The food of Downton Abbey

“ A minimum of six courses would be provided for each evening meal and sometimes as many as 22 were served for a particularly special occasion. ”

There's never a dull day at Downton Abbey, with the estate positively brewing with scandal, intrigue and salacious gossip. And whether the servants are nattering over their breakfast downstairs, or the Granthams and their guests are keeping up appearances over dinner upstairs, there is almost always a common theme running between both classes - food! Many a suitor has fallen for Lady Mary's charms while sipping on the Grantham's fine wine, while downstairs Cook shouts at Daisy to get a move on with the kidneys.

Indeed, mealtimes were an important part of the everyday lives of Edwardian people, with the servants savouring a moment's respite from their duties over a hard-earned meal, as the upper class put on airs and graces over a sumptuously-laid dining table. Life at such an English country house would be regimented by four meals - breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner - with menus decided by the lady of the house and her cook.

The family

Rich families like the Granthams spent a lot of money on food and its preparation, with meals used as social occasions to show off their esteemed social status. Chefs of extremely rich families were expected to provide French luxuries such as truffles, oysters, patisseries and Champagne, which would be used to impress guests (and, of course, potential suitors). A minimum of six courses would be provided for each evening meal and sometimes as many as 22 were served for a particularly special occasion.

Typically, the family would have a soup course accompanied by a sherry to start, followed by a fish course, an entree such as mutton, then a joint of meat. A game course then arrived, followed by three mini courses called "entremets" which could be sweet or savoury. After the entremets came dessert, which was anything from ices to jellies to blancmanges, followed by fruit and nuts. And no wonder tongues ran wild around the table from time to time, because a different alcoholic drink would be served with each course!

If they could still stand, the ladies would then take coffee in the drawing room, while the men would enjoy port, brandy and cigars.

The servants 

While the staff didn't enjoy meals as rich as their masters' they certainly didn't go without - drinking beer with every meal, including breakfast. However, they did have to wait until their family had risen and had been served before they could have their first meal of the day. With a diet of plainer food, the folks downstairs would eat their main meal in the middle of the day, rather than in the evening.

Instead of salmon, sirloin and French delicacies, they lived off traditional English food like steak and kidney pie and roast lamb . Although the cook was deemed a lower servant than the housekeeper, she ruled the kitchen, which was usually positioned away from the family quarters to keep cooking smells away.

As well as planning and producing all manner of dishes for the family she was expected to oversee the cleanliness of the kitchen and ensure the larders were well stocked. Food was also prepared in the scullery where the sight of constant scrubbing, washing and cleaning could be seen – as well as maids struggling with endless hauls of fresh water to maintain hygiene standards.

The war

Food suddenly fell in short supply as World War One hit Britain and rationing was introduced. 1916 was a particularly bleak year, with soaring food prices hitting families hard. However, as queues trailed out of shops and meat became a rarity, it was still possible to get a three-course meal at the Ritz, which served illegal quantities of bread; and the upper classes were able to buy more than their fair share on the black market. Meanwhile, those downstairs survived on an uninspiring diet of dripping spread on toast, porridge made with water, potatoes fried in fat and semolina.

If you’d like to try your hand at some Edwardian-era cooking, here are three recipes typical of the period...

Meat pie

4 cups cooked cornmeal 
Rice, hominy or mashed potato
1 onion, sliced 
2 cups tomato
Half tsp salt and pepper
1 tbsp fat
1lb left over meat, cut into small pieces

Melt fat, add onion and fry until brown. Add the tomato, seasoning and meat and heat through. Grease a baking dish, put in a layer of the cereal or potato, add the meat and gravy and cover with cereal or potato dotted with fat. Bake for half an hour. As made by Ivan Day .

Meatless sausage

1 cup soaked and dried peas, beans, lentils or lima beans
Half cup of dried breadcrumbs
Quarter cup of fat
1 egg
Half tsp salt
1 tsp sage

Mix and shape as sausage. Roll in flour and fry in dripping. 

Beef stew

1lb meat from neck, cross ribs, shin or knuckles
1 onion, sliced
Three quarter cup carrots
Half cup turnips
1 cup potatoes
1 tsp salt
Quarter tsp pepper
Half cup flour
1 quart of water

Soak half the meat, cut into small pieces, in the quart of water for one hour. Heat slowly to boiling point. Season the other half of the meat with salt and pepper, roll in flour and brown in 3 tablespoons of fat with the onion. Add to the soaked meat, which has been brought to boiling point. Cook for one hour or until tender. Add the vegetables and flour mixed with half a cup of cold water. Cook until the vegetables are tender.

From Foods That Will Win The War And How To Cook Them by C. Houston Goudiss and Alberta M. Goudiss (1918).
 

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Also see: The food of The Titanic