There is a scene in every proper British household, repeated week after week since long before the Crawleys sat down at their own long mahogany table. The roast arrives. Someone lifts a knife. The room goes quiet. And then, if the carver knows what they are doing, the first slice … [Read more...] about The British Sunday Roast: A cut-by-cut guide to carving like a butler
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Lobster Newburg: The Gilded Age Dish Named by a Grudge
One of the most famous dishes in American history was named backwards, out of spite, after a falling-out between a chef and a sea captain. This is the story of Lobster Newburg and the original 1894 recipe you can still make today. Most great dishes are named after a place or … [Read more...] about Lobster Newburg: The Gilded Age Dish Named by a Grudge
A Fourth of July 250 Years On: What the Gilded Age Ate vs the 2026 Cookout
The United States turns 250 on July 4, 2026. The fireworks look much as they did a century ago. The food on the table does not. Here is the then and now, course by course, and what it tells you about how America came to eat. The Fourth of July has always eaten with the times. … [Read more...] about A Fourth of July 250 Years On: What the Gilded Age Ate vs the 2026 Cookout
The Drink Cora Grew Up On, and Never Served at Downton
Cora, Countess of Grantham, grew up in Cincinnati in the 1870s and 80s. Her family was new money, the kind Gilded Age America minted by the trainload. By the time she married into the Crawley family in 1890, she'd almost certainly grown up drinking iced tea. She'd also have known … [Read more...] about The Drink Cora Grew Up On, and Never Served at Downton
A Century of Wimbledon Lunches: What the Crawleys Ate vs the 2026 Menu
Wimbledon runs from 29 June to 12 July 2026. The tennis looks much as it did a hundred years ago. The lunch does not. Here is the then and now, course by course, and what it tells you about how we eat today. Wimbledon has always eaten with the times. The grass, the whites, and … [Read more...] about A Century of Wimbledon Lunches: What the Crawleys Ate vs the 2026 Menu
