A Spring Feast

With the publication of the second, and final volume, of the Brewers’ Book, our Archivist continues to delve into life at Brewers’ Hall in the first half of the 15th century.

A dinner was held on 21 April 1422 for “diverse people” who were present for the reading of the accounts. The first course comprised bread in broth, chicken, veal and roast capon. The second course was jussel (a mince dish, probably highly flavoured with herbs and spices), roast pigeon and dowcettes (sweet baked egg custard tart containing a variety of ingredients including herbs, spices, nuts, fruit, meat and sweet custard).

The costs of the dinner are also given and included:

1 round of beef                                     4d. (£10.72 today)

5 legs and 3 fillets of veal                2s. 5d. (£77.70)

3 dozen pigeons                              2s. 9d. (£88.41)

hyssop, sage, parsley and sorrel         4d.

200 eggs                                              14d. (£37.51)

cream                                                     6d. (£16.08)

honey, salt and verjuice                       3d. (£8.04)

Drinks included

1 kilderkin of good ale                        2s. 4d.

1 pottle [half a gallon] of penny ale      4d.

9 gallons & a pottle of red wine        6s. 4d. (£203.62)

Payments were also made to a labourer (4d.), the Cook and his servants (3s. 5d. - £109.85 today), for laundry (2d.) and for carriage of dung (1d.).

Next Thursday, 23 April 2026, almost exactly 604 years since this feast took place, the Court of the Brewers’ Company will once again meet to approve the accounts, and this meeting will be followed by a Lunch for Liverymen and guests, although probably with less jussel and dowcettes served…