The Goodwives' Page
Recipes
Welsh Cakes (a skillet biscuit)
8oz (225g) self raising flour, or use plain flower and baking powder
4oz (100g) soft butter
3oz (75g) caster sugar
1/2 level tsp of mixed spice
1 or 2 tbsp of milk
A little icing sugar for dusting
1. Put flour and butter in a bowl, rub between fingertips until it has a breadcrumb consistency.
2. Add sugar, currants and mixed spice.
3. Beat the egg and milk together, add to the mixture and mix until it forms a firm dough.
4. Form in to small balls, squash until they are about scone size but thinner (about half a centimetre thick).
5. Heat the skillet and grease lightly.
6. Cook the Welsh cakes on a low heat for about three minutes each side until golden brown.
Rabbit Pottage
1 1/2 (900 ml) pints stock
2 lbs (1 kg) diced rabbit
2 leeks, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp fresh parsley
2 tbsp fresh sage
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
2oz (50g) fresh breadcrumbs
1. Place all ingrediants, except the breadcrumbs, in a large saucepan and simmer very slowly for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the rabbit and vegetables are tender.
2. For a thicker pottage blend in the breadcrumbs - they add a fuller flavour to the dish whilst thickening it.
3. You can add other vegetables to the pottage such as carrots and turnips also lentils, it is personal taste as to which vegetables you add.
Bukkenade (Diced Pork in Broth)
(this recipe comes from Forgotten Flavours Medieval Recipes)
Serves 8
5 lb (2 kilo) pork loin
1 pint (600 ml) chicken broth
4 oz (100g) ground almonds
4 oz (100g) currants
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp chopped fresh sage
2 tsp ground ginger
4 oz (100g) finely chopped onions
1 tsp saffron
Salt and pepper to taste
Breadcrumbs to thicken
1. Dice the pork into two inch cubes.
2. Place the ground almonds in a large pan and blend in the broth.
3. Stir the currants, sugar, ginger, onions and saffron into the broth.
4. Bring to the boil, simmer for 10 minutes then season to taste.
5. Add the diced meat and simmer gently for 1 hour.
6. Thicken to liking with the breadcrumbs.
7. Serve with chunks of bread to sop up the sauce!
Easy Campfire Cooking Tip
Soak corn on the cob (husk and all) in water for about ten minutes. Place over fire coals (not a direct flame) and cook until tender, turning frequently. Simple!
Ginger Cookies (Gingebras)
1 knob soft butter
4oz (100g) dark brown sugar
1 tbsp fresh ginger peeled and finely minced
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp ground ginger
6 oz (150g) plain flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
3-4 pieces crystallised ginger, cut into small pieces
In Medieval England gingerbread meant simply"preserved giner" and was a corruption of the Old French gingebras, derived from the Latin name of the spice, zingebar. It was only in the fifteenth century that the term came to be applied to a kind of cake made with treacle and flavoured with ginger.
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cream the butter, sugar and fresh ginger together until it is smooth.
3. Add vanilla; mix ginger, flour, baking soda and salt together.
4. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture to combine. Form in to a log.
5. Slice log into 1/4" slices. Bake until lightly golden 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely. Makes around 30 biscuits.
Sewing
Shirt
Coming soon.
Doublet
Coming soon.
Soldier's Coat
Coming soon.
Breeches
Coming soon.
Shift
A shift is the most important garment for women it is their underwear. It can be worn for bed and under clothes during the day here is a basic pattern.
You will need enough material so that you can stride out in the shift. It looks like a large square stitched up the sides leaving armholes and neck:
Stitch around the neck to allow a drawstring to be inserted, add arms again a piece of material in an oblong stiched up with a hem at the wrist for drawstring. Attach arms to shift - and there you have it!
Petticoat
A simple petticoat pattern
This is a pattern for a skirt, known as a petticoat, as worn in the 17th century for those of us who are not good needle women.
Depending on your size you will need 3 1/2/to 4 yards of suitable material (these petticoats incorporate a lot of material, usually double your waist size or more), that is made from natural fibres such as wool, cotton or linen in a drab natural colour shades of brown, yellows, blues or greens (no bright colours or black unless you are being very posh).
- sew two ends together to make a large tube shape;
- sew an overlap of a couple of inches at one end - this will be the top, it should leave a channel for a waist band (i.e. don't sew up the ends!);
- thread cord or ribbon through (NOT elastic! The webbing-type skirt tape is ideal) through the channel draw it through;
- put the petticoat on and draw the ribbon/cord until it fits, gather the skirt to suit.
Simple! The petticoat should be ankle length, or even brush on the floor, but remember it will get very dirty with dew, dust, pollen etc. Whilst you can hold up your petticoat to keep it off the floor, you shouldn't be holding it more than mid-calf height from the floor - anything higher would be indecent!
Tip: leave extra space on your tying cord so that when you take the petticoat off you can knot it at its longest length - this means you can slip it off without the cord vanishing back in to the channel, a very annoying thing to happen!
Tip: Body Shop sell a black head remover which makes a very good shuttle for passing round the channel with the cord attached, a very large needle or even crochet hook can also be used.
A more complicated skirt is cartridge pleated, or pleated and attached to a waistband.
Stays
Coming soon.
Coif
Coming soon.
Hose
Coming soon.