Kitchen Adventures – Harleian MS. 279 Published approximately 1430 to 1440

This manuscript is divided into three separate parts, containing a total of 258 recipes along with "Bills of Fare", or menu's from several individual banquets. The first part of the manuscript is labeled "Kalendare de Potages dyvers" and it contains the largest collection of recipes numbering 153.  The second part is labeled "Kalendare de Leche Metys" which contains 64 recipes.  The final part is "Dyverse bake metis" which contains 41 recipes.

An example of one of the "Bill's of Fare" is below.  The information can be found at the following link: Full text of "Two fifteenth-century cookery-books. Harleian ms. 279 (ab. 1430), & Harl. ms. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole ms. 1429, Laud ms. 553, & Douce ms. 55"

In Festo Sancte Trinitatis in cena.            

Le .j. cours.                                                                  

Brewys.                                                          
Chykonys y-boylid.                                        
Pygge en Sage.                                              
Spaulde de Motoun.                                      
Capoun Rostyd.
Pastelade.

Le .ij. cours.

Venysoun en bro]je.
Kyde Rostyd.
Heronsewys.
Peioun.
Venysoun Rostyd.
Rabettys.
Pety perneux.

Le iij. cours.

Gely.
Quaylys.
Samaca.
Pescodde.
Blaunderellys.
Strawberys.

The menu above has been interpreted by Rudd Rayfield  and is featured as part of the Gode Cookery website hosted by James L. Matterer.  If you are interested in attemtpting a recreation, the link is here: In Festo Sancte Trinitatis In Cena.

#medievalfood  #scafeast  #scacook  #historicfood #harleianMS279

Kitchen Adventures – Cxxxj. A Potage Cold - Spiced Almond Milk Soup (Harleian MS. 279)

A Potage Cold

I have to be honest and admit that this is not among one of my favorite dishes. It was an interesting experiment in medieval flavors--not one to be repeated. Ever.

.Cxxxj. A potage colde. — Take Wyne, & drawe a gode j^ikke Milke of Almaundys with Wyne, jif ]>ou mayste ; fen putte yt on a potte, caste J^er-to Pouder Canelle & Gyngere & SafFrou?? ; >en lat it boyle, & do it on a cloj^e ; & jif ]>on wolt, late hym ben in dyuers colourys, }jat on whyte with-owte Spyces, & |iat ojier jelow with Spicerye.

Recipe taken from: Full text of "Two fifteenth-century cookery-books. Harleian ms. 279 (ab. 1430), & Harl. ms. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole ms. 1429, Laud ms. 553, & Douce ms. 55"

131. A pottage cold. Take wine and draw a good thick milk of almonds with wine, if they may; then put it in a pot, caste thereto powdered cinnamon and ginger and saffron; the let it boil, and put it in a cloth; and if thou will, let him be in diverse colors, that one white without spices, and that other yellow with spicery.

Dan Myers offers this interpretation at his excellent website Medieval Cookery.  If you have an interest in learning more about historic cooking, please visit.

Cxxxj - A potage colde. Take Wyne, and drawe a gode thikke Milke of Almaundys with Wyne, 3if thou mayste; then putte yt on a potte, caste ther-to PouderCanelle and Gyngere and Saffroun; then lat it boyle, and do it on a clothe; and 3if thou wolt, late hym ben in dyuers colourys, that on whyte with-owte Spyces, and that other 3elow with Spicerye.

Interpreted Recipe                                              Serves 2 as main, 3-4 as side

1 cup almond milk made with 1 cup almond meal and 1 cup white wine (the recipe says "that one white without spices" in reference to diverse colors)
1 tbsp. Powder Douce

Wine made with almond milk curdles and separates if allowed to sit for any length of time. But I followed directions. I boiled the almond milk and wine mixture.  I strained it through cheesecloth and then separated the almond milk so that 3/4 cup was white, and then added the spices to the other 1/4 cup and spooned it in. It looked pretty. However....

Neither of the individuals who taste tested this or I cared for it.  We first tried it warm (pictured above).  I then let it sit to room temperature and tried it again. Despite the wine and the spices it was a very bland dish.  This is not one I will attempt to do at a feast.

**I claim all spelling and grammar errors**

#medievalfood  #scafeast  #scacook  #historicfood #harleianMS279

Kitchen Adventures – Wine Braised Beef (1615) (To Stew Fillets of Beefe)

In June, I hosted a cook's gathering featuring a selection of dishes that would have been found on "Shakespeare's" table. Each of the cook's that attended chose a dish from the recipes presented and brought it with them. We dined that night on buttered eggs, french bread, stewed fillets of beef, Fridayes pye and a berry cream.

The beef was delicious, tender, and served over a bed of saffroned rice. I cooked it in a crock pot. It recieved rave reviews. I don't cook with salt or pepper if I can avoid it, so the major comment of the evening were that this dish would have been better if I had added some salt and pepper while cooking. Note to self: Add Salt and Pepper!

To stew Fillets of Beefe

Take a rawe fillet of beefe and cut it in thin slices halfe as broad as your hand and fry them till they bee halfe fried in a frying-panne with sweete butter uppon each side with a soaft fire, then powre them into a dish or pipkin putting in a pint of claret-wine, a faggot of sweet herbes, and two or three blades of whole mace, a little salt, the meate of a Lemon cut in slices, then stewe these all together very softly for the space of two or three houres till it be halfe boyled away, then dish it up on sippets and throwe salt upon it, and serve it to the table hot  John Murrell "A Booke of Cookerie" (Lorwin, 1976).

Interpreted Recipe

2 to 3 pounds beef chuck shoulder roast (aka pot roast), sliced into ¼ inch thick slices

2 Tbsp. butter

2 cups red wine (preferably a Bordeaux which is another name for “claret”)

8 sprigs fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1-2 Tbsp. parsley

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

1/8 tsp mace

1 lemon, peeled, sliced

Beef prepared to be stewed

Fry the slices of beef in the butter (if you wish, add olive oil to keep butter from burning). Remove from the pan until the all of the meat has been cooked thoroughly. Add meat back into the pan and add remaining ingredients. Allow meat to simmer two to three hours, or until liquid has been reduced by half and meat is tender.


I have included some pictures of the product in process, but silly me! I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. This was a huge hit at the gathering and I will be making it again in the future for an event. Probably 12th Night in January.