Lat year I did a 6 course meal for a friends birthday using the recipes from Hampton Court Palace from around 1599, i.e. when my house was originally built. The first thing I had to do was translate them into something like modern English, then work out what on earth they were telling me to do. Fantastic. The meal took about 3 days to prepare as I did it all without using modern methods as far as possible. All the spices and herbs had to be ground in a mortar and pestle and mixed accordingly. I suppose I am lucky as I still have 'shelves' or boxes about 18 inches square, in my granite walls, which are lined with slate and keep things cool, even in the hottest day in the kitchen [excellent for keeping beer in!]. Time consuming it was and although the food was not a highly coloured [I don't mean added colours just natural ones] as modern food tends to be, the taste was superb. The house smelled how I believe it would have done when it was first built. It really is worthwhile finding out very old recipes and trying them out. It might be time consuming but you get fabulous recipes in the end, e.g. I now have a really good recipe for whole duck, rubbed with a mixture of aromatic spices and served with a sauce which includes port, fresh raspberries and jelly! So, persevere and if you need any help pm me and I'll do what I can to answer your questions.. or do we just have an 'aunty cats recipes and coking tips' thread!!!!