[Sca-cooks] Help!

[Christina Nevin]

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Hi everyone!
(yes, I'm still here, just been very quiet and lurking the last few months)
Anyway, I have had the honour of being asked to be Head Cook for the feast
at the Kingdom of Drachenwald's 10th Year Celebration which combines with
Coronation this June 21st (which also happens to be the longest day of the
year - a somewhat perturbing omen [grin]).

This will be the biggest event we've ever held in Drachenwald, and is being
hosted at a very lovely castle in Germany, outside Dusseldorf (see
http://www.drachenwald.sca.org/events/dtyc/index.htm
<http://www.drachenwald.sca.org/events/dtyc/index.htm>  for details). This
however, leads to unique problems, firstly it's in a different country to
me, but the main one being there is NO kitchen and we are estimating a feast
attendance of 350 (which is about 200 more than I've ever catered for
before. eep.)

We are having to rent a field (caravan) kitchen. The one we're hiring comes
from the German Version of the Red Cross, I think it's called the White
Cross/Weiss Kruez (no, I'm not talking anime here) and is accompanied by a
volunteer Cook and Assistant/s. As yet, I am uncertain how much they are
prepared to let us run the kitchen, although they have agreed to letting us
supply the menu recipes, so this means possibly the people mostly preparing
food which must be cooked on the day will be non-SCA and non-medieval food
people.

I plan to do three courses. I have already been given the names of a couple
of caterers for poached trout and roast chicken, so it looks like the meat
dishes will be that, with some sauces, although we are also considering a
spit beast (although that brings up the difficulty of carving).

What I would like to know, from all you people who have been in similar
circumstances/run large feasts, is what recipes you recommend for a
situation like this.
What have you found works well?
What doesn't?
(I have already scotched anything that requires setting or custardisation)
Are there any tips you can give me that you would have dearly liked to know
beforehand?
Anything else?

MTIA for any advice.

ciao
Lucrezia

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lady Lucrezia-Isabella di Freccia | mka Tina Nevin
Thamesreach Shire, Insula Draconis, Drachenwald | London, UK
http://www.thorngrove.net | thorngrove at thorngrove.net
"There is no doubt that great leaders prefer hard drinkers
to good versifiers." Aretino 1536
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