I’ve had a day or three to reflect on the Coronation feast and I think I’ve taken away a few good lessons from it.

  1. Ravioli was fun to try once but it was hell on the body – the clamp on my pasta machine broke and I’m physically paying the price.  The end result was all right but I think I’ll keep ravioli as a home only food item.  Add to that, the ravioli was incredibly tricky to time properly,  the cheese ravioli was chewing despite being cooked longer and the chicken/pancetta/cheese ravioli was a little too soft for my liking.  Side note: get that clamp fixed!
  2. The people who rent halls have a very different definition of ”fully stocked kitchen” than I do.  When I ask for platters, I do not mean cafeteria trays.   From now on, assume the worst and bring the whole shabang with me.
  3. I need to maintain and repair/replace my feast gear set.   As I’m a fully motivated ‘Head Cook’ type, I’m not referring to the SCA norm of plate, bowl, mug –  I mean feast gear.   What I learned this weekend is my feast gear needs: 3 good vegetable peelers, 4 pie lifters, 2 pairs of good oven mitts, 10 tea towels, 2 sturdy slotted spoons, 2 sturdy solid spoons, two large ladles, a zester and a hand-juicer.   Those of you who helped out, if you can think of something I missed, please chime in.
  4. Crap knives are crap knives and, no matter how tempting the price, should not be used.  Get better knives for the kit.
  5. Ziploc bags, aluminum foil, cling wrap, wax paper, paper towels, garbage bags, SOS pads and dish soap should be included in a bin.
  6. Frozen soup broth makes excellent cold packs.
  7. Err on the side of caution and prep for one extra table, always.  No exceptions.
  8. Uncovered tables look unfinished and jarringly modern – invest in a few more rolls of table-cloth-on-a-roll.

A good staff are invaluable and I was blessed with some of the best.   Thank you to Olaf, Alyce, Heather, Wilheem and Mog for the assists throughout the day.  Special thanks to Ragni for the sanity checks.  I had great serving staff – Moria, Valizan, Alyce, Mog, Thorsteinn and Miranda, thank you so much.   All these people also helped clean up as did Ealdormere’s newest Pelican, Skallagrim and the lovely and ever cheerful Loki.  The people above are among the reasons why I stay in this delightfully crazy hobby of mine – thank you so much for the privilege of working with you.