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Dr Christopher Monk

@medievalmonk.bsky.social
742 followers 681 following 264 posts

Medieval manuscripts, languages & cultures. I write about & cook medieval food @ modernmedievalcuisine.com; create public history content for heritage professionals & collaborate with creatives: www.themedievalmonk.com/projects--p…

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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Orchard Notes @orchardnotes.com · 27/09/2026
The Apples and People project, on @museumofcider.bsky.social's heritage orchards in Breinton. "Varieties have been collected and grafted from trees across Herefordshire, the West Midlands and South-West ... All varieties are being genetically tested to help confirm their identity."
applesandpeople.org.uk
Savouring Old Apple Varieties
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
The Delicious Legacy Podcast @deliciouslegacy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Perfect to start your day, eating your brekkie or on commute to work! 22 minutes of what is happening on the 2nd Serve it Forth Food History Festival! (online only, you can attend from all over the world!) 17th of October! Ticket link in the show notes! podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t... #history
podcasts.apple.com
What's on the menu of Serve It Forth 2026?
Podcast Episode · The Delicious Legacy · 11 September · Bonus · 24min
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
The Delicious Legacy Podcast @deliciouslegacy.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...
podcasts.apple.com
A Traditional Jewish Greek Recipe from Thessaloniki
Podcast Episode · The Delicious Legacy · September 9 · 18m
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Andy Marshall @fotofacade.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
✨ For me - the crowded window and improvised petrol station bring back Open All Hours – Arkwright’s shop, Granville’s till – and some of those pub, grocery and funeral director combinations I once came across in Ireland. But where is it? 🤔 Find out here: www.digest.andymarsh...
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
An interesting raspberry doughnut recipe via @orchardnotes.com. I don't have a glut of raspberries from my own rather old patio plants, though they've been very tasty. I just tend to pop them unadorned into my mouth, to be honest. But if you've a sweet tooth... orchardnotes.com/2026/09/17/e...
orchardnotes.com
Elizabeth Raffald’s 1769 Recipe for ‘Raspberry Fritters’ – Orchard Notes
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The Delicious Legacy Podcast @deliciouslegacy.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
What are the weird and wonderful foods of Philippines? What are the rare artisanal ingredients that we need to preserve, and learn about! Dinosaur egg salt, kaong vinegar, cordillera black pig, pickled wild bananas... Listen all about them in the latest episode! podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
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The Delicious Legacy Podcast @deliciouslegacy.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
I love, love, love miso and soy and the subtle deliciousness that are imparting in my dishes. Japan has a 1200 year long history of perfecting both, but even before this, China has 2000+ of seasoning their foods with their ancestors! Listen here to learn more: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
Japanese sketch with instruction on how to make misoTraditional barrels made of cedar and tied with bamboo in a traditional soy sauce brewery. These are quite massive as there are ladders leading to the open top so a person can mix the fermenting soybeans!Small clay pots with fermenting beans halfway through the process of becoming miso.Traditional "kioke" (cedar barrels) pressed with a pile of stones, on the top while the miso paste is fermenting
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Morangles @morangles.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
www.medievalists.net/2022/09/medi... Fascinating discovery with items going the earliest to the Carolingian era as early as the 9th century. Carolingian era dates from Charlemagne yod 814 @medievalists.bsky.social @medievalmonk.bsky.social @jem-duducu.bsky.social @pseudoisidorus.bsky.social
medievalists.net
'Forgotten archive' of medieval books and manuscripts discovered in Romanian church - Medievalists.net
A team of researchers in Romania has discovered over 200 books and manuscripts in a church in Mediaș. It includes dozens of early printed works and manuscript fragments dating back to as early as the ...
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
What an excellent resource for all things fruit. Many thanks to @orchardnotes.com for his work on this. orchardnotes.com/links-library/
orchardnotes.com
Links Library – Orchard Notes
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Dr Cinnamon Remote @cinnamonremote.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Still have a few gorgeous butterflies flitting about, there were even three hummingbird hawk moths the other evening.
Red admiral butterflyRed admiral butterflySmall tortoiseshell butterfly
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
I love reading about medieval life, especially from primary sources. In my latest blog post, you can find out what went on in a thirteenth-century monastic bakery. You can read the medieval sources for yourself (my translations thereof). Fascinating stuff!
modernmedievalcuisine.com
Bread for the monks, perks for the senior bakers, and stripping off to bolt the flour
Would you like to know what went on in a thirteenth-century monastic bakehouse? Read on.
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
I love reading about medieval life, especially from primary sources. In my latest blog post, you can find out what went on in a thirteenth-century monastic bakery. You can read the medieval sources for yourself (my translations thereof). Fascinating stuff!
modernmedievalcuisine.com
Bread for the monks, perks for the senior bakers, and stripping off to bolt the flour
Would you like to know what went on in a thirteenth-century monastic bakehouse? Read on.
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Derbyshire Record Office @derbyshiredro.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
You can find this delightful guide to Castleton from 1948 in our #LocalStudies library. It has been beautifully illustrated with pen sketches by the Rev. S. J. Heald. #LocalHistory #1940s
Front cover of a pamphlet called 'About Castleton' by Eric S. Evans. It was published by The Kinder Press. The cover is illustrated with pen and ink drawings of various people throughout the ages, such as a knight on horseback, a woman in a Victorian pink dress and a man wearing a 1940s suit, sitting in a armchair, reading a book.
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I think Deborah Nicholls-Lee does an excellent job of marshalling her sources to give us a highly readable and thought provoking piece. www.bbc.co.uk/culture/arti...
bbc.co.uk
'Chest-thumping machismo': The Bayeux Tapestry reveals the bloody, bawdy truth about the Middle Ages
In the 11th-Century masterpiece's tale of a contested throne, virility is equated to power – and the largest and proudest appendage. It tells a story that feels familiar today.
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I think Deborah Nicholls-Lee does an excellent job of marshalling her sources to give us a highly readable and thought provoking piece. www.bbc.co.uk/culture/arti...
bbc.co.uk
'Chest-thumping machismo': The Bayeux Tapestry reveals the bloody, bawdy truth about the Middle Ages
In the 11th-Century masterpiece's tale of a contested throne, virility is equated to power – and the largest and proudest appendage. It tells a story that feels familiar today.
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Jens Helmstedt @jenshelmstedt.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
A deep dive into the 8th-century BCE Late Hittite rock relief, portraying King Warpalawa standing in humility before the weather god Tarhunza. #Anatolia #DocumentaryPhotography #CulturalHeritage #Archaeology Central Anatolia - Time Capsule 2005 anatoliaphotography.substack.com/p/the-hittit...
The Hittite Rock Relief of İvriz near in Ereğli. 8th-century BCE Late Hittite rock relief carved above a roaring mountain spring, portraying King Warpalawa standing in humility before the colossal weather god Tarhunza | Central Anatolia - Time Capsule 2005
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
It's great finding things in our new garden. The blackberries were popping out of the top of our beech hedge 😋. Some fallen bramleys (yes you can cook them if unripened) and a few damsons from a neighbour's tree. Unexpectedly, I found myself making crumbles this morning. ☺️ They'll be cooked later 😋.
Me prepping Bramley apples at the kitchen counter.An orange-red bowl with blackberries and several damsons.Two enamel pie tins filled with apple and blackberry crumble, in the fridge, ready to be cooked later.
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
In case you missed this. ☺️
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
As promised, my recipe that I developed for the children's programme News Nuggets, filmed for KMTV. As the episode was all about fish in medieval times, the children got to cook a salmon dish.
modernmedievalcuisine.com
Cyprus salmon: a medieval dish for children to make
There's something fishy going on! Here's the recipe I developed for two children to cook for News Nuggets, a flagship children's programme on KMTV. The episode was all about fish in medieval Medway, where the children live.
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
As promised, my recipe that I developed for the children's programme News Nuggets, filmed for KMTV. As the episode was all about fish in medieval times, the children got to cook a salmon dish.
modernmedievalcuisine.com
Cyprus salmon: a medieval dish for children to make
There's something fishy going on! Here's the recipe I developed for two children to cook for News Nuggets, a flagship children's programme on KMTV. The episode was all about fish in medieval Medway, where the children live.
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
The Orchard Project @theorchardproject.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
🌳 Are you passionate about orchards, communities and sharing your skills with others?  Applications are now open for The Orchard Project's free Consultant Development Programme 👉 www.theorchardproject.org.uk/community-or... #CommunityOrchards #TrainingOpportunity #SouthWales
One person examining an old apple tree in winter to determine where to prune while another looks onThree people in an orchard in winter with pruning tools in handGroup of orchardists in a winter orchard with pruning tools in hand
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
In case you missed this. ☺️
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I've added a new translation of a writ of Henry I's about protecting the fishing rights of Rochester in the River Medway.
modernmedievalcuisine.com
Fishing rights in Rochester
After filming for a children's TV programme, Dr Monk explains how Henry I stepped in to protect the fishing rights in the River Medway.
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Josh Coulthard @joshcoulthard.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
We look forward to hearing your rabbit holes!
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
My latest blog post. A short read about fishing in the River Medway in medieval times. There's also a new translation of the royal writ you see in the picture below (Textus Roffensis, folio 187r, Dean & Chapter of Rochester Cathedral). modernmedievalcuisine.com/2026/06/22/f...
modernmedievalcuisine.com
Fishing rights in Rochester
After filming for a children’s TV programme, Dr Monk explains how Henry I stepped in to protect the fishing rights in the River Medway.
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Nicola Harris Author 💙📚💙📚 @nicolaharrisauthor.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
💙📚⏳ Today's #wallsonwednesday was taken in the courtyard of Strangers Hall Museum in Norwich UK.
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
My latest blog post. A short read about fishing in the River Medway in medieval times. There's also a new translation of the royal writ you see in the picture below (Textus Roffensis, folio 187r, Dean & Chapter of Rochester Cathedral). modernmedievalcuisine.com/2026/06/22/f...
modernmedievalcuisine.com
Fishing rights in Rochester
After filming for a children’s TV programme, Dr Monk explains how Henry I stepped in to protect the fishing rights in the River Medway.
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I've added a new translation of a writ of Henry I's about protecting the fishing rights of Rochester in the River Medway.
modernmedievalcuisine.com
Fishing rights in Rochester
After filming for a children's TV programme, Dr Monk explains how Henry I stepped in to protect the fishing rights in the River Medway.
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
At Gillingham Pier today filming for KMTV's flagship children's programme News Nuggets. Primary school students will be asking me about fish and fishing in medieval Medway. I'll be telling them about their recipe challenge, which includes making this 14th-century dish, Cyprus Salmon.
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Filming is done at Gillingham Pier. 👏 The year 5 students (real troopers in the heat) asked some great questions. We talked about medieval fishing weirs on the Medway estuary, eels, salmon, oysters, and expensive spices that were used with seafood dishes. Thanks KMTV crew 🎬📹
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Filming is done at Gillingham Pier. 👏 The year 5 students (real troopers in the heat) asked some great questions. We talked about medieval fishing weirs on the Medway estuary, eels, salmon, oysters, and expensive spices that were used with seafood dishes. Thanks KMTV crew 🎬📹
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre @charmouthhcc.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
11 year old Emily found this fossil fish at Charmouth. Emily took it to Steve Etches, who after careful examination identified it as a fish! It would've been swimming in the Jurassic seas alongside ammonites and ichthyosaurs #fossilfriday
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Stewart J. Brookes @stewartbrookes.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
How many of us were smiling wistfully last night as they announced “the declaration of Arbroath will be made shortly”? For those who missed it: 6 April 1320
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
At Gillingham Pier today filming for KMTV's flagship children's programme News Nuggets. Primary school students will be asking me about fish and fishing in medieval Medway. I'll be telling them about their recipe challenge, which includes making this 14th-century dish, Cyprus Salmon.
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Good news! Ministers have finally given green light to new #NaturalHistory GCSE. We’ve campaigned so long for this! Big hats off to tireless advocate Mary Colwell 🙌 Now our young people will have a chance to get to know & love the natural world, to feel awe & wonder, & gain skills to protect it 🌷🌳🦡
theguardian.com
Natural history GCSE to teach teenagers to plant wildflower-friendly gardens
Long-awaited course to examine human effects on natural world and explore everyday ways to aid biodiversity
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Today, I've been *developing* a #medieval recipe for 2 school kids to cook for a TV news programme: Vyand Cypre of Saumon, a kind of warm, spiced salmon pâté. The original recipe has a toxic red colourant 😲; I substituted beetroot powder. It also says not to make it 'standing' thick. I disobeyed 😆.
A green and gold patterned serving dish with pink salmon purée surrounded by toasted white bread.
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Today, I've been *developing* a #medieval recipe for 2 school kids to cook for a TV news programme: Vyand Cypre of Saumon, a kind of warm, spiced salmon pâté. The original recipe has a toxic red colourant 😲; I substituted beetroot powder. It also says not to make it 'standing' thick. I disobeyed 😆.
A green and gold patterned serving dish with pink salmon purée surrounded by toasted white bread.
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
What were the so-called cooks' fees in elite medieval households? Simply, they were perks of the job. Here, I've translated a section 'Concerning the cooks', which appears in the priory records of Rochester Cathedral, which gives an example of such perks. modernmedievalcuisine.com/translations...
modernmedievalcuisine.com
Translations of medieval texts
Custumale Roffense, folio 54r, showing the heading ‘Concerning the cooks’. By permission of the Dean and Chapter of Rochester Cathedral. This page includes translations of excerpts from…
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
| Legion | Forever Floating 🍃 | @legionlounge.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
This brings so much joy!
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Dr Will Wyeth @willwyeth.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Happy #ADoorAbleThursday to all who celebrate. This MS from the Bodleian of c.1000 CE is (I think) one of the earliest depictions of the humble pintle, which does all the heavy lifting (literally) for lovely doors. digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/56af...
Screen grab of Bodleian MS Junius 11, f.9. The description reads: God creates Eve; ladder leads up to heaven; angel opens gate with double-warded key; elaborate hinges.Detail of the same MS illustration, focussing on the door to heaven. Superimposed red arrows show the locations of pintles and attached straps.
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Dr Will Wyeth @willwyeth.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Door-fanciers will appreciate that there are ornate straps on the *inside* face of this door; this is a feature Warwick Rodwell has drawn attention wrt English doors of the 11th-early 12th c (inc probs pre-1066) to in this excellent new volume, am reviewing atm. www.oxbowbooks.com/979888857229...
oxbowbooks.com
Archaeology of Britain's Oldest Church Doors - Oxbow Books
Explores the history, construction, and scientific analysis of England’s oldest doors, including those at Westminster Abbey and Hadstock Church.Archaeology...
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
What a list of Black Death survivors reveals about the way people recovered from plague - www.durham.ac.uk/research/cur...
durham.ac.uk
What a list of Black Death survivors reveals about the way people recovered from plague - Durham University
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
What were the so-called cooks' fees in elite medieval households? Simply, they were perks of the job. Here, I've translated a section 'Concerning the cooks', which appears in the priory records of Rochester Cathedral, which gives an example of such perks. modernmedievalcuisine.com/translations...
modernmedievalcuisine.com
Translations of medieval texts
Custumale Roffense, folio 54r, showing the heading ‘Concerning the cooks’. By permission of the Dean and Chapter of Rochester Cathedral. This page includes translations of excerpts from…
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Char Newcomb @charnewcomb.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
The manor house in 12th century #England Inspiration for my character's home. From the archives... charlenenewcomb.com/2015/04/the-... #research #historicalfiction
charlenenewcomb.com
The manor house in 12th century England
A few months ago I posted about the non-fiction I was reading, including works on housing in the 12th century. The locations in For King and Country vary from the small village of Greyton with its …
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Reposted by Dr Christopher Monk
Char Newcomb @charnewcomb.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Get Rogues & Kings books2read.com/RoguesKings #historicalfiction #RobinHood 💙📚
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Just added my translation 'Concerning the cooks' of Rochester's medieval priory, 13th-century. modernmedievalcuisine.com/translations...
Detail from the Latin manuscript Custumale Roffense with a heading 'Concerning the cooks'.
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