Uhtred’s Feast: Inside the World of The Last Kingdom
Experience the Anglo-Saxon world during the Dark Ages when a united Britain was but a dream in the midst of ongoing conflict with the invading Danes. Uhtred’s Feast by Bernard Cornwell with chef Suzanne Pollak offers a rare glimpse into the culture and cuisine of the society. The book is structured in three parts which are entitled: 1) Home, 2) Land and Water, and 3) Storage. Each part is further divided into categories of historical background, recipes, and a scene of Uhtred at various stages throughout his life.
The historical background of the Anglo-Saxon rural community provides insight on challenges farmers faced growing crops and managing animals such as pigs, sheep, chickens, and cows to sustain themselves and to pay “food rent” to the local lord. The recipes are based on meat and plants that were readily available. Recipes include smoked pig’s head, juniper-spaced boar meatballs, and foraged mushroom omelette. The short story told in each part is a bonus that gives the reader a flavor of Cornwell’s beloved Last Kingdom series.
For anyone interested in trying a recipe from the Dark Ages, Uhtred’s Feast offers a sundry of recipes for a celebration steeped in rich traditions and engaging tales about a pagan warrior’s first victory in childhood, his relationship to the Christian King Alfred, and a battle in his later years.
