Collegium Lunch Fundraiser Tavern (Revisited)

Illustration of a medieval tavern or apothecary stall, showing the kind of service interaction familiar to lunch counters and traveling kitchens. Image source: Tacuinum Sanitatis, c. 15th century. [Public Domain]

 Collegium Lunch Fundraiser Tavern (Revisited)

Welcome to a refreshed look at one of my earliest full menus: the Collegium Lunch Fundraiser Tavern served in 2016. This event was hosted to raise funds for the Arts & Sciences activities leading into the SCA 50 Year celebration, and the food had to strike a balance between historic flavor, modern practicality, and quick, high-volume service.

While no photos were taken (ah, the feast-day blur!), the recipes themselves have stood the test of time. This page now serves as a case study for other cooks and feast planners looking to run a tavern or lunch counter using late-period dishes.

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Menu Overview (with Links)

1. Onion Pottage with French Bread and Cheese
Based on a recipe from The Accomplisht Cook (1660) by Robert May. A savory, vegetarian soup of stewed onions and broth poured over sops.

→ View full recipe and historical notes

2. Pork Pie with Mustard
A rich, layered pie inspired by William Rabisha's 1682 Whole Body of Cookery Dissected. Alternates pork seasoned with sage and pepper alongside veal-style collops spiced with clove and mace.

→ View recipe and redaction

3. Cold Roast Chicken with Sauce Options
Seasoned simply with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Served cold with your choice of three sauces:

• White Garlic Sauce (almonds, broth, breadcrumbs)

• Cold Sage Sauce (herbs, spices, vinegar, egg)

• Must Sauce (grape juice, egg, cinnamon, grains of paradise)

→ View recipe and redaction

4. Cold Lentil Salad (modern addition)
Red lentils with carrot, red onion, parsley, and a lemony vinaigrette. Served chilled with crumbled feta.

→ View recipe and redaction

5. Roasted Root Vegetables (non-period, but feast-friendly)
Butternut squash, potatoes, parsnips, beets, and garlic, roasted with olive oil and herbs de Provence. Held well and was extremely popular.

→ View recipe and redaction

6. Pickles and Olives
Dill & sweet pickles, banana peppers, black and green olives.

7. Seasonal Fruit
Apples, grapes, and oranges for a fresh finish.

8. Drinks
Water and soda service provided.

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Lessons Learned

• Timing: Anything that can be served cold or held in a crockpot is your best friend. The onion pottage held beautifully and was a crowd favorite.

• Balance: The mix of one hot vegetarian dish, one meat pie, and cold sides made the menu scalable and low-stress.

• Sauces: Offering multiple sauce options for the chicken felt luxurious, but required solid prep. Consider labeling and prepping sauces the night before.

• Documentation: Even if no pictures survive, your notes and menu sheets are valuable. Save your original write-ups to help future you (and others).

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Historical and SCA Notes

While the pork pie and pottage are technically post-1600, they reflect culinary traditions that developed across the Tudor and Elizabethan periods and are generally accepted within "late period" SCA cooking. Recipes from Robert May (1660) and William Rabisha (1682) preserve oral traditions and pre-Civil War cooking methods, making them appropriate for late SCA contexts with clear documentation.

Earlier onion pottage variants appear in Soupe Dorroy and Oyle Soppys, both found in Harleian MS. 279 (c. 1430). These provide excellent medieval parallels for cooks seeking strictly pre-1600 alternatives.

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Want to Learn More?

Check out the fully updated recipes now linked throughout this menu. More feast case studies, redactions, and printable downloads are available via my Ko-fi page.

Thank you for supporting historical food—and helping Give it Forth thrive!