The Installation of Archbishop Neville’s Feast
September 1465
Showcase your immense wealth and power . . . then maybe don’t get arrested.
The History
Living High on the Hog
Held at Cawood Castle near York, this feast lasted for many days and involved an unfathomable amount of food. There was no doubt that the appointment of George Neville as archbishop of York called for something spectacular. With 6,000 guests in attendance, the inventory of food served was quite extensive. George Nevill was richer than God and sought to prove it. The feast was a display of all his earthly riches and heavenly power.
George Neville (1432–1476) was the Archbishop of York and Chancellor of England. He was the youngest son of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, and Alice Neville, 5th Countess of Salisbury. His brother, Richard Neville, the 16th Earl of Warwick, was well-known throughout the land and was nicknamed “The Kingmaker.” Reading all these stuffy titles makes us hungry, though perhaps not for peacock, swan, or porpoise.
Richard III (then the duke of Gloucester) was one of the many in attendance. George’s nieces were also present: Isabel, who later married the duke of Clarence, and Anne, who went on to marry Richard III. This proved to be the beginning of George’s downfall in later years—he presided over the weddings of both of his nieces, which caused him to fall into disfavor with the House of York. At the Battle of Barnett (a big moment in the Wars of the Roses), the earl of Warwick, George’s brother Richard Neville, was killed, and George was taken prisoner. He was eventually released, shortly before he died in 1476.
Clearly, money isn’t everything.
The following is a list of the food consumed at the feast:
From De Nova Villa: or The House of Nevill in Sunshine and Shade by Henry J. Swallow, 1885
Wheat: 300 quarters
Ale: 300 tuns
Wines: 100 tuns
Ipocrass (cordial wine flavored with spices): 1 pipe (a “pipe” = a half ton)
Oxen: 104
Wild bulls: 6
Muttons: 1,000
Veals: 304
Porkes: 304
Swanns: 400
Kidds: 204
Cranes: 204
Chickens: 2,000
Pigeons: 2,000
Connies: 4,000
Heronshaws (young heron): 400
Pheasants: 200
Partridges: 500
Woodcocks: 400
Curliews (large bird from sandpiper family): 100
Egrits: 1,000
Cappons: 1,000
Geese: 2,000
Piggs: 2,000
Plovers: 400
Quailes: 1,200
Rees (female sandpipers): 2,400
Peacocks: 104
Mallards and teals: 4,000
Staggs, bucks, and roes: 500
Cold pastries of venison: 4,000
Parted dishes of jellies: 1,000
Plain dishes of jellies: 3,000
Cold baked tarts: 4,000
Baked cold custards: 3,000
Hot pastries of venison: 1,500
Hot custards: 2,000
Pikes and breams: 308
Porpoises and seals: 12
Spices, sugared delicates, and wafers: Plenty
“Swimming against the Tide” Salmon Pie with Parsnip Mash
Neville’s conflicted loyalty lying in pastry.
Ingredients
Poaching liquid (this is what we used, but this is where you can customize according to taste)
3 cups water
2 cups mead
1 carrot, sliced
1 celery, sliced
2–3 pieces fresh sage
½ medium onion, quartered
1 lemon, sliced
1½ lb skinless salmon filets
4 leeks
4 Tbsp butter, unsalted
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 eggs
1 cup, plus 4 tablespoons, heavy cream
2 tsp salt, plus more for taste
1 tsp pepper, plus more for taste
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp lemon zest
2 lb parsnips, peeled and sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 rounds Sandland Savory Piecrust (if you are using our recipe on page 18; if not your recipe should include enough dough for a deep-dish pie)
Directions
Poaching:
• In a medium saucepan, add water, mead, carrot, celery, sage, onion, and lemon. Boil on medium-high heat.
• While waiting for the mixture to boil, generously season salmon with salt and pepper.
• Once the mixture hits a boiling point, gently lay the salmon filets into the water. Lower the heat to medium. Depending on the thickness, the salmon should be cooked in 5–8 minutes.
• Remove the salmon and place into a bowl. Once slightly cooled, flake the salmon with a fork. Discard remaining mixture.
Rinse and trim leeks, removing root ends and dark green leaves. Slice the remaining vegetable into ½-inch rings. Soak the leeks in a bowl of cold water for 10–15 minutes and then drain. Set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a sauté pan, on medium heat. Add the cloves of garlic and fry until fragrant. Add the drained leeks and sauté until soft. Remove from heat and cool.
In a large bowl, add flaked salmon, 1 egg, 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, coriander, and lemon zest. Mix, then add the cooled garlic and leeks. Gently incorporate.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Fill a large pan with salted water and bring to a boil. Add parsnips, and lower heat to medium and simmer.
While the parsnips are cooking, line a deep-dish pan with one round of the savory pastry dough. Both pieces of dough should be flattened out on a flour surface to ensure that it the dough is even and can fit your pan. Pour the salmon mixture over the dough in the deep dish.
Once the parsnips are soft, remove from heat and drain. Add the parsnips to your food processor, along with 1 teaspoon of salt, 4 tablespoons of heavy cream, and 2 tablespoons of butter.
Whip until the vegetables resemble mashed potatoes. Add the parsnip mash to the top of the salmon mixture. Finish the pie by adding the second dough round to the top.
The dough should overlap the pan a bit. Cut away the excess while pinching the top dough layer to the bottom dough layer. Finish the pie by brushing the top with the remaining egg (whisked).
Cook for approximately 30 minutes, or until the top is golden.
A savory pie fit for a king, or, uh, archbishop. Or both.
Ingredients
1½ lb chicken thighs
4 pieces fresh sage
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 fennel bulb; peeled, sliced, cored, and with greens removed
1 large onion, diced
7 eggs
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
9-inch piecrust (Sandland Savory Piecrust on page 18 is preferred, but you can use store-bought piecrust)
Directions
Partially poach the chicken in water with 2 whole pieces of sage. Once chicken is partially cooked, remove from the stove top, let cool, and chop into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
In a sauté pan, heat a coating of olive oil. Add the garlic first and fry until fragrant, followed by the fennel and onion. Once soft, remove the vegetables and set aside.
Preheat the oven at 400°F. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and whisk. Add the cooled chicken and vegetables (if your chicken is too hot it will cook the eggs too quickly). Next, add the ginger, salt, and pepper. Fully incorporate and pour the mixture into the pie shell.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
