Preparing a Tudor Great Hall Feast

A great hall bustles with preparation before a feast. Over the stone hearth, a whole bird turns on a spit above crackling flames, while long trestle tables stretch across the floor, servants laying out pewter plates and cups row by row. Pages carry a gilded pie crowned with a tiny knight figure toward the head table, past another tray heaped with roasted fowl and a joint of ham resting on white linen. Along the right wall, barrels of wine stand ready for tapping, and above, musicians play pipes and horns from a railed gallery hung with painted banners. Tapestries cover the paneled walls, and a table of fruit and fresh bread waits near the fireplace. A cat naps on a rug, a dog noses at scraps, and a child hides inside an empty barrel, each small corner of the hall busy with its own preparation.