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Once the Roman way of life had begun, it just continued. Feasts were an important part of the lives of the wealthy. Once guests had been welcomed to your villa, everyone would lie around on couches and wait for the slaves to bring in the food. In Rome, people might eat in the atrium but in England this was less likely due to our unreliable weather. The slaves would bring the food in and place it on long tables in front of the guests. First they would have salad, eggs and shellfish, still all eaten with their fingers. Once guests had finished this course, the slaves would take away the empty dishes and bring in the hot meat, fish and chicken dishes, all the time refilling the goblets with wine. Wine was drunk by nearly everyone as they had no fizzy drinks or squashes. Even the children would drink wine, usually with some water added. When everyone had finished the main course the slaves would take all the tables away, they could be quite messy by then, and bring in a new one containing fruit, nuts and honey cake. Meals could take several hours and were very much a social occasion.
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