Notes on the Feast:

This was a late, late-period Inn event in which I actually allowed myself the luxury of cooking with potatoes (an ingredient which should for the most part NEVER be used at Medieval/Renaissance feasts). Most recipes were traditional English, and the opening course contained the elements of A Ploughman's Lunch, traditional English pub foods. Coffee and tea, hardly ever found at authentic SCA feasts, were welcome late-period additions to this dinner. I was able to find real gooseberries, but had to make do with substituting molasses for treacle.

Pickled Onions - these were made by boiling small, peeled whole onions until just tender; after draining well, they were placed in a large glass jar and covered with the same pickling sauce used in the Pickled Eggs, and then allowed to sit for several weeks before serving.

Mother Louse Porter - this was a home-made porter made by brewer Dan McNeil of Morgantown, WV especially for this event, named in honor of Mother Louse, an English alewife who was reportedly "the last woman in England to wear a ruff."

Rice - this was simple, plain white rice, spread out over the serving platters to place the Honey-Glazed Chicken on; the chicken itself was cooked & served in pieces, not as whole hens as the original recipe calls for.

Trifle - this was a modified version on an English Trifle, with layers of cake, cream & fruits in a large serving bowl.

Master Huen Damebrigge of Wychwood has been cooking feasts for the SCA since 1980; he still cooks for approximately 2-3 official events a year. Master Huen currently resides in the Barony-Marche of the Debatable Lands in AEthelmearc.

The Grand Bear Pit at the Second Ian's Inn © 1993 James L. Matterer