The Great Hall

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The Great Hall

The Great hall was where the lord and his lady lived. Most celebrations took place there. The Great hall was also called the solar room. It was the warmest most luxurious room in the castle. The wall was decorated with special banners called tapestries for beauty and warmth. The lord and his family slept there. This private room was called the lord’s lodgings.

Food was also served in the Great hall. Pages brought the food to the table from the kitchen. The food always had to be tested by a peasant to make sure it wasn’t poisoned. People drank beer and wine instead of water with every meal, as sometimes the water was contaminated.

The Banquet Hall

The banquet hall was a smelly and crowded place. Tables were crammed with diners. The table scraps were given to the dogs at the end of every feast. So there were dogs crunching bones on the floor. Only the lord got a serving to himself. Other diners shared a bowl with up to three other guests. Most people ate with their fingers, so it was important that their fingers were clean and not used for blowing noses or scratching!

The Lord's Table

The high table on the dais was carefully set out with a clean linen tablecloth, trencher bases, drinking bowls, salt, jugs, and if the household was wealthy, fine glass. In the 15^th century, a large napkin called the long towel was spread over the knees of diners once they were seated.

Common Fare

Diners sat at a low table and would eat less elaborate food than what was served up for the lord, but there were some common foods, Pottage, a thick broth of vegetables and a meat stock, was one of them. This dish was often served as a first course at feasts. Apart from pottage everyone ate brown bread. All food was served on thick slices of bread called trenchers and small loaves called manchets were used to mop up gravy.

Inside The kitchen

The kitchen was where people spent their day busily preparing meals and preserving food. Their meat was roasted over a fire on a spit. Bread was baked in large brick ovens while the brewer made beer. Some castles even had a grape press for making wine. People used slices of stale bread as plates, these were called trenchers. Later the trenchers were given to the poor people as food. A cauldron is a big pot used to cook food for a medieval feast. The people used knives to cut their food they also ate with their fingers as they had no forks. The household sat on benches while the lord and his family sat at a separate table. Dinner was the most important meal of the day.

Some of the medieval instruments that were used in the kitchen were: