MEALS dating back over 200 years are to be recreated to mark the birthday of one of the oldest planned settlements in Scotland.
Visitors to Grantown 250: The Strathspey Seven Festivals which is being held to mark the laying of the first stone of the town in 1765 will be able to sample the delights from the period after historical documents were found listing what ingredients and produce were available.
At two specially planned events throughout the eight-day celebrations, people will be able to choose whether they want to lunch like a laird or picnic like a pauper.
Graeme Miller, head chef at the Craiglynne Hotel situated in the historic town has been tasked with designing the menus and explained he enjoyed the challenge.
“We have actually been planning this for a few months now. It has taken some research and we have had to hit the history books to learn about the food of the time to make sure that we are making this event and the meals that we are going to serve as authentic as possible. It’s been very interesting though and a pleasant challenge as history is something that fascinates me anyway.”
Graeme who has been head chef at the hotel for eight years added: “One of the most noticeable differences between then and now is that the people of that time did not waste as much as we do today. They would try to use everything off a piece of meat. One of the meals I will be doing is a pig cheek terrine for example, to illustrate that everything can be used.
Food back in the 18th century was very season dependant and would rely heavily on there being good weather in giving them a good harvest.
A lot of the spices we have nowadays were not available back then but I was very surprised to find out spices from the Far East such as nutmeg and cinnamon were beginning to take their place in the cook’s pantry. Citrus fruits were also making their way into Scotland although these commodities were for the very, very wealthy only.
To my reckoning food back then was looked after more because people knew where it came from, how it was grown and where. Nowadays you can pick a chicken up from the supermarket for a few pounds.”
Graeme added: “Making the Laird’s lunch was not too tricky as he had many of the same meats available to him that we have today but the pauper or peasants’ lunch has been a bit more tricky. They would have often just eaten porridge. They would have rarely had meat and when they did they would have just had the scrag ends or off cuts. We have had to tame down the peasants’ lunch a little as nobody would want to try it. However there will be a big difference between the laird’s meal and the pauper’s meal. The laird’s meal will be very opulent and the paupers’ lunch will just use much cheaper cuts of meat.”
He added: “The meals are going to be a fabulous event as not only will people get some wonderful meals, there will be stories about the history of the food and about crime and smuggling at the time.”
Bill Sadler of the Grantown Society who are organising the festival explained where the idea for the food related event came from: “The documents that have been used to recreate these wonderful menus are from a 1775 household book giving daily menus for dinner and supper at Castle Grant. They give a rare insight into the castle menus.
“Of course not everyone could eat like a lord and we shall also be providing a much more meagre fare. Not only was this a time of great poverty and famine it was also a time when punishments were harsh. Some of those stories found in the old Courtbooks of the Regality will be illustrated at the hotel along with tales of smuggling and the Grantown meal riots. Sir James Grant earned the title of the “Good Sir James” partly because of his work in attempting to reduce the suffering of those in dire poverty. He sold his Edinburgh mansion in order to buy meal for his people.”
Visit www.grantown250.org for more information.