大象传媒

Antiques expert Tim Wonnacott and chef Rosemary Shrager travel in the footsteps of Queen Victoria, Britain's longest reigning monarch, looking at the houses, castles and stately homes she visited throughout her life.

At the time of her visit to Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire, in 1890, an elderly Queen Victoria was approaching her 71st birthday. She'd been on the throne for over half a century and was still in mourning for her beloved Albert more than 30 years after his death.

By this stage of her life, Victoria lived a life of seclusion, spending most of her time at Osborne House, Balmoral and Windsor. So for her host, French-born Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, her visit was a huge honour. It was a great chance to rub shoulders with the queen and show off the country pad he'd built in the style of a French chateau.

With chef and food historian Ivan Day, Rosemary discovers how posh dining etiquette had changed dramatically during Victoria's lifetime. She also makes raspberry ice souffl茅s, the actual desert Victoria was served here at lunch. Unlike a conventional souffl茅 baked in the oven, this method involves cooking egg whites by adding boiling sugar syrup to them.

And Tim discovers how the queen was intrigued by a new-fangled invention that her host had just installed: domestic electric lighting.