Dining Downton Abbey Style

The Downton Abbey saga is set to come to a close this September, and with the release of the franchise’s final film trailer earlier this month, it has once again sparked an interest in the early 20th century and the culture and lifestyle from that period; similar to a peaked interested in the Regency period due to Bridgerton when a new season of Bridgerton is streaming on Netflix. There is often a focus on the aesthetic value of these periods - what were the fashion trends, how were ladies wearing their hair, what was the desired way to decorate your drawing room - but what about practical matters? This month at O’Reilly’s, we have a large selection of George V (reign: 1910 - 1936) silver, so let’s take a deep dive into the dining culture, Downton Abbey style!

Meals were a huge part of society and were very much a family affair/social occasion, and people would plan their days around when they would eat next, and who they would eat with. In the early 20th century, breakfast was very simple, consisting of porridge or bread and milk. Lot 474 is a Silver Twin Handled Porringer from 1924 which was used for eating porridge or for holding a baby’s food. Queen Victoria recounted eating bread and milk from a small silver basin, which we can only assume was a porringer. High society would have enjoyed a more meat-heavy breakfast which would have featured far more cutlery and dishes than a simple porringer.

                                           Lot 474     

Lunch was a relatively light meal, compared to the courses upon courses enjoyed by the Georgians in the 18th and early 19th centuries; though it was still a sit-down formal affair which required a full table setting unlike the sandwiches we eat on the go today. Oxtail and kidney soup were very popular and would have been served to each guest using a large soup ladle (Lot 478). Soup ladles have large bowls with long handles so as not to get too close to the hot liquid and to reach into deep pots. This is still true today for modern soup ladles. In Ireland, this soup would be enjoyed with a side of soda bread. 

                                                             Lot 478    

Queen Victoria had a major impact on dining practices in Britain and Ireland even after her reign. She was a huge fan of afternoon tea, after being inspired by Anna, Duchess of Bedford, who would enjoy tea around 4pm each day when she found she was getting hungry between lunch and dinner and needed something to tide her over. Tea was a vital part of every household in the 19th and 20th century as it still is today!), and has been enjoyed in Britain and Ireland since as early as the 18th century. Lot 476 is a George V Silver Tea Caddy from Birmingham 1926. The use of a tea caddy promoted storing tea properly and keeping it fresh as tea leaves could dry out very easily, so it was important they were kept in an airtight container. Originally, tea was stored in porcelain or silver canisters within a wooden tea chest that was locked, but eventually households with only one type of tea would keep the leaves only in the canisters. The lady of the house would be the only person to hold the keys to the tea caddy, promoting the proper tea etiquette and emphasising the importance of tea in a household setting. We also have a set of twelve silver tea spoons (Lot 480), which are essential for any good cup of tea to stir in milk and sugar.

                          Lot 476        Lot 480  

Dinner was enjoyed between 6pm-8pm in most households, though farming families mostly treated their lunch as dinner which is still true for many today. A typical dinner consisted of a plate filled with meat and two types of vegetables, with a side of gravy that was optional; in the Georgian era however, a multitude of sauces were almost essential due to the amount of courses being eaten at each meal. Steak and kidney pie was a popular meal, along with stew - both of which would be served using a long handled serving spoon (Lot 479). Plates were placed on dish rings (Lot 488) to prevent the hot plates damaging the mahogany dinner table. Think of them as a modern day charger or coaster -  but a very fancy version!

     Lot 479         Lot 488  

When you go to the cinema in September to watch the final instalment of the Downton Abbey saga, keep these objects in mind when the Crawley family and their counterparts are dining and see if you can spot any porringers or dishrings!