Formal entertaining is like cooking on steroids. It can be stressful enough planning an informal gathering, but we can thank the Edwardians for setting the bar pretty high for formal dining, when we work particularly hard to impress. We can see from the dining scenes on Downton … [Read more...] about Entertaining was Serious Business At Downton Abbey
Downton Abbey
Tea Meetings and Truffles in Paradise
Another time for us to share tea and polite conversation. This typically leads to a discussion of the weather which has been most exceptional out here in our corner of the Commonwealth. One might also comment on the state on one's own garden and I am pleased to report that my … [Read more...] about Tea Meetings and Truffles in Paradise
Celebrating Irish Cuisine and the Science of Cooking with Alcohol
Downton Abbey's most notable Irish character is Tom Branson, the chauffeur, played by Allen Leech who tweets @allenleech. Brendan Coyle (who plays Mr. Bates) is half Irish, as is his character. Branson was introduced in S1 E4, which aired this week in South Africa on BBC, and … [Read more...] about Celebrating Irish Cuisine and the Science of Cooking with Alcohol
Tall Fish Tales Served with Smoked Salmon Mousse Pinwheels
It was Mrs. Beeton's birthday yesterday. It was also my Father's. A lawyer by training--just like Matthew Crawley--Dad's heart belongs to fishing. His favorite ball cap reads "Born to Fish, Forced to Work". Fishing has a long tradition as a gentleman's sport in the English … [Read more...] about Tall Fish Tales Served with Smoked Salmon Mousse Pinwheels
The Downton Abbey Scandal: Pamuk & Turkish Delight
I love entertaining and grew up with horses so I was thrilled with the Fox hunt episode. But alas horse lovers, it is not the fox hunt which makes the episode memorable; rather it is the tragic consequences of a dangerous liasion. While the death of two heirs was tragic, the … [Read more...] about The Downton Abbey Scandal: Pamuk & Turkish Delight
