When It Comes to Downton Abbey, We Won’t Be Trifled With: bonappetit.com
Some things are so important that we find it hard to talk about them around the office without shouting and losing control of our facial muscles. One of those things is food; another is Downton Abbey.
In case you’re not up on your PBS offerings; it’s a British TV period drama set in the Yorkshire estate of the Earl and Countess of Grantham (fictional characters, mind you). Think Gosford Park meets Pride & Prejudice meets Days of Our Lives, all dressed up in fabulous turn-of-the-century costumes and imbued with Maggie Smith’s unmitigated splendor. The show first aired in the UK a little over a year ago, then journeyed across the Atlantic to win hearts, minds, and Emmys. Even to those poor souls who fall asleep halfway through the phrase “costume drama,” we say: Seriously, watch it. Watch it now.
Thus it is with great pride that we introduce the first installment of Dining at Downton, a blog series in which we will explore the exhilarating ups and downs of eating at the Abbey, including but not limited to fork etiquette and The Raspberry Meringue Incident. Although Season Two is already under way, we’ll start our column at the beginning of the series, giving stragglers a chance to catch up (on Netflix! Or iTunes!). So if you haven’t seen Season One, now’s the time. In the words of our web editor Emily Fleischaker, “It will be the best seven hours of your life.”
Jane Austen Society of North America - New Jersey Region 