June 26
Anniversary of George IV's Death
 

Gene Gurney in his Kingdoms of Europe states that the "most popular thing done by George IV during his reign occurred at Windsor castle, June 26, 1830, when he stopped living". In reporting the king's death, The Times reported that "There was never an individual less regretted by his fellow creatures than this deceased king." Horace Walpole echoed the same sentiments when he said that the King was "a bad son, a bad husband, a bad father, a bad subject, a bad monarch, and a bad friend."

George was the most self-indulgent monarch since Henry VIII. As Prince of Wales and during his ten years as Regent while his father, George III was in the full bloom of his madness, the Regent, or "Prinny" as he was called, ran up millions of dollars in debts for his insatiable desires for clothes, china, furnishings, food, and elegant living. He commissioned architect John Nash to build the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and rebuild Windsor Castle. He was largely instrumental in the foundation of the National Gallery, London and King's College London. 
 

James Gillray, A Voluptuary under the horrors of Digestion.
London, 1792.  By Permission of the British Museum.

When George III died in 1820, the Prince Regent ascended the throne as George IV. His taste for huge banquets and copious amounts of alcohol caused him to become obese, making him the target of  ridicule,  His obesity, heavy drinking and indulgent lifestyle had taken its toll on his health by the late 1820s with gout, arteriosclerosis, and cataracts.  His continual overeating was beautifully captured in the Gillray etching, "A Voluptuary under the Horrors of Digestion.

George has been a popular character in films and television both as King and as Regent/Prince of Wales. Some of the most memorable portrayals of the often despised ruler are those by Nigel Bruce in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), Cecil Parker in The First Gentleman (1948), Peter Ustinov in Beau Brummell (1954), Ralph Richardson in Lady Caroline Lamb (1972), Roy Dotrice in Shaka Zulu (1987), and Rupert Everett in The Madness of King George (1994).  Hugh Laurie also played the Prince Regent in several episodes of the comic British TV Series Blackadder the Third  (1987).

A nineteenth century English verse sums up the reign of George IV along with his three preceding namesakes:

It was during his Regency that George was able to snare the great French chef Antonin Carême (June 08) to work at Brighton for eight months where Carême created some of his most famous dishes including Apple Charlotte which was based on a similar dish which eventually became known as George IV's Sumner Pudding and was often served on the king' s birthday. Once the Regent told Carême "You will kill me with a surfeit of food. I have a fancy for everything you put before me. The temptation is really too great." Carême, replied, "Your Highness, my concern is to stimulate your appetite by the variety of my dishes. It is no concern of mine to curb it."
 

King George's Summer Pudding
 

1. Make a crème anglaise (custard sauce) by beating the cream and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar and remove from heat just before it comes to a simmer.
2. Whisk egg yolk in a medium bowl. While whisking, slowly pour hot cream into yolks, beating continuously. Pour mixture back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture begins to coat spoon. Do not let mixture come to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool to roan temperature. Stir in vanilla and set aside.
3. Liberally butter Charlotte mold.
4. Moisten bread slices with about 1 TB  crème anglaise.per slice. Place 1 slice of moistened at bottom of mold Line sides of Charlotte mold with slices of moistened bread, allowing each slice to overlap at least 1 inch.
5. Place raspberries in lined charlotte mold. Pour in 1/2 of remaining crème anglaise.
6. Place a slice of moistened bread over raspberries. Place strawberries on charlotte mold. Pour in remaining Charlotte mold. Cover completely with remaining bread.
7. Cover top of charlotte mold. with waxed paper. Place a small dish (smaller than the diameter of the mold) over the waxed paper and weigh down by placing a 1 pound can on the dish. Refrigerate for at least 10 hours.
8. When ready to serve, remove can, plate, and waxed paper. Invert on a serving platter, give a sharp shake to loosen, and pudding should slip out. Serve with a bowl of whipped cream.