How to Kit Yourself out for a Feast or
What to Pack in your Feast Basket

by THL Rycheza z Polska

        We have two seasons in An Tir, Tourney Season and Feast Season with some overlap in the spring and fall. During both seasons you will want to eat and drink and to do so you will need a set of feast gear. (Even food merchants do not always provide utensils.) Start with the basics and expand as your pocketbook allows and your taste demands.

         The first prerequisite is something to corral and carry all those necessary and nice items. Most people use some sort of basket. Others choose a small wooden chest that can double for seating or a small table back in camp. Whatever you choose should be sturdy because feast gear gets heavy fast. It should have a strong handle. Look for a basket with the handle woven in down to the base or with a handle that wraps around the entire thing. I, personally, like a basket with a lid that can be closed to hide the mundane. Dedicate this basket or box to feast gear only so that you can keep it packed between events, reducing packing time and keeping all your feast gear in one convenient place.

        Perhaps the most important item in your feast basket is a drinking vessel. You will use it at feasts, around the campsite, walking along the eric or merchants row or any other SCA get together. Available options run from massive drinking horns and silver goblets to common clay mugs. This item should be sturdy. It will get banged around. Metal goblets or mugs look great and are fairly easy to acquire, but remember hot liquids (like coffee or mulled cider) will transfer heat straight to your hand. Metals can also be problematic for other reasons. Acids like cider, and juice can react with metals changing the taste and possibly contaminating your drink as well. Real pewter and some older glazes can have high levels of lead, which can leach out into your drink. When in doubt, you can paint the interior of the vessel with a food safe coating such as Envirortec. Many people wear their goblet on their belt hung from a leather strap or cloth tie. Mark your goblet with your name or device on the bottom or try tying a ribbon in your colors to the stem. You will leave it somewhere some time.

        An SCA place setting follows the same basic rules as your kitchen table. You will need a plate or a bowl to put your food in to. Having both is best, then you have room for soup and meat, but many people get along with just one or the other. A second bowl for slops (leftover bits you aren't going to eat, bones, fat, crusts or that soup with just a little too much garlic) is also recommended. Metal and wooden items dominate the feast table but you will also see pottery, ordinary china and even paper plates. It is more important to have something to eat on than to keep to a period look, but the more medieval your items look the better you will fit in. While fingers are perfectly period, most people prefer some type of silverware. A spoon and an eating dagger (A butter knife is ok, too.) are standard. Forks have a more checkered history but are accepted in SCA culture.

        Napkins and tablecloths are period. White linen was most commonly used but SCA culture accepts cloths of all colors. Bring a cloth big enough for your party and a little extra to share, even the most organized people forget things sometimes. (Tip: pack your tablecloth last, so you can lay it out on the table first.)

        One totally mundane item you should pack is some kind of bag for carrying dirty dishes home again. While you can wash dishes back at camp, or sometimes rinse them off at the feast hall, do not count on it. (Never wash your dishes in bathroom sinks! They are not designed for it and will clog very easily, inconveniencing the entire populace and possibly damaging the site.)

        Extras: Lighting is pretty basic but not strictly required. Dining by candlelight enhances any setting, but some sites have restrictions. Regular taper candles and holders are fine most places. Some halls balk at open flames but will allow enclosed flames like votives or hurricane lanterns. Others disallow any sort of candles. Your site copy should indicate this. If you pack candles, don't forget matches. Adding a small pitcher or carafe can easily solve the problem of hauling out that so very mundane water or soda bottle to refill your goblet. And plan ahead if you'll need a bottle or can opener. Buying an extra for a buck or two to keep with your feast gear is smart and economical.  A tiny bowl for salt or other favorite condiments is a good idea. Salt, pepper or other condiments are not routinely provided, so bring your own if you have to have it. An extra (small) serving plate can be a good place to set bread or other tidbits.

        Tidbits: Packing in a few tasty tidbits can be a good idea, particularly if you have children with you or need to eat on a schedule. Feast-o-crats strive to serve on time, but courts can run long or the kitchen can run late. A few munchies, cheese, olives, crackers can be a life or at least a stomach saver. If you have special dietary needs, such as allergies, find a few items, like sardines, crackers or fruit you know you can eat. Pot-luck feasts are just that, pot luck, and while you can get a menu for a served feast ahead of time, sometimes things are changed at the last minute. Don't forget your beverage of choice. Rarely are drinks provided. Finally, be a good neighbor and pack extras if possible. You never know when you might want a clean plate for that fabulous dessert or that fabulous new friend.        

        Shopping: Start at home. Search your closets and cupboards for that monkey pod bowl Aunt Susan brought you from Hawaii or those old mugs you just never got rid of. Check out Grandma's stash (with her permission) as well. Next try garage sales and second hand stores. Shop often to get the best deals. SCA merchants can fulfill many of your needs. Their merchandise ranges from second hand to special ordered works of art.

        Welcome and Good Feasting. 

Copyright 2001 by L.J. Henson aka HL Rycheza z Polska. Posted dragonslaire.org Jan 2002 Posted Receipt Book of Rycheza z Polska March 17th 2011

An updated version of this article was published in The Known World Handbook 2010

  Return to Articles