Historical Events & Demonstrations

Tastes of History for All

As food historians, our knowledge covers some 4,500 years. From Stonehenge in 2,500 BC to Britain at war in the 1940s, Tastes Of History delivers cooking demonstrations, practical cookery workshops and presentations to audiences across Great Britain.

Our cooking demonstrations provide a place for visitors to gather and learn about the foods available in the past, the diets of rich and poor, cooking techniques, the preparation of dishes faithful to recipes each historical period, and the opportunity to sample the result.

Each demonstration is a mini cooking class where, hopefully, your visitors will learn something new. Throughout any event we aim to challenge peoples' perceptions and actively encourage questions from our audience.

What we offer

At each event Tastes Of History's themed displays aim to:

Explain the history of food in each historical period;

Contrast ancient and modern culinary techniques;

Provide information boards on aspects of a period's agriculture, farming and trade;

Practically demonstrate cooking methods;

Permit visitors a chance to sample prepared dishes (n.b. food will not be for sale).

For more information, click on the links opposite (scroll down for more themes)

School Parties

Some events are specifically aimed at schools or other education providers. So, where children are involved, we tailor our history demonstrations to support, primarily, Key Stages 1 and 2 of the national curriculum. To that end:

Using reconstruction, we aim to show how British society was affected and shaped by the introduction to Britain of many of the foods we are familiar with today.

We adopt 'personae' from the period being demonstrated, explaining how we came by our character names. This we hope creates a tangible link to the past so children can better understand the ideas, beliefs, attitudes and experiences of ordinary men, women and children in Britain.

By adopting 'real' characters we are better able to demonstrate the social, cultural, religious and ethnic diversity of society, in Britain and the wider world. In so doing, we can identify and describe the reasons for, and the results of, historical events, situations, and changes through time.

The Practicalities

Given that the cooking would be performed using charcoal or wood fires for the historically 'authentic' feel, a living history tent would be erected on site. This would be complete with all the equipment needed to deliver practical demonstrations together with displays of foodstuffs and educational aids. Certificates of Public Liability Insurance, Risk Assessments and Food Hygiene would be available on request.

What we provide...

Our typical demonstration area includes a tented cooking/sampling space with up to three tables and a cook top. One table is used for the actual demonstration and presentation, one as a preparation station, and the last for the miscellaneous supplies and Hand Washing Station. In addition we will provide:

Sanitisation station;

Fire extinguisher;

First aid kit;

All knives, pots, pans and other cooking utensils;

Dedicated chopping boards;

Food covers;

Serving bowls and utensils;

All ingredients;

Plates, napkins, plastic ware, etc. appropriate for sampling each dish.

The preparation and handling of foods will adhere with the guidelines for food safety and hygiene. Many of the food safety standards, however, are written for full time retail food service establishments and may not be applicable to our demonstration. Regardless, we do possess the requisite risk assessments, food hygiene and handling certification to enable your visitors to sample foods free of charge.

What we need from you...

Did you know that transporting a lot of water is heavy? One litre of water weighs 1 kilogramme, and we can use up to 50 litres per day for cooking, drinking and for hygiene purposes. All that extra weight adds to our load which, in turn, reduces our fuel economy. To reduce costs, a source of drinking water, preferably from a nearby tap, is essential at each venue. Bottled water is clearly an acceptable alternative.

To create an area for the comfort of the visitors as they enjoy the demonstration, we would ask you consider erecting a second canopy to provide sun and rain protection.

Together...

Before and during an event we will work together to ensure food sampling is allowable while at the same time ensuring hygiene standards and the safety of your visitors.

For more information, click on the links opposite (scroll up for more themes)

Themes: