One month ago today I finally got to start relaxing after completing my very first dayboard at an event. It couldn’t just be any event though. Oh no, I had to agree to cook a dayboard for a Crown Tournament which usually attracts 350-400+ attendees. Before this I had only done feasts for 50-60 people so this was a huge step up for me.
Historical accuracy is something that I strive towards and although I knew that I’d have to make some compromises I wanted to work with historical recipes as much as possible. There are a couple of recipes that I ended up cutting from my original plan (such as tansy cakes) because I wasn’t satisfied with the historical information, or lack of, that I found. There are a couple that I did use (apple muse and apple tarts) that I came up with the idea and then stunt documented to something close to period.
My biggest challenge was simply making enough food for 400 people on an $800 budget. I definitely met that challenge and with food left over. The day’s weather, rainy and cold, forced the dayboard from the original, field-side location down to the building where court would later be held. This was good for being close to the kitchen and keeping the platters filled but it definitely caused me to have to bring more food home after than I’d wanted to. People were less likely to take multiple trips through and some didn’t even make one trip through due to the walk between the list building and the feast building in the rain.
It took me a month but I have written up my documentation and processes for the foods that were served in the dayboard. You can find them in this PDF file.
My next food project is a laid-back feast for less than 70 people. Whew!
