Have a Break
Have a Kit Kat
Is something about to break?
Have a Kek Kat.
By the early 1700s, the Kit-Cat Club had evolved into a full-fledged Whig propaganda machine:
They funded writers and journalists to produce material supporting their cause.
They used the theatre as a political tool, backing plays that promoted Whig values.
They made club membership a social credential, turning their meetings into an elite networking event before LinkedIn was a thing.
Who Got a Seat at the Table?
The Kit-Cats were selective. This wasn’t some boozy free-for-all.
Membership was by invitation only, and while the club didn’t have official rules, a few key criteria emerged:
You had to be a Whig – No Tory sympathisers, no Jacobites, no fans of absolute monarchy. This was a club for constitutional government, parliamentary supremacy, and Protestant succession.
You had to appreciate literature – Playwrights and poets were welcomed alongside politicians. Being well-read and witty was as important as your title.
You had to eat the pies – A man unwilling to partake in a Kit-Cat mutton pie was, frankly, not to be trusted.
https://chroniclesofcuisine.substack.com/p/the-kit-cat-club-inside-the-dining