Stew

• Type: Food
• Primary Makers/Servers: House-Elves, Molly Weasley, Bill Weasley, Fleur Delacour
• Notable Varieties: Beef and oyster stew, kipper stew

Stew is a common and hearty dish served frequently throughout the wizarding world, much like in the Muggle world. It consists of solid food ingredients, such as vegetables and meat, cooked in liquid. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, stews and other dishes are magically prepared by House-Elves in the Kitchens located directly beneath the Great Hall. The prepared food is then magically transported onto the four House tables, appearing in large serving dishes that magically refill when empty. Stew is also prepared through non-magical, conventional means by witches and wizards. Molly Weasley is frequently noted for cooking stews for her family and members of the Order of the Phoenix, often as a source of comfort. During their hunt for Horcruxes, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter were forced to make their own, often thin and unappetizing, stews from scavenged ingredients. This highlights an important magical limitation known as Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, which states that food cannot be created from nothing.

Throughout the series, stew serves as a powerful symbol of comfort, community, and normalcy. Its presence or absence often reflects the characters' state of well-being.

• Community and Abundance: At Hogwarts, the ever-present, magically refilling dishes of stew at feasts represent the safety, abundance, and communal spirit of the school. It is a staple of the Welcoming and Leaving Feasts, as well as holiday celebrations like Hallowe'en.
• Maternal Comfort: Stew is strongly associated with the maternal care of Molly Weasley. She serves it at The Burrow and Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place during times of reunion or stress, such as after Harry's disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic. Her act of sending a large pot of stew to the trio at Hogwarts underscores her constant, nurturing presence in their lives.
• Hardship and Scarcity: In contrast, the watery, tasteless stews the trio consumes while on the run in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows symbolize their isolation, scarcity of resources, and the loss of the comforts of home and school.
• Refuge and Recovery: The return of a well-made stew at Shell Cottage, prepared by Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, signifies a moment of safety, recovery, and the brief return to a community after the trauma of their capture at Malfoy Manor.

1. Hallowe'en Feast (1993): A beef and oyster stew is specifically mentioned as being part of the Hallowe'en feast in the Great Hall just before Sirius Black's first break-in. (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
2. Care Package (1994): Molly Weasley sends a large stew to Harry, Ron, and Hermione via Owl Post after an unfavorable article about Hermione appears in Witch Weekly. (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
3. Post-Disciplinary Hearing (1995): A “delicious-smelling stew” is the first meal Harry has upon returning to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place after his hearing, serving as a welcome comfort. (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)
4. Horcrux Hunt (1997): While camping, the trio's diet often consists of stew made from scavenged mushrooms and other sparse ingredients they could find. (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)
5. Refuge at Shell Cottage (1998): After escaping Malfoy Manor, the group is served a proper stew, marking their arrival at a safe haven. (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

The lavish feasts at Hogwarts, which would have included various stews, are a prominent visual element in the film adaptations, emphasizing the magic and wonder of the wizarding world. However, there is no specific information from J.K. Rowling or supplementary materials that delves deeper into the significance of stew beyond its textual appearances.