Dwarf Tales

There are few things more important to a dwarf than food and when it comes to food there are few things more important than bread, meat , pickles and ale.

Don't get the wrong idea though because dwarfs are not just hulking meat eaters, that would be Orcs and to suggest such a thing to a dwarf would result in a terminal dispute, also known as bludfeud. Dwarfs are foodies and some of the recipes here reflect this fact to a certain point. That is not to say of course that they won't splodge out on a meat-fest in the grandest tradition: lamb and pork do down well, as does beef, ox, mutton, venison, elk, rabbit,chicken, duck, goose... well you get the picture. Suffice it to say that if it runs, swims or flies and had scales, feather or fur then it is meet for meat as the dwarfish saying goes.

Dwarfs don't do a lot on cakes and other sweets, but they do have a few tired and trusted favourites that would frankly give elves a run for their money.

For that matter they're not hot on vegetables although they do have a few serious favourites.

Bread (including waybread, biscuits and cake)There are a number of recipes here for breads and biscuits in particular. The emphasis is on taste and ease of making. bread after all is pretty straightforward. There will also be some recipes added for making on the march as it were but these will require a little research that, at the moment sadly I don't have time for. Do watch this space however as there is an expedition in late July and it will yield some results.

Meat (this is a loose term for all food of a savoury disposition that isn't bread) Included here are a few recipes for one pot meals that can be put together quickly. These can be useful when frankly you don't really want to get off your dwarfish arse to cook but know that it will be better than pigging out at the local take away or giving in to those inner cravings for beans on toast covered with lashings of tabasco sauce, paprika and freshly ground black pepper. On second thoughts maybe beans....These one pots also come into their own when that other family of dwarfs TURN UP UNANNOUNCED AT THE DOOR. Don't expect too much vegetarian food here - we're not elves you know - but there are one or two meals of vegetables that it would be churlish to ignore.

Chutneys> Chutneys and Pickles This is where vegetables and fruit come into their own in a dwarfish diet. Chutney them or pickle 'em and you've something to pile next to your meat or cheese. Oh yes!

Here there are a mixture of chutneys and pickles, including salt pickles. Enough one would hope for the most varied of dwarfish palates.

Ale Ale and Mead and occasionally a good thick red wine like Xandrian Red are beverages close to a dwarfish heart. Sadly, life is too short at the moment to pick up on this aspect of dwarfish fodder but it is hoped that come the dark days of winter, we will be able to focus a little better on this.