Winter Feast at Salem Cross Inn

Looking for a winter escape? Come to Salem Cross Inn at the countryside in West Brookfield, MA to experience a relaxing afternoon with your family and friends, where you can indulge yourself in an atmosphere of the 1700's. Sit and chat by the fireplace, with a hot drink in your hand, and watch while your dinner roasts right in front of your eyes! You can even have the opportunity to lend a hand in helping to prepare a dessert, or stand close to the fire while stirring the boiling seafood chowder in a bubbling cast iron cauldron.

My family and I were one of 144 guests on a weekend visit. The scenery of driving to the inn through the country road was breathtakingly beautiful. It was a quiet, cold Sunday afternoon. There were not many people or cars along the way. Houses sparsely dotted the wooden area, and a white blanket of snow lay peacefully on the endless field. The big colonial farmhouses stood silently on the roadside surrounded by rolling fields of grass. Once we entered the big colonial house, we were shown to the living room downstairs.

The dimmed light room was already filled with some people. Against the wall, a crackling fire in an open hearth of the fieldstone fireplace warmed the big room. A rack of prime ribs was sizzling, turning slowly by a 1700's Roasting Jack, a device devised in 1480 by Leonardo da Vinci. Golden oil dripped down to the pan. The aroma of the ribs trickled out of the room. A big platter of cheese and fruit was placed in the middle of a small wooden table. Some people relaxed by the fire drinking wine, while others grabbed the hors d'oeuvres and chatted quietly in the corner.

After browsing through the owner's collection of Colonial and Federal period of American antiques, we decided to take a hayride through the woods and over the rolling meadows through an open, pristine 600 acres. The air was crispy and bitterly cold outside. We huddled together and covered ourselves in a warm blanket. The two horses that pulled the big sleigh were tall and strong. While I was trying to pat them, they kept turning their heads to smell me. I was really worried that one of them might think my hair was their hay and chew on it.

Back inside the inn, each of us got a warm mulled wine or cider to shake off the chill. It was amazing to see our host plunk a pair of iron pokers into the fire, burning them bright red. He took the sticks and placed them directly into the iron pitch and stirred the drink. I watched as steam swirled out of the pitcher. A warm drink was ready for all.

On a long table in the back of the room, a lady was already busy preparing our dessert-New England's best apple pie. She put an apple on a strange looking apple peeler, and turned the handle. The apple skin peeled smoothly within seconds. I was eager to try this 1700's device. After seeing the lady peel several apples, I asked her permission to try it. She was generous in letting me fulfill my curiosity. It took her half and hour to finish peeling and slicing all the apples. She put them all in a large baking pan and added sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg and then rolled an oversized piece of dough over the apples to cover them. Afterwards, she decorated the pie top with an apple with a worm sticking out of the apple. The apple pie was ready to put into the oven to bake. It took 43 apples to make just one apple pie for the feast.

When the prime rib was done, two workers carefully removed the rack and carried it to the back of the kitchen. Our host cleaned the fireplace and started to put new cherry logs into the burning fire. A black, iron cauldron was then brought and hung over the open fire. Everyone in the room circled around the fireplace to see how Seafood Chowder is made. The host told us that it would take 15 minutes to make the soup. Since it needed a lot of stirring, he looked for a bunch of volunteers. As he put in the ingredients, clams, fish, and onions in the pot, the gloves were passed around the room. Everyone was eager to try and help stir the soup. However, when they stood in front of the fire for a short amount of time, they quickly passed the chance onto the next person in line. I was standing in the front row when a person passed the gloves to me. I happily took it. As I approached the fire, the heat of the fire nearly melted me. I used the long wooden stick to stir the soup. The stick was so hot that I almost dropped it. I felt like my pants were on fire. I backed off hurriedly and passed the chance on to the next curious person.

When the soup was done, everyone went to the dinning room upstairs. Twelve tables were set neatly in the great, ample room. We sat down on a long table with another family. Candles were arranged on the table. Girls adorning colonial dresses busily brought chowders and delicious assortments of warm homemade rolls, squash muffins, spinach pie, sweet squash, and prime ribs to the table. I sipped the warm soup with delight. It was rich, creamy, and full of texture. The prime rib was tender and juicy. Everything was luscious. You could always ask for another round until you are satisfied. Some asked for more potatoes or steak, but I waited until dessert.

We had to stand in line to get our apple pie. That was a good idea, since I was absolutely stuffed from this tasty meal. I really needed to walk around to digest a little bit and save space for my apple pie, especially since I had helped to peel the apples earlier. I had to find out how it came out. The host slapped a chunk of freshly whipped cream on top of each apple pie plate. Yummmmmmmmm. Of course, I came back for more.

I could barely move after the meal. Before we left, I noticed the owner of the Inn sitting at an end of a table. He looked contented to see all his guests leaving with a smile. This old, friendly gentleman, who had been happily serving the second round meal earlier, had taken five and a half years to build this magnificent dining hall. I thanked him for this memorable and wonderful meal. He shook my hand, kindly made sure we all enjoyed our food, and waved goodbye.

It was a pleasant experience to spend an afternoon at The Salem Cross Inn. It was both educational and entertaining. The historic house reserves many antiquated books, maps, and documents. It is also decorated with old portraits, tools, red ware jugs, old-fashioned bikes...it brings you back in time to the glorious age, time, and place of the 1700's. The well-prepared food is scrumptious. It's the best Fireplace Feast ever, and it is definitely a great way to beat the winter blues.