The Mass Coronation Menu & Recipes (Scaled for 1,000 Diners)

Because written menus did not exist in 1068, food was presented processionally in three distinct “services.” Each course was heralded by a blast of trumpets (buccinas). A high official called the Sewer led a procession of carvers into the hall, while heralds loudly proclaimed each dish to the tables: “Behold the wild boar of the New Forest, dressed with sage and red wine!”

Here is how the master cooks prepared the coronation dishes at full scale for 1,000 guests.

1. Grand Pottage de Poireaux et d’Avoine (First Service)

A thick grain and vegetable pottage designed to coat the stomach and showcase rich meat broths across four 50-gallon copper cauldrons.

• Prep time: 3 hours | Cook time: 4 hours | Serves: 1,000
• Ingredients:
  
  • 200 lbs coarse steel-cut oats and barley
  • 400 lbs leeks and yellow onions, washed and chopped
  • 150 lbs beef marrow bones and pork fat
  • 150 gallons water and light ale broth
  • 50 lbs soft goat’s curd or fresh ricotta
  • 5 lbs fresh parsley, sage, and thyme
  • 10 lbs coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper

Preparation:

1. Fire up four 50-gallon copper cauldrons over outdoor charcoal pit fires. Add 150 lbs of beef marrow bones, pork fat, and 150 gallons of water/ale broth. Boil for 2 hours to render a deep, rich stock, then scoop out the spent bones.
2. Dump in 400 lbs of chopped leeks and onions, cooking them down into the boiling broth until softened.
3. Gradually stir in 200 lbs of steel-cut oats and barley using large wooden oars. Simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring continuously to prevent scorching, until the grains swell and thicken the broth into a heavy porridge.
4. Stir in 5 lbs of chopped fresh herbs and 10 lbs of salt and pepper.
5. Ladle into wooden trenchers or bowls, topping each serving with a crumble of soft goat’s curd just before the servers carry them into the hall.

2. Grand Rôti de Venaison au Vin Rouge (Second Service)

Venison was the premier status meat of Norman royalty. This required a massive outdoor spit-roast operation utilizing 35 full legs of venison.

• Prep time: 24 hours (marinating) | Cook time: 3 to 4 hours | Serves: 1,000
• Ingredients:
  
  • 35 bone-in legs of venison (approx. 1200 lbs of meat total)
  • 60 gallons dark Gascon red wine
  • 5 gallons cider vinegar
  • 40 lbs lard or clarified butter
  • 10 lbs chopped fresh sage and rosemary
  • 3 lbs ground ginger
  • 3 lbs ground black pepper
  • 10 lbs coarse sea salt

Preparation:

1. The Mass Marinade: In six large wooden curing tuns, combine 60 gallons of red wine, 5 gallons of cider vinegar, ground ginger, and black pepper. Submerge the venison legs, cover with linen cloths, and steep overnight.
2. The Fire Trenches: At dawn, dig two 30-foot open fire trenches in the courtyard and fill them with hardwood charcoal embers.
3. Pre-Cook & Sear: Remove venison from marinade, pat dry, and rub all carcasses with lard, salt, chopped sage, and rosemary. Skewer the legs onto long iron spits mounted above the charcoal trenches.
4. Roasting: Station scullion boys at each spit end to turn the meat continuously for 3 to 4 hours. Baste every 15 minutes using long-handled brooms dipped into the reserved wine marinade mixed with pan drippings.
5. Serving: Once internal temperatures reach medium-rare, carvers slice the meat directly off the spits onto wooden platters for immediate delivery to the tables.

3. Poires au Miel et Gingembre (Third Service)

Poached pears served at mass scale using giant cauldrons and raw honey gathered from royal manors.

• Prep time: 2 hours | Cook time: 1 hour | Serves: 1,000
• Ingredients:
  
  • 1,200 firm cooking pears (Bosc or Concorde)
  • 50 gallons sweet white wine or hard pear cider
  • 150 lbs raw wild honey
  • 10 lbs fresh ginger knob, sliced
  • 2 lbs whole cinnamon sticks / cassia bark
  • 1 lb whole cloves

Preparation:

1. In two 50-gallon cauldrons, combine 50 gallons of white wine, 150 lbs of raw honey, sliced ginger, cinnamon sticks, and cloves enclosed in cheesecloth bags. Bring to a boil over medium pit fires until the honey is fully integrated into a golden syrup.
2. Carefully dump in 1,200 peeled pears (trimmed at the base).
3. Lower the fire and gently simmer the pears in the syrup for 25–30 minutes until tender and translucent.
4. Using large slotted wooden spoons, scoop out the pears and arrange them on wide serving platters.
5. Keep the cauldrons boiling on high heat for another 15 minutes to reduce the remaining wine and honey into a thick, shiny glaze. Strain out the spice bags and pour the piping-hot honey syrup over the plated pears.

4. Hypocras for the Court (Spiced Banquet Wine)

Served to the entire hall at the end of the feast to aid digestion.

In ten 30-gallon wooden oak tuns, combine 300 gallons of red wine, 100 lbs of raw honey, 10 lbs ground cinnamon, 3 lbs ground ginger, and 2 lbs ground nutmeg. Gently heat the wine with hot iron pokers plunged into the barrels, stirring until the honey dissolves. Allow to steep for 4 hours, filter through wool press-bags to remove spice sediment, and draw directly from the tun spigots into serving pitchers.