One of the blessings of 24 hour live streaming or semi-blessings of paying for Amazon Prime is that American foodies can come into contact with some of Britain’s finest cooks and chefs. Whether it is Gordon Ramsey cursing out prisoners toiling in the dank kitchens of Brixton, Rick Stein pretending to enjoy the food of… Continue reading The Hairy Bikers – Watch ‘Em by Day or Knight
Tag: medieval recipes
Simply Simnel
As we approach the holidays, I am flipping through at least fifty English cookbooks to get the lowdown on Simnel Cake. I know that it has long been associated with both Mothering Sunday (similar to North America’s Mother’s Day) and the Easter season. Nevertheless, it is a relatively simple fruitcake, covered in the usual marzipan… Continue reading Simply Simnel
Clarissa Dickson Wright and the Art of Medieval Food
The late Clarissa Dickson Wright is known to the English-speaking countries of the world as one of The Two Fat Ladies – the middle-aged motorcycling cooks who zipped around the English, Welsh and Irish countryside, one at the wheel of a Triumph Thunderbird, the other stuffed into the sidecar wearing what appeared to be… Continue reading Clarissa Dickson Wright and the Art of Medieval Food
Galangal – The Spice of Life
Mulahwajah* “Anything green that grew out of mould was an excellent herb to our fathers of old” So wrote Rudyard Kipling when describing the English medieval addiction to herbs and spices – the more exotic the better. And surely there is none more exotic than Alpinia officinarum, or lesser Galangale, now simply known as galangal although,… Continue reading Galangal – The Spice of Life
The Apothecary, Herbs and the Herb Garret….
For anyone who may be interested in Apothecaries and what they did, I have just come upon the following: http://www.thegarret.org.uk/pdfs/exhibitions/apothecary.pdf, by Kevin Flude and Paul Herbert. It is well worth reading, although the Recipe for Snail Water at the end is a little disgusting. Its only saving grace would be if it worked!.
Bringing up the Saffron
Pare saffron plot, forget it not. His dwelling made trim, look shortly for him. When harvest is gone, then saffron comes on. A little of ground, Brings Saffron a Pound The history of saffron, that exotic spice of the Levant, spans three millennia, landing in England some time in the mid-14th century – although certainly there are… Continue reading Bringing up the Saffron
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