Dinner with Churchill: Policy-Making at the Dinner Table

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Still, her dextrous defence of his taste for Pol Roger champagne and Havana cigars is loyally offset by her insistence that his forgivable subversion of wartime food rationing was balanced by his concern for the nutritional welfare of the British public. She is equally earnest in her assertion that his heroic intake of alcohol and nicotine….

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Please update your billing details here to continue enjoying your subscription. Your subscription will end shortly. He preferred plain food which, to an upper-class Englishman of the period, meant lots of game, fish, and beef , but in food as in all things, had his strong likes and dislikes. I think most readers have had exposure to World War II history. I was attracted to Dinner with Churchill because of its subject matter - Churchill's use of the dinner table to forward his policies. We're talking food here - and cocktails, and conversation!

Churchill is an iconic figure. His size, his cigars, his whiskey, his indomitable spirit. He has always been a symbol of Britain's steadfast resistance to t I think most readers have had exposure to World War II history. He has always been a symbol of Britain's steadfast resistance to the powers of fascism throughout the devastating affects of the War. Churchill was, simply, a leader - a canny man with a broad grasp of history and an almost preternatural ability to predict possible futures based on a range of choices in any given situation. He was a man of great consequence who used his personal charisma to keep his country free of Hitler's aggression.

He loved food and company and used his charisma in a very effective way - through dinner parties, luncheons, breakfasts, picnics - all opportunities for him to develop personal relationships with important figures on his staff, but also throughout the world. His stamina was epic and the stories of these encounters with Churchill and food provide fascinating insight into his policy making strategies.

Dinner with Churchill is a journey through the major events of WWII from the perspective of the binding nature of shared meals. If you love food, are interested in food history, in Churchill, in WWII or all or none of the above - this is a great and entertaining read. It'll also make you really hungry - plover's eggs, anyone? Jun 15, William DuFour rated it really liked it Shelves: An interesting new take on Churchill and what, when and how he ate.

Really, this deserves 3. Dinner with Churchill is a fairly delightful look at the banquets and dinners and eating and drinking habits of the King's First Minister, before, after, and mostly during the Second World War. If there's anything holding the book back, perhaps, it's the rather sweeping claims about Churchill's dining representing so much of his character. I know the normal school of thought when it comes to history requires a thesis, but this one may have been a bit On the other hand, the use of - and ability to find - a surprising array of primary sources on Churchill's meal tabs and cigar orders is quite impressive.

Perhaps the best parts of the book are the final three chapters, which examine at some length Churchill's food, alcohol, and cigar preferences. They were certainly inspirational in their own way, and just plain fun. So while the book isn't a masterpiece, it's a relatively quick read, and therefore well worth your time. Mar 04, Mike Gabor rated it liked it Shelves: This book should appeal to fans of Winston Churchill such as myself. The author explains how Churchill felt that good food and good conversation helped him achieve his goals.

She gives us a quick overview of important dinners in Churchill's life especially the ones he hosted during WWII. She also runs down the menus for the dinners, tells us about Churchill's favorite food and drinks, and also gives us a list of important people that Churchill hosted. It's a very quick read and fairly well writt This book should appeal to fans of Winston Churchill such as myself. It's a very quick read and fairly well written. I consider myself a pretty good bibliophile on Churchill although I'm working my way through the three-volume biography.

This book is a very nice, easy, light reading on the subject of food, liquor, cigars: If you're interesting in Churchill, or hosting parties, or looking for a quick read, check this book out. Mar 25, Meredith rated it really liked it Shelves: I have been reading Manchester's "The Last Lion," and this was nice change of pace.

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Excellent but not-too-intense overview of Churchill's dinner diplomacy. It would probably not be interesting for those who aren't acquainted with Churchill's life -- but it is fascinating for a Churchill enthusiast. And I think that the appendix of "Diners" is the real treasure.

It contains brief biographical sketches of significant guests -- who just happen to be major figures in UK and US politics. A light, but still an entertaining, review of Churchill's use of social settings to achieve substantive political and personal goals.

Editorial Reviews

The stories about his interactions with FDR and Stalin are particularly enjoyable. Dec 28, Scott Vander ploeg rated it liked it. Author a little too in love with her subject. Jan 23, Cole Kephart rated it it was amazing. Cita Stelzer author of Dinner with Churchill is most certainly a genius. Her grandeur attempt at describing the raw culinary power of Sir Churchill was not only a requiem for a political mastermind, but a love letter to Churchill enthusiasts such as myself. In Dinner with Churchill, Stelzer not only paints a picture of what Churchill was like in a diplomatic setting, but what it was like to dine with him.

Stelzer made it possible to know Sir Churchill, as if we were having tea together. T Cita Stelzer author of Dinner with Churchill is most certainly a genius. To introduce a piece of history that I did not know is a gift, it is truly exciting.

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Cita Stelzer has a lovely style of writing, in quality, one could compare it to the writing of Sir Martin Gilbert official Churchill biographer. In conclusion, I highly recommend Dinner with Churchill. Jun 15, Lonni rated it liked it Shelves: The first third of the book is very interesting - includes menus and conversations from Churchill's dinner with FDR and Stalin, as well as others.

Churchill believed that food and conversation were the way to solve problems. The second third of the book is about rationing, and certainly made it easy to understand what made Churchill popular with the British people. He made sure everyone suffered from rationing to the point The first third of the book is very interesting - includes menus and conversations from Churchill's dinner with FDR and Stalin, as well as others.

He made sure everyone suffered from rationing to the point of having"lower class" restaurants where workers could have meals not requiring ration coupons! And he made sure they were called restaurants rather than "feeding centers"!

The last third is a list of characters with their backgrounds etc. Sep 06, Andy Dollahite rated it it was ok. It reviews, in frequently alluring detail the meals and delicacies he imbibed and devoured. And it outlines the political players assembled for such events. But it failed to connect all of it under a coherent thesis. Feb 26, Mary Pat rated it liked it. A re-hashing of so many anecdotes that are better told elsewhere, with wonky copyediting where you have inset boxes thrown on the page haphazardly, breaking up one's reading. I can only imagine how this looked in e-book version.

It really didn't take all that long to read when I actually sat down to read it. It was just so boring, I kept setting it aside for more interesting books. I'm donating it to my library sale.. There's only so many meals I can read about. Good for Thought An unconventional view of history. Easy read but informative especially for the casual reader. There are quite a few quotables. Jan 18, Nancy Shaffer rated it it was amazing. A really good book; a history book that reads like a novel, with bios at the end of the book on people who dined with Mr.

Dec 13, Mark Paul rated it it was amazing. Great angle, built on previous research! Jan 02, Kathy rated it really liked it. I hope to goodness we can defeat this one. Breakfast should be had in bed alone. Not downstairs after one has dressed. I like serenity, calm, good food, cold beverages. Churchill was one of the world's most expert connoisseurs of champagne. Aug 14, Chris rated it liked it. Dinner with Churchill Author: That being said, we have to take this audiobook to task for failing to deliver that in its narration.

The voice work was good. The choice of actress was wonderful - she has a very classic and upper class British accent that doesn Title: The choice of actress was wonderful - she has a very classic and upper class British accent that doesn't abrade the way Margaret Thatchers did, for instance.

It is smooth, fully understandable, and enjoyable to the American market. The quality of the recording is great, with the levels just right, such that it doesn't seem like someone is whispering into your ear, and it also doesn't seem like someone is yelling at you across a table. This was a very well mixed production. I would, however, offer this criticism: The new paragraph jumps with a new inflection, or an energy that had waned in the previous one.

This is the first audiobook in which I realized this was happening, though in fairness, I was listening for flaws. Back to the failure of the actual text. I found the information on what was served, where it was served, and whom it was served to very interesting. However, there was too little detail paid to the players at the table.

Dinner with Churchill: Policy-Making at the Dinner Table

Not enough anecdotes, not enough history, and not enough background. It was there, but I felt in short supply, when the amount of harvestable information is enormous. Jan 05, Donna Brown rated it really liked it. Instead of Churchill the leader, the politician, we see Churchill in a light he certainly seemed to thrive under: Churchill the schmoozer, the socialiser, the conversationalist.

To know that he could also play the entertainer, to charm and convince people, and to see this glimpse of the more private Churchill, at the dinner table rather than the parliamentary benches, was a quite fascinating — albeit at times slightly dry — experience. I did not receive any additional compensation and all views are my own.

Dec 26, Jean rated it really liked it Shelves: The book covers these areas in great detail. Stelzer keeps pointing out that WSC followed the 19th century manner of formal dining with fancy china and cutlery and multiple courses. All dinners were working dinners, they had a purpose.

Stelzer discuss how meticulous WSC was in planning his dinners from menu to sitting placement. He also worked and planned the conversation for the meal almost as much as he did his speeches. She also states she was surprise to learn that Churchill loved picnics. He liked most foods except he disliked creamed soups.

Little new is revealed about Churchill, however, it is well written and lots of entertaining trivia is provided. The book is easy to read and is very enjoyable. Oh, how I would have loved to have been a guest at one of his dinners.

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