I have a town house in a city with a small staff. I have a cook, butler, 3 maids, a valet, and a maid servant. I am providing 3 meals a day for the staff and am trying to figure the cost of raw foodstuff. I have the following menu for them:
Breakfast
2 1.5 lb loaves of wheat bread (1 lb wheat each loaf)
8 cups of oats (porridge)
This translates to 6.5 quarts of wheat, 2 quarts of oats, 1 quart of beans and 1 quart of peas, 1 chicken and 1 gallon of ale.
Does this seem to be the right amount of food for my 7 servants?
Seems they eat well for servants. One thing I would up would be increasing the ale to two to four gallons, depending upon climate. 1 gallon for seven people is 1/3 to 1/4 of daily need for liquid.
Historically ale served to servants was quite weak so there is little risk of them being drunk during work. You can also mix it with water or add some weak cheap wine instead. Obviously, if local conditions allow for fresh clean and clean water in large amount to comply with required water consumption this would solve the problem as well. (own spring, high quality well or decanter of endless water, for exammple)
