10 am to 4 pm

Tudor Christmas Food - Weald & Downland Museum

The course

Christmas has always been the time to indulge in the finest food on offer. Ingredients too expensive to eat the rest of the year make an annual splash, exotic upon exotic, groaning tables of the very best out of the store cupboard. Preserved fruits and pickles jostle with carefully fattened beasts.

We shall be exploring a host of Tudor ways of using those traditional rich, spicy and fruity flavours still so redolent of Christmas, with different mincemeat recipes, spiced breads, sauces for meat and wassail cups. Nor shall we neglect the home grown produce with its strong seasonal bias.

Brawn was our traditional Christmas meat until Turkeys (never goose) thrust it aside in the Victorian era. We shall be cooking our own along with a range of homemade mustards and fruity accompaniments. Nor shall we be neglecting the vegetables of a Tudor Christmas. Leaving the Brussels for later centuries we shall making Pease puddings and hot winter salads.

The tutor

Ruth Goodman is a leading member of the Tudor Group, an historical interpretation society which concentrates on the Tudor period.  She is particularly interested in the domestic tasks of ordinary people, cooking, cleaning, brewing and dairy work, as shown on the ‘Victorian Farm’ TV programme. She has undertaken work at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, The Mary Rose, St Fagans Museum and Ulster History Parks as well as events for the National Trust and English Heritage.

Participant information

The course is limited to 8 participants.

Cooking will be over open fires so please wear suitable (and warm) clothing, (long trousers from natural materials and no open toe shoes).

Please bring a few covered containers to take any extra food home.

Fee

£60 per person, to include tuition, teas and coffees. The Museum café will be open or you can bring a packed lunch.

To book, download a form here. Alternatively, fill in the booking request below.

Make a Booking Request

 
This is an initial booking request form, and does not guarantee a place on the course. The Adult Learning Team will check the availability of the course, and reply to you as soon as possible - usually within one working day.