Pottage was a staple food of the British diet throughout at least the last thousand years, and whilst it declined in popularity during the eighteenthcentury people still eat it today. Pottage is a catchall term for a range of dishes made of boiled fruit, vegetables and cereals, sometimes with meat or fish, sweet as well as savoury, which vary in consistency from a soup to a stew.

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This pottage was made with the ingredients in my cupboard which were available in medieval Britain (or possibly Sicily) and made for a tasty meal. Be warned though – it took nearly a week for me to eat all of this, so its best to make a bigger batch for a hungry horde! The recipe is below if you want to follow on, along with a couple of other suggestions.

Please do forgive the shoddy camera work, wonky audio and very variable production values, this was my first ‘proper’ video and I think it shows. I promise to do better in the future!

Ingredients:
3 medium sized white onions, diced
200g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1.2l (2 pints) vegetable stock
4 carrots, scrubbed and chopped
1 medium turnip, peeled and chopped
1 small parsnip, peeled and chopped
200g bulgur wheat
600ml (1 bottle) stout (Guinness Extra)
Seasoning (3 bay leaves, long pepper and rock salt to taste)

Method:
Prepare your ingredients
Fry onions gently over a medium heat
Add mushrooms once onions are soft, then add stock (more if you want a soup or broth, less if you want a thick stew), and simmer for about five minutes until mushrooms are cooked
Add carrots, parsnip, and turnip, stir and cover for 2030 minutes (until root vegetables are soft)
Once vegetables are cooked drain the wheat (if soaking) and add to the pot, stir in and add your liquid (stout in this case, but you can use more stock)
Prepare and add your seasoning, stir and cover for 3040 minutes until the wheat is cooked
Turn down the heat and check occasionally, stirring or adding more liquid as needed, until hungry
Serve and eat, I put pottage on a slice of bread and garnished/flavoured with rocket
Enjoy!

Pottage is very flexible, you can use whatever cereal or grain you have access to – even something such as cous cous or rice can make a sortof pottage, and if you are looking for a simple and filling meal then that can be perfect! If you are using rice do be very careful with storing and reheating.

Other ideas:
Breakfast pottage: if you are getting a bit bored of breakfast, why not try a savoury bacon pottage? Simply fry some onions in the bottom of a pan then, once soft, add sliced bacon or bacon pieces (vegetarians and vegans, there are some great faux bacon available which work brilliantly for this). Once cooked through add oats and water and cook it like you would porridge. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you are feeling excessive why not poach or fry an egg and have that nestled in the top. Yum!

Cabbage surprise: the surprise is how tasty cabbage is (and how much food there is in one!). Fry off some onions and garlic in olive oil, add sliced celery (and carrot if you fancy), you can add some beef or bacon if you would like (if it is not precooked add them at the start), then reduce the heat and simmer for five or so minutes. Add a couple of pints of stock and a finely sliced cabbage. Cover and cook away for 2030 minutes, until cooked through. If you want it thicker add barley with the cabbage, or blend to make a soup.

Further watching:
If you are interested in historic food, I would like to recommend some channels and playlists for you to explore and enjoy:
Pario Gallico, Ancient and Iron Age food and crafts    / @pariogallico  
Townsends, exploring 18th century life    / jastownsendandson  
English Heritage, the Victorian Way playlist    • The Victorian Way  

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