SC - Holidays, Lurking, Gifts, Etc.

[Gwendolen Lambert]

Greetings:

I was in Scotland and England for the past couple of weeks for the
holidays, and am finally catching up with all the emails this list
generates (besides trying to fight the jet lag).  I brought back all my
favorite goodies, including a dozen or more boxes of tea; digestive
biscuits, packets of bread sauce mix, haggis, heather honey, shortbread (of
course), oatcakes and Cadbury's chocolate, just to name a few things.  I
found this really neat teapot, that pictures Henry VIII and his wives; it's
shaped like a crown on top.  The costuming on it is beautiful as well.

 I had asked for a food dehydrator for Yule, but I guess it was considered
too peculiar of a gift and didn't receive it.  I suppose the only "cooking"
gift I received were new potholders (whoopeeeeee) *lol*  OT,  I did,
however, receive "the bible" of late period costuming, "Queen Elizabeth's
Wardrobe Unlocked" which I have wanted for a long time.  Given the choice,
I'm glad I got the book!

 I'm a lurker too, but every  now and then I will post a query.  Although I
am a talented cook (so I've been told), I joined this list to further
educate myself about period foods and recipes.  I find the information
contributed to be very valuable.  I am going to enter my first cooking dish
into an A&S competition this month.

A question for the group:  While in Europe, in discussing medieval history
with a very well educated historian, he questioned me as to what utensils I
eat with during feast.  I explained them; a two prong fork, a spoon and
knife.  He was quick to chastise me in saying that forks were not used in
the middle ages; but rather only a knife and a spoon.  One side of the
knife was used to scrape the food from the plate onto a spoon, or it was
eaten directly off the knife.  I was under the impression that a two prong
fork was introduced in early middle ages.  Can anyone verify this
information with sources?

Lady Gwendolen Lambert
Canton of Forestgate/East Kingdom