Tudor Monastery Farm: Coming to BBC2

tombear

On a new journey
Jul 9, 2004
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Rossendale, Lancashire
I will not be commenting on her rush dipping as Red knows where I live....

(Reading the book I'm pretty sure it doesn't mention soaking them for 24hrs)

ATB

Tom
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
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<chuckle>

I'll enjoy it anyway - to be fair she rarely seems to mind struggling with new tasks or of laughing at herself
 

Eragon21

Full Member
May 30, 2009
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Aberdare
I am really looking forward to this the stuff they have done in the pasdt has been very informative and really enjoyable
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
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I will not be commenting on her rush dipping as Red knows where I live....


Tom

I wish you would....and tell me ...was that a sectional cast iron pot rendering the fat or was it a copper pot with lots of soot and seasoning? It doesn't matter much and the shape looked right...but it was very black...would there have been cast iron posts pre Darby? They know more than me so I must be wrong?
 

tombear

On a new journey
Jul 9, 2004
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Rossendale, Lancashire
Ok, the quick bit first, although the shape and the thinness of the walls screams post Darby they did have cast iron cauldrons in the 16 th C According to Lindsay anyway. I can live with that.

The segment on rushlights was somewhat lacking, she omitted the important soaking period which makes the stripping much easier and the leaving them out to bleach and dry out once pealed. In the time devoted to this segment she could have easily shown the correct way. I also vaguely remember her saying the strip of skin you leave on acted as a wick, which would have been nonsense as it acts just as a support for the fat soaked pith. In fact to decrease the size of the flame and extend the burn time you leave two strips on to make what was called a watch light. There was a implication that they were done as and when you has fat spare and they were used all year round. For a good part of the year you just didn't need any lighting, the sun was up before you and you were in bed before it went dark to be up early to work. Also most folk would only have a surplus of fat when they were culling the animals you weren't keeping over the winter, which was also the time you'd be needing the lighting. The longer they were stored the more they degrade and the more chance there was of the insects and mice getting to them. They could have found her a proper gresset to use rather than a frying pan. I'd love to commission one for myself but Christmas is coming and ill be skint until spring ( three sons ).

apart from that , what a fantastic show, I loved it to bits! Can't wait for the next!

atb

Tom
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
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Thanks Tom - I was curious on the pot as the shape was so like the copper ones I have seen - but the colour looked wrong!
 

Rod Paradise

Full Member
Oct 16, 2008
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Upper Nithsdale, Dumfriesshire
They could have found her a proper gresset to use rather than a frying pan. I'd love to commission one for myself but Christmas is coming and ill be skint until spring ( three sons ).

apart from that , what a fantastic show, I loved it to bits! Can't wait for the next!

atb

Tom


I tried googling a gresset & couldn't find anything Tom, could you explain please?
:confused:
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
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I tried googling a gresset & couldn't find anything Tom, could you explain please?
:confused:

One of these Rod

gresset1.jpg
 

tombear

On a new journey
Jul 9, 2004
4,494
556
55
Rossendale, Lancashire
If anyone's I interested I took pics and dimensions of a lot of gressets when we were last in South Wales. I got into the reserve collection at St Fagans and went snap happy. Unfortunately I can't put them up as one of the conditions of taking them was they wouldn't be published, they insist on taking the pics themselves for that but I can e-mail them if any metal beaters want to see them.

This ones more typical

http://pilgrim.ceredigion.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1784

I've been using one of those 1970s stainless steel boat shaped serving dishes, I'd like something authentic one day to do demonstrations.

atb

tom
 
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Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
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Scotland
Now that's what I call a pan! I seem to have developed a bit of a heavy metal cooking fixation over the last few years and that's a corker, purely base-camp though I think.
Not seen the program but they're usually excellent.
 

Stringmaker

Native
Sep 6, 2010
1,891
1
UK
Now that's what I call a pan! I seem to have developed a bit of a heavy metal cooking fixation over the last few years and that's a corker, purely base-camp though I think.
Not seen the program but they're usually excellent.

I was just thinking of the size of bannock you could prepare in that...
 

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