality botanicals, fresh fruits and organic cane sugar. Parker Bowles speaks with Spear’s Aisha Alli about the inspiration behind his latest chapter in a life lived through food.
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I grew up in a very food-loving household. My mother [Queen Camilla] is a good cook – she makes an excellent roast chicken – and my father [Andrew Parker Bowles] is a good gardener.
It was certainly an adjustment when I was sent off to prep school at the age of eight and the food was absolutely disgusting. But at home we’d only ever eat local, seasonal and organic foods – we hadn’t realised what a privilege that was then, because this was a time before that sort of produce became an excuse for supermarkets to charge extra money. I suppose all of that played a huge role in my becoming a food writer, because it was a very happy, well-fed childhood.
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My stepfather [King Charles] is an absolute foodie. He was a food hero long before it was trendy and has always talked about the importance of supporting regenerative and organic farming. People used to say: ‘What is he talking about?’, but now everything he’s ever said on the topic has been affirmed. It’s quite typical – everything he talks about, he’s spot-on. I can talk to the King about heritage vegetables and fruits for hours, and he has amazing knowledge on the countryside and British farming. He’s truly a magnificent man.
My career in food writing began 25 years ago and since then my whole life has centred around food. I eat it, write about it and I’m constantly thinking about it.
Food isn’t just a hobby like flower arranging. It’s the prism through which one can see history, economics, sociology, all manner of things. Eating is the one thing that unites us; even if you’re eating to live instead of living to eat, you still have to do it and it’s a shared experience. I think that’s wonderful and it makes me realise how lucky I am to have a job I absolutely love.
Cordial introduction
Now I’m starting a new chapter with my drinks brand, Christopher’s Cordials. My co-founder Jolyon Fenwick is really the genius behind it all and he came up with the idea.
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Cordials are very English and I think when one gets older, they tend to drink less [alcohol]. A lot of my friends don’t drink and they were fed up with being served the same alternatives all the time, so Jolyon and I decided to create a brand that focused on using quality ingredients like botanicals, organic cane sugar and fresh fruits. We’ve currently got three flavours: blackcurrant and blueberry; gooseberry and lime; and Sicilian lemon and redcurrant. Right now, it’s available exclusively at Fortnum & Mason but then we’ll be at Daylesford, Hertford Street and those sorts of places.
I don’t think alcohol will ever disappear, but people do need better alternatives, so we’re hoping to please everyone with these cordials, whether they want to drink it with water or use it as a mixer. Who’d have thought I’d be doing this at 50, but I’m really proud of it. It’s my mother’s birthday today, so perhaps she’ll celebrate with a bottle. She pays for it like everyone else, which is the best compliment – she wouldn’t buy it if she didn’t like it.
It’s not difficult to balance being ‘Tom Parker Bowles, the food writer’ versus ‘Tom Parker Bowles, son of the Queen’. At the end of the day, you get on with it. You do the best you can. You write for your readers. You just do the work and you do it to the best of your ability.
A review of Christopher’s Cordials
- Blackcurrant and blueberry: Think of it as Ribena all grown up – blackcurrant and blueberry in a more refined, less sugary guise. It’s the kind of drink that feels at home in a crystal glass rather than a lunchbox.
- Gooseberry and lime: Gooseberry is an unexpected twist for a cordial, but it belongs. The flavours are tart, fresh and lightly sweet.
- Sicilian lemon and redcurrant: It’s easy to see why it’s the Queen’s favourite. It has the boldest flavour of the three and would make a delightful mixer.
This article first appeared in Spear’s Magazine Issue 97. Click here to subscribe
