I believe modern oatcakes have flour in to prevent crumbling. You could try the Stafford oat cake, which seems to be* a pancake made with part flour and part fine oatmeal. The modern ones are so holey that they must contain a raising agent, but I don't know whether this is yeast or bicarb. * I like ...

Beautiful.

What fantastic clothes and photos! Is that one Bonnacon, butlering?
I really love the ones taken in the church. Is this an established group, or a group of friends with really good kit?

And Flash is happily settled these days too.

Beautiful photos Jolynn!

MacSweeney Galloglas. I was there at its birth, for about 6 years(?) and it carried on for quite a while after I moved on to the Tudors. I did the exponential learning thing within this group, from blankets and woad through to almost Fed standard. I am delighted to have recently joined the Fitzgeral...

Following a slightly p*ssed but rather wonderful singing session at Avoncroft, I have managed to find the middle English lyrics to 'I had a sustre...' (modernised as 'Peri meri dixie domine'), but not the tune. I also can't find the Savile company monk-type singing bloke who I meant to swap details ...

Can I just say that Jackie showed me her copy of the men's clothing guide, and it is a thing of beauty and a joy to peruse. Thanks guys!

Iron Dwarf- and it was Bucket doing the pouring from the bucket too...that was an interesting episode, lucky we happened to have a giant around to act as fireBucket.
ETA- he is quite useful and I think he's a bit beautiful, specially in his banyan.

I can second Tinker's Tailor. Lovely people and very good prices. They also trade as Arum Lillie Designs.

I actually think that I love all of you, even Mr Doesn't Know Me! (I do have a frock which I bought off've Auntie Alice last year and which is just big enough to go on on top of my male kit if any organiseur were to get snarky. I trialled it at Richmond because it was bloody cold and the extra layer...

I have some terrible news for you, Mr Steenie. I fear that your Lloyds horse may have a condition that is known in that trade as, 'being plastic'. While he will retain his youthful good looks indefinitely, he will be no good whatsoever for riding and may succumb to Dust. As far as piebalds are conce...

Hello. Um. I commentate at some events, and because I quite passionately hate female kit in WOTR as it looks on me, cos I is up and down skinny, I cross-dress to do so. I have good bloke's soft kit because I fight. However, I do worry about the public looking at me and going, 'that boy has a woman's...

Winter drawers onnnn!
Merry Wintermas to you too, chap.x

You all look brilliant!
Still sad that we couldn't make it. I look forward to C18th fun and frolics next year, and the unveiling of Tarquin Farquar XXXIII.

Madam Catherine the (brothel) Respectable Tavern Keeper, by Appointment to His King-Across-the-Water-ness, Bonnie Prince Charlie.

There's an old established and well respected mediaeval group close to you, called the Tudor household. I'm not sure if they're recruiting but they are well worth a google, on the offchance. They have a group total of a million* years of re-enacment experience, and what they don't know ain't worth k...

I think that the trader is Tony, of Celtic Moon. His blades tend to be good, I've had a spear and glaive from him which are both still going strong years on. As far as man-at-arms goes, either a straightforward spear or something which could concievably have been an agricultural implement would fit ...

We had a similar issue- when the stepfiends were much smaller Bucket did make them brogue-style shoes as an emergency measure-we figured that even if wrong would look better than trainers with kit (we didn't have the kids with us when the shoes were being made, which was the problem.) Later he made ...

I have no time for hangers-on at any event (except for the bored teenagers who aren't allowed to stay home alone yet), however at an event as large as Tewks providing you do something positive to contribute to the spectacle, I believe that you have as much right to participate in the camping and fes...

Thomas is correct on the long muster, nobody's fault. A MOP had to be ambulanced off from the crowd IIRC, so we had to wait until that had happened safely. The battle was long (hoorah!). If the muster had been the normal length of time this wouldn't have been a problem, as it was a lot of us suffere...

Wow. Numbers 40, 42 and 72 are amazing, and I really like the sequences- the stocky man getting a drink and chatting up the girl, the men being drunken sillybuggers...it looks fantastic!

Not being one for either faff or women's clothes all that often, when I do go female the easiest hair covering is a linen or (as mine is) very fine wool scarf covering the hair and twisted at the nape of the neck, with the ends (and plait in my case) then twisted and coiled around the head and tucke...

Interesting point raised by Matt- I inherited a cavalry sabre when my Dad died. Being who I am I had a few little swings with it in the back garden. The difference between a re-enactment blade and a live sword is extraordinary. I understand why 'real' swords are called 'live' now. To add to the Kove...

Mr Binns if you can afford Armourclass Kovex (although I have had one of theirs break, just out of guarantee, aargh). I currently have an Armourclass single hander and am ecstatically happy with it. It's light weight and well balanced.The Kovex bastard sword was lush too. Oh, and plus one to IronHea...

Why did you want to know, Jane? We're so far removed, I don't believe we'll ever know. We know it wasn't commonplace, which is good enough reason -for me- to portray a man in order to get my fighting jollies. Doesn't mean I don't respect Jake, Ruth, Zara etc who are happy enough with the evidence th...

This may be wayyy wide of the mark, but had you thought of some of the milk substitutes on the market, transferred from carton to suitabule vessel onsite. I'm thinking of the rice-dream, oatly, soya cream type things with a drop of proper almond essence added. The soya cream may split - one risk. I'...

Great photo J...thanks for that!

That and the fact that a well cut riding habit of this era is impossibly sexy...(There's one in the v and A which I covet.)

Amazing kit! Nice to see it. And welcome!

Where is Bonnacon and what have you done to him?!


Seriously, you look 20 years younger! Well done that man (and lady).

Nicky N being the tall, lively lass who was at Kelmarsh?