Today we have a more common phrase -‘Pot Luck’ from Tony Wootton and Gwen Zonzottera’s book, “By Hook Or By Crook”. When we use it the next time we can proudly proclaim we know how the phrase came about.
In the Middle Ages, although many large pieces of meat were roasted on a spit, there was always a large pot hanging over the fire. The contents of this pot could have been bubbling away for three days or three weeks and all the odds and ends went into this pot, such as bones which had been gnawed free of meat, sundry vegetables, and even anything which fell down the chimney! Visitors would be handed a square piece of bread to act as a plate and told to take pot luck.