Has anyone (else) tried this, yet?

http://eater.com/archives/2012/10/23/denny...obbity-food.php

I gotta admit ... I had to try me some Hobbit food yesterday. Still belching up grease, but I'm still alive. It was tasty and there was plenty of it. In a very un-Hobbit-like manner, I left food on my plate.

When running and/or playing TOR (or any of the Middle-earth themed games), has anyone ever prepared and/or served Middle-earth (or any fantasy) themed food? In that we play at the store, I haven't done this. Many years ago, I made a spicy fried potato dish that came out of a Forgotten Realms cookbook ... it went over pretty well. I'm thinking of making something to have at the store for my upcoming Hobbit campaign sessions, though.

Does anyone have any recipes they might like to share?

Been perusing the web for some likely recipes and found an interesting site that I thought I'd pass it along ... http://recipewise.co.uk/tea-in-the-hobbit

The recipes there look somewhat complex, but the end results look really good. I also found the following seed cake recipe...

HOBBIT SEED CAKE ( http://www.hobbitsecondbreakfast.com/hobbit-seedcake/ )

Ingredients:

250g Plain Flour
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
150g soft butter
150g caster sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ tbsp caraway seeds
3 large eggs
1 ½ tbsp orange zest

Oven temperature: 180C / 350F
Cooking time: 50 minutes or until skewer comes out clean

Method:

• Turn the oven on to 180C / 350F
• Grease and line with greaseproof paper a 1LB loaf tin
• In a bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt
• In a separate mixing bowl, add the sugar and butter (soft) and cream together until they are a pale colour. Add in the eggs one at a time and add in the vanilla extract and orange zest ensuring it is mixed thoroughly
• Add in the dry ingredients a bit at a time and alternate adding in the milk until all the ingredients are added.
• Gently stir in the caraway seeds
• Using a spatula, spoon the mixture into the greased 1LB loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes or until cooked
• Once ready remove from the oven and leave in the tin for a further 10 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool
• Serve in slices and if desired spread with butter

Aye Throrsgold - there was interesting discussion in an earlier thread (can't put my finger on it just now, sorry) regarding atmospheric music for gaming sessions. I posted (arguably straying off topic a tad) to explore other ways to create atmosphere by involving the senses (lighting, smells, set-dressing, food, etc). I've generally found that efforts to create a more immersive setting for my players have been very rewarding.

In a MiddleEarth campaign of yore (RM/MERP), after a gruelling series of adventures my PCs sought respite at a cosy inn which I hoped they'd adopt as their homebase in my campaign. The InnKeep, aware of tales of the party's recent valour, welcomed them with comfortable rooms & hot scented bathwater. [end session]
For the next session I asked my players to wear/bring something that reflected their character (hat, shirt, etc) as they would appear for dinner in the inn taproom after bathing & settling into their quarters. I was impressed by their great costumes (inc. puffy-sleeved shirts over leather trousers, leggings, medieval-style shoes, doublets, bizarre hairstyling, etc) and they were equipped with their own cutlery & mugs/goblets.
The PCs and their Players were served with a baked honey/mustard-glazed ham (in game it was a wild-boar ham) with roasted onions,potatoes, carrots & spiced apples; a dish of garlic-butter sauteed greens (spinach, silverbeet, beet- & radish- tops); wild mushroom & thyme-pumpkin bread chunks in a gratin with blue-cheese; and crusty loaves of white & rye breads. Stout beers & dark ales were served, as well as a natural-ferment wine, and a pitcher of cold spring water (yes from a bottle, but the Players didn't see that!).
Methinks my gaming group were more impressed by the feast then their characters would've been!
The well-contented players spent a few hours recovering from the feast .... not surprisingly!
They enjoyed roleplaying & characterising in the inn, interacting with NPCs moreso than they normally would, carousing and creating their own humourous interplay & subplots.
It fostered a sense of camaraderie & belonging to the inn and the town.

Late in the session when they prepared to leave in pursuit of their next adventure goal - the PCs & Players were served a large wedge of cheddar, apples, quince paste, pickles & chutneys and some mulled cider & wine to wash it down. (We'd organised that no player would be driving home that night.... very wise!)

I'm proud to say that this game session is cherished to this day by the participants. As GM (& cook!) I felt greatly rewarded.
Now I'm not suggesting that everyone hire a caterer for their game sessions, but it is very rewarding to surprise our players from time to time with something tangible, off-the-wall, or puts a spin on the game session.

I'm keen to read of other 'game-food' (& other 'set-dressing') experiences our TORfellows have encountered.