Frumenty

Pick over the cracked wheat and rinse it under cold water until the runoff is mostly clear. Cover it generously with cold water — using about half the seething water — and leave it overnight, 8 to 12 hours, in a cool place. Medieval cooks did this to begin the long softening that makes the grain 'burst'; the cold soak hydrates the wheat to its center so it will swell and split rather than staying hard at the heart.

Put the drained wheat in a heavy pot with the rest of the water and the salt. Bring to a boil, then drop to the lowest steady simmer and cook gently, stirring now and again so it does not catch, for 45 to 60 minutes. This is the 'seething' the old recipes demand: cook until the grains split open and shed their starch into the liquid, turning the whole pot thick and glutinous. Top up with a little hot water if it tightens before the wheat is fully burst.

Crumble the saffron threads between your fingers and steep them in a spoonful of the warm milk for a few minutes until it stains a deep orange-gold. Stir this and the rest of the milk into the burst wheat over low heat. Let it barely simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring, so the milk is drawn in and the whole pot turns silky and an even saffron yellow. Keep it well below a hard boil or the milk may catch and split.

Beat the egg yolks loose in a bowl. Off the boil, ladle a little of the hot pottage into the yolks while whisking hard to warm them gently, then pour the warmed yolks back into the pot, stirring constantly. Return it to the gentlest heat and cook, stirring without stop, for 2 to 3 minutes until it visibly thickens — never let it boil, or the yolks will scramble. Stir in the honey and the butter to finish, taste for salt, and serve hot beside venison, mutton, or a poached fish.