Seagrove, NC - On Saturday, November 26th, (the Saturday following Thanksgiving) Westmoore Pottery will present “Stepping Back in Time:  Hearth Cookery” with guest cooks Marc Meltonville from England and Tony Shahan of Pennsylvania. Marc and Tony’s cooking will be 18th century in style using Westmoore Pottery’s large fireplace, in full view of all visitors.

Marc has been researching British tavern cook Richard Briggs for a forthcoming book and Tony has been assisting in testing of receipts (recipes) of those 18th century dishes,so they have picked the cooking of tavern cook Richard Briggs as their theme for the day.

Tony Shahan has been in the museum field for much of his life. Currently executive director of Newlin Grist Mill in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia, Tony is a man of many talents. In addition to making sure everything runs smoothly at the historic site Tony may be found doing such diverse things as researching and reproducing old methods of brewing, planning future archaeological projects, slogging out buildings when they flood, grinding grain, repairing the old water wheel that powers the grinding operation, and yes, even cooking!  Truly a jack-of-all-trades!  To see more about Newlin Grist Mill visit www.newlingristmill.org or visit it in person in the future. The grist mill dates to 1704 and has been in near-constant operation since that date.
    

After initially training in the history of ceramics Marc Meltonville found his niche as a well-known food historian.  He has researched and cooked at numerous British sites as diverse as Stonehenge, the Weald and Downland Museum, and the Tudor era Hampton Palace kitchens.  Prior to this event at Westmoore Pottery, Marc will be presenting at the Ales Through the Ages conference at Colonial Williamsburg.  At this point Marc's expertise is in demand all over the world!  Visit www.meltonville.uk to learn more about Marc.

Both Marc and Tony have been involved with ALHFAM (The Association for Living History, Farms, and Agricultural Museums) and have presented workshops and programs at various other venues.

Westmoore Pottery is well known for making and providing replica historical pottery used for heritage cooking programs and as kitchen furnishings in museums and historic sites.  The redware, a reddish earthenware, is wonderful to cook in and has been used as such for centuries.  Potter Mary Farrell has a strong interest in historical cooking, though she would rather watch others than do the cooking herself!

“Stepping Back in Time: Hearth Cookery” is consistently an eagerly awaited event by visitors to Westmoore Pottery.  It attracts the curious from all walks of life – historians, teachers, gardeners, cooks, cookbook collectors, foodies, and pottery enthusiasts.  No prior knowledge is needed.  There is no admission fee and pre-registration is not required.

“This is a drop-in anytime program,” says Mary Farrell of Westmoore Pottery. “Visitors can come and go as they wish, though we usually have a few fascinated visitors who stay the entire day to see the whole menu being cooked!”     

Westmoore Pottery will be open from 9am to 5pm on November 26th.  Cooking demos will be from 10 am to 4 pm.  Westmoore Pottery is located at 4622 Busbee Road, Seagrove, North Carolina, just off Highway 705, halfway between the small towns of Seagrove and Robbins in North Carolina.

For those coming from a distance Hampton Inn in Asheboro has a block of rooms reserved at a discounted rate for this program. To reserve a room for either or both of 2 nights (Friday/Saturday), follow this link: www.my-event.hilton.com/asbnchx-wmp-3f765d96-12ad-4737-8d7f-80596849089e/

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