Richard Fitch: We’re going to make quite a sweet dish – sack posset, or thick alcoholic pudding. The dish includes certain spices – some mace, cinnamon and nutmeg. These spices become more common the closer you come to the present day.

In the 15th century they would have been purely the preserve of the social elite. By the time we reach the mid-1600s they’re becoming more available to the town class.

SACK POSSET

4 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1/4 pint dry sherry
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground mace
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 pint single cream
3 oz sugar

Beat together the egg yolks, egg whites, sherry and spices, and gently heat in a large pan, stirring constantly, until warm, but still not thickened. Heat the cream and sugar together and as it rises to the full boil pour from a good height into the warm eggs and sherry mixture. Allow the posset to stand in a warm place for a few minutes, sprinkle a little sugar across its surface, and serve.

Gordon thinks this is the best thing he’s tasted all day! Inspired to find out more about herbs and their uses in cooking he visits the Chelsea Physic Garden to get the expert opinions of herbal pharmacologist Andrew Chevallier…

If you would like to more about the arts in general than have a look at course A103 Introduction to the Humanities

Andrew Chevallier is a lecturer on Herbal Medicine at Middlesex University. He is also a member of the National Institute of medical herbalists.

Andrew Chevallier: Food and herbs were very important in recipes at the time. All they had was their fields, their gardens – food and medicine went hand in hand, and people were using food and herbs to treat infection from Roman times right up to the middle ages. People then thought there were four humours which were responsible for health in the body – blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm. You stayed healthy as long as those four humours were in balance.

Gordon: So which herbs do what? Andrew, if I had an upset stomach, how would I have been treated?

Andrew Chevallier: That would be too much yellow or black bile. Globe artichoke is very good to protect the liver and lower blood fat levels. Sage is very good for digestion and helps to strengthen the stomach’s action.

Gordon: If I had a bad chest…coughs and colds?

Andrew Chevallier: Too much phlegm. Thyme is very good for the chest and soothes dry, irritating, tickly coughs. Garlic as everyone will know is a natural antibiotic and is very good for chest infections.

Gordon: What if I’m stressed out and uptight – not difficult in my job?

Andrew Chevallier: Hops are a good strong sedative. Rosemary is best known as a culinary plant these days – but its also a good invigorating tonic and promotes energy. If you’re full of nervous energy it’ll help you relax.

If you would like to find out more about the history of food you might try these suggestions :

Books you can read
"The Art of Dining", Sara Paston Williams, The National Trust, ISBN 0707803608

"Food and Cooking in 18th-Century Britain", Jane Renfrew, English Heritage, ISBN 1850745382

"Food and Feast in Medieval England", P.W Hammond, Sutton Publishing, ISBN 0750909927

"Herbs for Common Ailments", Anne McIntyre, Gaia Books, ISBN 1856750558

"The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses", Deni Brown, Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 0751302031

"English Herb Gardens", Guy Copper, Weindenfield & Nicolson General, ISBN 0297791311

Links You Can Surf

For more information on the Herb Society

For more information on medieval cooking and recipes
Also on this site : You can join Cherie Lunghi as she asks why are some foods so addictive? or join agriculturalist Sean Beer as he asks what do your food choices say about you?

If you think you might be interested in studying more about these subjects, find out what the Open University has to offer.

The BBC and the Open University are not responsible for the content of external websites

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Content last updated: 14/03/2005

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