#drachenwald crown

[thejoyofseax]

An Early Irish Feast for Drachenwald's Spring Crown, AS LVIII

Spring Crown this year was hosted by Dun in Mara in the territory of Glen Rathlin. As with almost all SCA projects, this feast didn't quite hit all the things I intended. In particular, I'd been thinking of having documentation available alongside it, and of a few more dishes that didn't make it in the end. A fermented porridge was high on that list. Next time!

Before I start talking about food, though, let me thank my kitchen crew: THL Órlaith Caomhánach, Lady Gabrielle of Dun in Mara, Noble Mallymkun Rauði, Lady Erin Volya and Cassian of Allyshia. There were a few other folk in and out of the kitchen too (THL Yda Van Boulogne did excellent work on the various flavoured butters), but these five did the bulk of the work. Lady Erin also provided lunch; cooking at Crown for 80 people as her first event cookery is notable.

The main idea here was to lean heavily on seafood, which isn't often done in SCA feasts in my experience, and represents the food of Ireland well. I also wanted to include pork as a main meat, emphasise oats and barley, and use plain vegetables presented well. There were to be condiments on the table, hence Yda's butters: plain, honey, mackerel and garlic-and-chive, as well as green sauce (largely Órlaith's work, with Cass finishing it out). Condiments and the number of them available were an important aspect of Irish medieval hospitality.

I also wanted to nod to the usual progress of early Irish feasts, which started with formal services and frequently ended up so raucous and drunken that the nobility woke up the following morning on the hall floor along with everyone else. So we served to the tables to begin, and then had a less and less orderly buffet.

The first "course" was a set of pottages. The main one was pork, cabbage, onion, carrots, turnips, and barley, which had been slowly cooked down over a number of hours. There was also a version with lamb, for those who couldn't eat pork, and this doubled as the gluten-free version, having no barley. And there was a vegetarian one, including barley, but substituting mushrooms for the meat. These were served with flatbreads, risen yeast dough having been a tough proposition in the Irish climate (and still is, really; that's why the most Irish of breads is soda bread).

As that was consumed, we stocked the buffet with: sides of salmon (steamed then baked), mussels (boiled), monkfish and mackerel (also steamed and baked), chicken pieces (baked), hard-boiled eggs, turnips with butter, carrots with honey, samphire (new to many, most enthused about it), caramelised onions, creamed leeks, buttered cabbage with and without bacon bits, and a broth-based porridge, accompanied by a variety of flatbreads and oat pancakes. And as that all cleared, we put out fruit, some cheese, some oaten biscuits, and a "cheesecake", of sorts.

Everything was plausibly pre-Norman Irish, with the exception of the oaten biscuits and the cheesecake base, which were egregiously modern - although I could argue for something very like them. Simple cooking techniques mean that those are broadly plausible as well - steaming may seem incongruous, but I'll have more to say on that again.

It all seemed to go down well. A number of people said they weren't sure about fish, and then followed with "… but that was great!", and the green sauce, the samphire and the cheesecake were particular hits. The technique of doing a wide variety of simple things usually does well, I find; even the pickiest of eaters can usually have a few things, and the adventurous can pile their plates with a wide variety.

And I had energy enough left to wander around the party hall later offering plates of fruit, cheese and biscuits, which is one of my favourite things to do.

[ursa-arrowbreaker]

FUCK YEAH DRACHENWALD!!!! LET'S GO!!!!

[originallonemagpie]

Oh look, Elizabethan me, being inducted into the Orden des Lindquistringes, and with Oriana, who made the garb.

Of course, as soon as I got home, then this happened:

[originallonemagpie]

Back from Crown.

Stayed up later than I intended on Friday, helping put in the kitchen. Had fun on the field but did pretty much exactly as expected when having first armoured practice for nearly three months with a new shield and not-quite-healed hand: second from last, and probably massively inconsistent.

Wasn't trying to really win rounds, of course, just pacing myself to see if the hand would make it through the whole thing, which it did, but that bust finger has stiffened a little and the joint swollen a lttile back to where it was about a fortnight ago - so it hasn't been re-injured, but healing is set back two weeks, which is fine. It doesn't risk putting me out of training for Coronet if I want to do that one. Pulled something in the shoulder as well while trying to get the hang of the new centre-grip version of my shield.So I didn't go in the rapier protectors (slightly annoyingly because there were only about six people in it).

The Elizabethan garb made by Oriana for me was a big hit. Ladies were falling at my feet throughout the hall... And for some reason their Majesties gave me the Lindquistringe. I have promised to be better at hiding.

[originallonemagpie]

Hm, so the list of participants for Crown Tourney is up - I need to get stuff made. Yannick has turned my shield into a centre-grip, so I've taken off the edging, to replace it. I've got the glue, need a dry day for that and one for refreshing the paint (including painting the boss it now has.)

I also need to make a small list shield to display, and some mountings for our banners, and do some odd bits of garb-neatening.

(It's the season for looking for womens' boots in charity shops as potential new garb or fencing boots - it's cheaper and easier to mod women's boots than have the right sort of mens' made. I'm not sure whether people who see me checking the sizes against my feet would find it weirder to know it's for re-enactment...)

I should be practicing and training, and am doing with footwork and pell and so on, but I do reckon that the tournament will most likely be my first post-hand-injury fight...

[originallonemagpie]

Vitus and Isabel are the heirs to the Kingdom of Drachenwald! Huzzah!

[originallonemagpie]

My wife Lesley fighting in yesterday’s Drachenwald Spring Crown Tourney, and worrying her opponent (Nicholas d’Estache). Since I can’t see her stick, I’m assuming she’s going for the bollocks here, as she often does.

[originallonemagpie]

We’ve registered for Drachenwald Crown Tournament and Coronation just in case it actually fucking goes ahead someday

[originallonemagpie]

Lesley (@coolserpentina) and I entering Drachenwald Crown Tourney on Saturday, preceded by our banners (carried by @oldcheyanne7​ ) and Heralds.

Then us ready to fight each other, even though we were fighting for each other...

[originallonemagpie]

I see there's an SCA meme on FB.

Since 2014, In the SCA have I...

Been an officer locally? Not really.

Been a Kingdom officer? No

Been a Society officer? No

SCA name? Wolfram Burkhardt von Falkenstein. Or just Wolfie.

An SCA persona? 16th Century privateer Captain

changed persona because of different garb? No, the Sonic and psychic paper does the job

Joined a sizable household or Clan? Have my own Privateer and crew.

Had a name and/or device accepted by the SCA College of Arms? No, must get round to that

Had a name and/or device rejected by the SCA College of Arms? And that

Been taken as an apprentice, protégé, or squire? No, and wouldn't want to.

Had an associate elevated to peerage? Yes

A Coronet? No, and not interested, though it's a risk I'm willing to take

A Grant of Arms? No

A Peerage? There's only one I'd even accept, let alone be likely to qualify for someday, and I think I've burned enough bridges to prevent that one.

Been an Event Steward/Autocrat? No

Cooked or been Kitchen Steward for an Event Not *officially*

Had any major role in running an event? Not *officially*

Taught a class at an event? Yes

Run any activity at an event? Yes

Fought at an event? Frequently

Fought at Pennsic or another War? No. Raglan's the closest equivalent

Run a martial activity at an event? Yes

Fought in a Crown Tourney? Yes

Won a tourney or contest at an event? Yes

Made your own armor? Some bits

Made armor for others? Some bits are in production

Made your own weapons? Yes

Ranked as an archer? Drachenwald interpretation: Company of Archers. Not yet

Ranked as a fencer? Drachenwald interpretation: Academy of Defence: Provost

Created a siege weapon? No

Have you marshaled at an event? Yes

Been a water bearer at an event? Yes

Participated in a demo?. Yes

Run a demo? Yes

Entered an A&S contest? No

Won an A&S contest? Obviously not, since I haven't entered any

Run or sponsored an A&S contest? No

Judged in an A&S contest? No

Illuminated a scroll? No

Done the Calligraphy for a scroll? No

Made your own paper? No

Made a book? No

Make someone's order medallion? No

Written an award recommendation for someone? Yes

Sewn your own garb? Yes

Sewn Garb for others? Not that I recall

Made/decorated garb for Royalty? No, just bribed them with booze

sewing on way; Define "on way" - to an event, no; in progress now, yes.

Researched and completed an outfit from said research? No

Have you ever made a tent? No.

Spun? No

Woven? No

Knitted? No

Nalbinding? No

Dyed your own yarn or fabric?  No

Embroidered a garment? no

Painted a garment? No

Beaded a garment? No

Entertained at a feast? Yes

Run a bardic circle? No

Performed in a bardic circle? yes

Had songs requested from you at such? yes, but not for my voice, for the lyrics

Competed in a formal bardic? No

Performed any period songs? Not sure

Run a court as Royalty? No

Heralded at Court? No

Been an Attendant, Guard or Champion at court? No

Been part of a Royal Entourage? No.

Been called to court to receive an award? Yes,

Been called into court to present something? no

Been called to court for punishment? It's only a matter of time.

Been part of court schtick? Yes

Awards from more than one Kingdom? No

Traveled more than 8 hours each way for a 1 day event? No

Gone to a different Kingdom for an event? No

Lived in a different Kingdom? No

Driven to an event in garb? No

Run out of closet space because of garb/gear? Yes

Crammed more than 4 people into a hotel room? Yes but not at an SCA thing

Met your future spouse at an SCA event? no

Met most past significant others in an SCA setting? No

Convinced any friends to join the SCA? yes

Convinced any family members to join the SCA? No.

Attended Pennsic? No

Been to other major wars? No

Been part of a major war event staff? No

Organized any large camp needs for a major war? No

Taught at a major war? No

Fought at a major war? No

Volunteered in any role at a major war? No