After the Romans left, the people who later became known as the Anglo-Saxons came to Britain. They enjoyed the foods that were native to their new home.
Although ordinary people would have to make do with bread and stews made from wheat, oats and vegetables, feasts were an opportunity for guests to eat and drink their fill of the very best food on offer, including fine meats and cheeses. Let’s take a closer look at the best foods available.
Time to put on your best tunic and belt – you’ve been invited to an Anglo-Saxon king’s hall for a grand feast! Click below to download a colouring sheet, and use pencils, pens or paints to create your own version of the scene.
What's on the menu?
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Meat
Wild boars and deer were hunted and were a rare treat for wealthy people like Saxon kings. Pigs were farmed for their meat and were roasted on fires in the middle of the lord’s hall.
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Fish
Anglo-Saxon ports and villages by rivers and seas would have been full of the smells of fish being smoked. Smoking and salting fish allowed it to be stored for months in a time before freezers existed.
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Dairy and eggs
Though wealthy people ate beef, cows were mainly used for milking. No Anglo-Saxon feast was complete without cheese, and perhaps some butter and chicken eggs too.
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Bread and oats
The Anglo-Saxons came to Britain because there was plenty of land for farming. Wheat was harvested and made into bread, their main food, while oats were used to make filling stews.
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Vegetables and fruits
Poorer Saxons relied on vegetables such as cabbages, parsnips and onions to flavour their stews. In summer and autumn, they would have also picked berries and apples.
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Beer and mead
The Anglo-Saxons drank weak beer during the day but enjoyed stronger drinks with dinner. Mead, made from fermented honey, was also a favourite and was drunk from horns and goblets.
Bake honey, oat and spice cakes
The Anglo-Saxons might have eaten a fairly simple diet compared to the exotic tastes of their Roman predecessors, but they still liked a delicious snack as much as we do.
Click below to download our recipe for honey, oat and spice cakes and get baking a taste of history at home! Just don't forget to ask a grown-up to help you.
Download the recipeOver to you...
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A ballad worthy of a king!
Anglo-Saxon poetry was memorised and performed as entertainment at feasts, with a musical accompaniment. Click the image to find out more about old English poems, then have a go at composing your own ballad fit for a king!
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Feasts and famine
Lots of the foods that the Anglo-Saxons ate were made from farmed crops. If the harvests failed, people couldn’t go to a shop to buy food like we can today! Which of the above foods could they eat if there was a bad harvest?
