Along with philosophy, mythology and architecture, the Greeks and Romans are remembered for their celebration of culinary pleasure. Ancient texts and archaeological remains reveal the habitual frequency of drinking parties, banquets and epic feasts where tables overflow with delicacies and the guests are consumed with gluttony. I am a Classical scholar and professional chef, who as a student, was curious to explore the lost gastronomy of the ancient Mediterranean world, I worked with food historian Andrew Dalby to delve into the literature of the Greek and Roman world. We Looked at the obvious texts like Apicius but also more obscure Greek texts and later Latin dialogues, in order to open up the world of ancient food beyond the standard works.

Building on my research for the Classical Cookbook, My husband, Dr Chris Grocock-himself a Latin scholar, teacher and historian- and I have investigated the techniques the ancients actually used to prepare and cook their food. It was apparent that in order to fully understand how the Ancients cooked, one had to use the correct heat source (charcoal) and use the equipment that a slave cook would use. Using information from archaeological remains and replica cooking equipment, we have re-created a Roman kitchen in order to test my recipes(which were from necessity cooked in a modern kitchen). These experiments have now become a feature of English Heritage living history displays at various Roman sites around the country.

I am currently writing up my research on Roman cooking techniques from a archaeological perspective. As and when this become available I will be posting samples on this web site.