How much did it take to run a castle? One castle's kitchen gives some answers. At Goodrich Castle, Countess Joan's cook, Isaac of the Kitchen, had to feed up to 200 people two meals a day. Feeding everyone in a castle was a big job for the cooks, and castle bread ovens were huge. Joan de Valence spent 40% of her income on food and drink.

The menu depended on the calendar and the season. On Fridays and many other days people ate fish instead of meat, and the cooks at Goodrich Castle got through 24,000 herrings in three months, as well as oysters and salmon. In winter, with no refrigeration, there was little fresh food, so at Goodrich cooks livened up salted meat or fish with strong-tasting sauces made with expensive foreign spices.

There were two main meals a day in a great household, and they were not eaten quickly. Lunch typically lasted two to three hours, while both meals together could take up to six hours. They took place in the great hall, the big room where a castle's household and guests gathered for feasts. At castle feasts, musicians, jugglers and acrobats entertained the guests.

Seating followed rank. In the great hall, the host and the most important guests sat at the high table at the end furthest from the kitchen, and the rest of the household sat at long tables with benches in descending order of status.

Building a castle took numbers of its own. In the summer of 1286, the busiest time at Harlech, nearly 950 men were employed: 227 masons, 115 quarriers, 30 smiths, 22 carpenters and 546 labourers. Conwy Castle took four and a half years to complete and cost about £15,000, and its eight impressive towers overlook the river Conwy, which was used for moving troops and supplies by ship.

Owners were not always at home. Castle owners did not live in each castle all the time, and the kings of England owned dozens of castles and could never have visited them all. In a time when the monarch, nobles and bishops were almost constantly on the move, King Henry III moved up to 80 times in a typical year. When Joan de Valence arrived at Goodrich Castle in 1296, she came with over 50 horses and 194 followers.

Words to know

• herrings: small sea fish
• refrigeration: keeping food cold
• quarriers: stone diggers
• status: rank