The power of a prince and the splendour of noble dining. In a lustrous haze of burnished gold, the royal crown sits on high, a potent symbol in every age and civilisation. To this day, the regal insignia endures as a gilt edged hallmark of unrivalled quality and excellence. More than two thousand years ago, the finest masterchefs prepared sumptuous dishes of rare spices and secret ingredients for the maharajahs or “great kings” of the first Indian dynasties. Half way across the known world, chieftain leaders of Kent were being described as ‘kings’ by Julius Caesar when the Roman legions first arrived in Ancient Britain.