Ye compaynye of cheualrye

Ants has been away with this mob a few times over the summer. They do England c.1370 and their kit is really good quality, so they get awesome bookings at castles like Beaumaris, Caerphilly and Farleigh-Hungerford.

They're lots more structured than Nordmannia, or any other group I've been involved with back home - newcomers start as a villein (serf) and, as you attend more events, contribute to the club and gradually assemble the appropriate kit, work your way up to a yeoman after about a year, then a few years later a retainer and, for a privileged few at the top, a Lord or Lady (actually, they're all lords). So I was a mite nervous, but they turned out to be a gorgeously laid back and friendly bunch, and very welcoming of "Ants' lady". The 14th century surcote and shift I'd knocked up over the previous week happily passed muster, Ants and I were awarded free beer in return for some singing, and enthusiastically joined in the food fight at the servants end of the table (what else is one to do with one's trencher after a bottle of mulled wine and some mead?)

Apparently, I'm under pain of death if I tell people that, in this photo, Anthony is wearing my hose and braies. For non-re-enactors, this means my husband is wearing my undergarments!

But back to the feast. Malcolm, the group Vintner, did an excellent job with cooking - his 'grete pye' was something to behold. After dinner there was blindfolded piggyback jousting and other silliness late into the night, and plenty of bacon sandwiches the next morning to soothe bellies and clear aching heads.

I can't wait for the next one!