Ljyoung

Our family will be visiting the UK in July 2004. We think we might want to experience a "medieval banquet". We may be crazy but does anyone know of any locations for this? Any input is really appreciated.......

BrimhamRocks

What part of the UK will you be visiting, exactly? Unless you narrow it down for us a bit, that's a whole lot of geography to cover.

Let us know where in the UK you'll be, and then you'll probably get some great suggestions!

Anonymous

In the London aera, we enjoyed the event at Hatfield House; it's held in the very hall where Queen Elizabeth I held her first council meeting.

Ljyoung

Thanks much for the info. At this point I am looking at staying in North Wales and thought we would take in the banquet in Ruthin. If we opted to stay somewhere other than Ruthin ( i.e., Conwy ), I wondered if there might be another location in the Highlands of Scotland or somewhere near Durham. Thanks again.....

BrimhamRocks

Lumley Castle, near Chester-le-Street in County Durham, has an Elizabethan Banguet that might fit your bill. Looking on the website's list of events for this year (they don't have events posted for next year, yet), I see that the banquet took place throughout July and other months, too.

From the website:

"Elizabethan Banquet

Step straight into the pages of Elizabethan history and savour a unique atmosphere that has been centuries in the making.

The year is 1591 and you are invited to attend the grand banquet of Sir John Lumley.

Armed only with a dagger and a bib you will be served five courses of delicious food within the authentic candlelit surroundings of the Great Baron`s Hall. Throughout the feasting banquet maids will fill your goblets with mead and wine while entertaining you with song, dance and sketches.

Come live like Lords and Ladies and experience a night out you will never forget.

The offer includes:

Five course banquet
Full cast of actors and musicians
Disco until the early hours

FIVE COURSE MENU
First Remove - BARON`S BROSE
Homemade vegetable soup served with wholemeal bread
*****
Second Remove - FYSHE WITH POTATO
Fish with creamed potato, topped with cheese served in a scallop shell
*****
Third Remove - SPARE RIBS
Succulent ribs cooked in a red wine sauce with herbs
*****
Fourth Remove - CHECKYN IN MEAD
Chicken cooked in mead sauce, jacket potato, salad and basil butter
*****
Fifth Remove - CRUMBLE
A delight to end your repast
*****
Two goblets of Mead and Red Wine

Vegetarian Option Available - Prior Booking is Required

Price: £26.50 per person "


http://www.lumleycastle.com/

BrimhamRocks

Darn fingers....not Banguet. Banquet!

Anonymous

I must admit, the banquet at Hatfield is less authentic -- regular silverware, no daggers, no bibs. They do, however, have serving wenches.

Godfrey26

Hi
Try WWW.medievalbanquet.5pm.co.uk,they are located in St Katherines Dock,drumsticks throw from the Tower of London.

Ljyoung

BrimhamRocks: Thank you. I made it to the same site. Looks interesting - I think I saw where the banquet is held only on the weekends but I will look into it. I wonder if anyone has been to this one or the one in Ruthin? I'm also kind of guessing that they are a bit like a Hawaiian luau in their own right!
Thanks again.......

Ljyoung

Somehow I missed you Anonymous and Godfrey26. Thanks for your notes. They inspired me to wonder ( the wench part ) if one of these events would be appropriate for children ages 9 & 13. Keep in mind, our children have been far from sheltered from life's realities, whether present-day or otherwise - but I'm just wondering....

BrimhamRocks

I went to my first medieval banquet when I was 10 years old. That was in the States, but I still can remember how much I enjoyed it. I remember the musicians playing period instruments, the jesters, the magicians, the food, the announcements from the head of the table, the costumes, the candles....and how messy I got because we didn't have all the modern day silverware. But I had a wonderful time, and I bet your kids would too!

xyz123

The banquet at Katherines Dock sucks big time. Don't throw your money away.

The one at Hatfield House is far superior but there is a big however...

Getting there is problematic. Apparently you can take a main line train there without that much trouble but going back at 11 PM is cutting it too close.

Also until last year, Evan Evans and Frames Rickard ran a tour bus to it for around £50 including transport and admission; a little pricey but they're not running that anymore so it looks like you're on your own getting there but it was really a fabulous banquet.

Anonymous

Don't worry about the serving wenches being inappropriate, they were not what you're apparently thinking. The guys did find them attractive, but I had no problem taking kids.

If you're worried about a few serving wenches, perhaps you're not ready for Elizabethan-style comedy. Plenty of double-entendres and quite a few, um, single-entendres.

Check out their site for a look at the wenches, and perhaps you can contact them to find transport; sorry I can't help, we had the use of a car. The train station is indeed right across from the end of the grounds' drive (no coincidence, according to local lore) but the event we attended did run long.

dugi_otok

My wife and I went to the Ruthin Castle medieval banquet and had a blast. We were made king and queen of the banquet probably because we were staying at Ruthin Castle ( it is a hotel). On that day we arrived in London on a flight from Los Angeles, drove to the castle with a stop in Snowshill in the Cotswolds, arriving in Ruthlin just in time for the 8PM banquet.
The banquet is a tasteful trip into the bawdy Welsh past. You start out with a chunk of bread dipped in salt to "guarantee your safety".The MC seats you and the evening of food, drink, and music rolls gaily on. Harp music, angelic singing, wenches serving mead, spiced wine,four hearty traditional courses eaten with your fingers and a dagger, bibs, candlelight, pewter goblets, and lots of entertainment including insults slung at the Irish, Scots, English, and even us brash colonists.
A good time was had by all. We were glad that we could make it back to our room without leaving the castle.

sbenz

We also plan to attend the Ruthin Banquet but are unsure if we should stay at the hotel. It has had mixed reviews. Also, Do you know how long it should take to drive from Bath to Ruthin.

dugi_otok

sbenz
The drive from Bath to Ruthin is about 175 miles and should take you about 4 hours.

Ljyoung

All wonderful feed-back.Great stories. Thank you. We're in for sure ( wenches and all!! ). I'm ready for the fun and to get my face and hands all messed -up. I know my kids will want to do the same. Who knows, maybe we'll do it in Ruthin and Durham! We will have a car so no problems. As sbenz wonders - how is the hotel (Ruthin Castle )? It sounded like dugi-otok found it pleasurable.