A Thyme and Place: Medieval Feasts and Recipes for the Modern Table

Kudos to the author and illustrator! What an amazing cookbook. I thoroughly enjoy cooking and "A Thyme and Place" puts a whole new spin on it. From interesting historical perspectives too delicious dishes; this cookbook did not disappoint. There are so many interesting recipes that I never would have found surfing on the web. I also love how it introduced me to spices and food combinations I never tried before; it's a recipe book "outside of the box." My primary taste tester, Kenn, along with other guests I have whipped up these dishes for have RAVED about every one. I haven't had time to make each recipe, but let me personally recommend a few: Good Queen's Wassail....what a tasty and festive beverage; the Shrimp & Lobster dish puts a fresh spin on a traditional favorite, the cheese and egg soup was DELICIOUS, so was the Summer Wine....totally fun!!! Okay...2 more of note: Virile Chickpeas....so yummy and last but certainly not least....Cinnamon beef roast wrapped in heaven......enough said. If you enjoy cooking and trying different flavors; this cookbook is a MUST HAVE!

There is an interesting mix of flavors blended into dishes with modern easily obtainable ingredients. I'd love to try a number of these dishes for thanksgiving or Christmas, perhaps. Not for those looking for gluten free or low carbohydrate... But novel and although I haven't fact checked the history, filled with fun details about old holidays.

On the plus side: this assortment of updated medieval recipes is very accessible for modern cooks, both via ingredients, and appealing to modern tastes. On the minus side- that's part of the problem I had with it! If one changes damn near everything in adapting a recipe- To me, it's basically a new recipe, possibly "inspired by". They brag about not using things like a pig's head, various birds (some of which would be illegal, but one can buy squab/pigeons), and even suet in a suet pudding! The lore is interesting, but I am not sure I trust it; I know they got some things wrong, and so wonder about the rest. If you want a very accessible set of arguably medieval recipes, with possibly mythical lore, this is a good resource. it is fun! But if you are more interested in accurate food history- and possibly cooking some of it- you would probably be best advised to look elsewhere. Still- it is a fun book- and the recipes seem palatable to modern tastes and expectations, so there's that! I guess I would recommend it more for LARPing than for SCA.

A nice blending of recipes and history with a bit of humor mixed in.

Nice book well written that intersperses a bit of history between time honored recipes for paste, pies and puddings. All recipes can be tweaked and used for many different types of dishes. The section on the type of spices used in Medieval times as well as the emphasis on puddings and pudding fillings was also an eye-opener. Recommended

This book is so charming and delightful to read It's a glass of wine snuggled in a cozy chair read. But then you must pick a recipe to try! I brought Summer Wine and Lobster and Shrimp appetizer to a party and it was a huge hit! Cindy

I was hopeful that this would provide some real research and insight into modern adaptations of medieval cuisine. No so. Very basic and repetitive series of recipes that offer little for the imagination or palate.

This was a gift for my son-in-law who told me the recipes are great and he really likes all the bits of trivia included in the book. He is very much into medieval times, so I thought this would be a fun recipe book for him. He has even invited me to join him to make some of the recipes and told me that he and my daughter are going to use some of the recipes for holiday traditions.

I don’t know how many of the recipes I’ll ever use, but the stories about them are very interesting.

This is a fun book for anyone who wants a medieval flavour but it is not for the research savy historical re-enactor. I really enjoyed the soft illustrations scattered through-out the book. The recipes are well set out for even novice cooks with ingredients that you can get at any grocery store. For a few of the more obscure spices, just go to an East Indian shop or the international section in most major grocery stores. For the SCA purist, be warned: Potatoes poke their eyes out in this book. I really enjoyed the blurbs (I use this word respectfully to mean insightful but easy to read and understand) regarding the meanings behind the various feasts and times of year. Well suited for the modern day Pagan in your life.

It's an American take on a British idea (in my opinion). it loses itself and gets things wrong. Good try though

Was not what I expected.

Bad quality book, most recipes were completely changed from the original, it does not quote any sources, not a real history book.