In 2022 three of our Warwick Classics students [Jaya Sepion-Earp (below right), Samuel Pollard, and Elizabeth Noak] created a Roman Cookery Workshop as part of their group project for the module Public Engagement in Classics. Their aim was to create a workshop that could be led by Warwick students at on-campus events and in local schools, or could be loaned to local schools for them to run themselves.

Rhianna Pike and Jaya Sepion-Earp running the workshop at the April 2022 Resonate Festival at Warwick University

The students purchased some Roman replica pottery from Potted History (below) to add a touch of authenticity to the workshop, and adapted recipes fromThe Classical Cookbookby byAndrew Dalby and Sally Grainger. We would like to thank the Warwick Food GRP for their generous funding which made this project possible.

Recipes included 'Athenian cabbage', 'Celery puree', 'honeyed mushrooms' (the dish that apparently poisoned the Emperor Claudius - no problems with our recipe though), 'Vitellian peas', and 'melon and garum'

Bringing the Workshops to Schools

Following this ambitious start up, the format of the workshop has been modified and simplified to allow it to be easily brought into schools without the neccessity of preparing food on site or of involving pupils in the preparation of the dishes. We have discovered a range of foods which can be pre-prepared and brought in to give pupils the experience and tastes of Roman cooking, some examples of which are on our recipe page.

Want your school to taste some Roman Food?

If you are interested in the Roman Cookery Workshop visiting your school, get in touch with Dr Paul Grigsby.

Feast!

The Roman Cookery Workshop was developed as part of the Warwick Food GRP. As part of this project, lecturers from the Department of Classics and Ancient History here at Warwick recorded a series of videos all about feasting in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds.

Feast Videos

You can follow the link here to watch our special videos on all manner of things food and drink related, from making wine, feasting with gods, through to Roman banquets and the music of feasting. Enjoy!