Anglo-Saxon Food

enjoyed, The Anglo-Saxons ate quite simply.

People ate course bread which they baked

themselves, and soft cheeses made from goat’s milk.

In the winter time when food for everyone was

scarce, the weakest of the farm animals would be

killed. The meat would be preserved by smoking it

over a fire, or salting it.

Salting was a very common way of preserving food,

and as well as meat, fish, peas and beans would be

salted too.

Salt was very expensive as it was hard to produce.

In Anglo-Saxon times salt came from the coast or

from salt-pans at Droitwich. These belonged to the

King who then sold the salt around the country.

Mead made from honey, and ale made from barley

were the main drinks in Saxon times, especially on

feast days when everyone gathered in the Lord’s

Hall.

The harvest was a time when everyone celebrated.

Boar’s meat and venison would have been eaten as

a treat. It would have made a tasty change to bread

and cheese.