From Routine to Ritual: London Feasting in the 16th and 17th Century

About

Hazel Forsyth, Senior Curator at the Museum of London, explores the eating habits of early modern Londoners from simple ale-house and tavern fare to lavish feasts in Livery Company Halls.

Contrary to popular belief, research tells us that eating out and buying ready meals has been a fundamental part of London life for hundreds of years. In the past, Londoners had limited or no cooking facilities in their homes so had to rely on taverns, cookshops, stalls and hucksters for their sustenance; others chose to eat out for convenience and pleasure. 

Drawing on the richness of contemporary evidence, including an unpublished 16th century Feast Book, Hazel Forsyth will reference silver items displayed in the Made for the Table exhibition and will explore the eating habits of early modern Londoners.

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This talk has been curated as part of the exhibition Made for the Table.

Hazel Forsyth is the Senior Curator of the Medieval and Post-Medieval Collections at the Museum of London. She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries; a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; a Freeman of the City of London; a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths' and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Pewterers'.  She has worked on numerous exhibitions in this country and abroad and has published widely on a range of subjects. Her most recent publications include a catalogue of the Museum of London’s pewter collection (the largest in the public domain) and a study of domestic and corporate loss in the Great Fire of London.  

Image: Museum of London Collection (accession 47.62) with London hallmarks and date letter for 1562 (the cover later)