Downton Abbey has drawn adoring fans to a wonderful viewing experience, transporting us back to a time when formality was de rigueur. Perhaps, much like Ascot, which will be banning those trendy fascinators from the Royal Enclosure this year, many of us long for the return of … [Read more...] about Mrs. Beeton: The Original Domestic Goddess
Mrs. Beeton
Downton’s Daisy and the Humble Crumble
Downton Abbey offers viewers a whole cast of characters to cheer and sneer. Drawn to the food, and a fan of the underdog, I quickly found myself routing for Daisy, the scullery maid. In my research on life in the kitchens at Downton Abbey, I came across a special presentation … [Read more...] about Downton’s Daisy and the Humble Crumble
Happy Birthday, Mrs. Beeton. Let’s celebrate her life with fairy cakes
Happy Birthday Isabella Beeton, best known as Mrs. Beeton, the Victorian Domestic Goddess. Her cookbook Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management published in 1861 when she was only 23, was an instant success. It sold a whopping 2 million copies in 1868. March 12 marks her … [Read more...] about Happy Birthday, Mrs. Beeton. Let’s celebrate her life with fairy cakes
Downton Cookery: Vegetables Should be Seen and not Heard
I often wonder if the famous idiom about children being seen and not heard also applied to vegetables in the early 20th century. While Country House owners, like Downton Abbey's Crawley family, could pride themselves on serving fresh produce grown from their own gardens, no … [Read more...] about Downton Cookery: Vegetables Should be Seen and not Heard
Learning to Cook French: From Mrs. Patmore to Julia Child
While foodies across North America were thrilled to watch Olympic coverage with the rest of the world over the past 2 weeks, they have been quietly gearing up for the big event of the summer: the celebration of Julia Child's 100th birthday this Wednesday, August 15th. In … [Read more...] about Learning to Cook French: From Mrs. Patmore to Julia Child