Sunday 26 February 2012

Downton Abbey Short Of Food?


In episode five of the second season of  Downton Abbey, Mrs. Patmore, the cook, complains about the difficulty of getting good quality food because of  World War One rationing. I’m slightly puzzled as to why this would be the case. After all, there was enough extra food to supply a soup kitchen at Isobel’s house. Not to mention the family and their guests were seen in the dining room munching away, in scene after scene.

Every stately home had a large kitchen garden to supply the house. There must have been at least one gardener left at Downton as he brought in flowers for Daisy’s wedding to William. Unlike Edith and Sybil, Lady Mary doesn’t appear to have thrown herself into war work. Perhaps she could have picked up a spade. (Sorry to non fans, who will have no hope of following my musings.)

In addition it was common practice for one of the farms on the estate, the ‘Home Farm”, to be farmed for the estate owners. Did they have to account for everything that was produced? Or could a nice side of beef be delivered up to the house?

I know that people in urban areas, mine and factory workers were at real risk of malnutrition, but what was it like for the upper classes?

If any of you are history buffs please let me know.

8 comments:

  1. I just love UK television. I did a series of posts on some other great shows. This is the first one of them http://caroleschatter.blogspot.co.nz/2012/01/great-old-british-tv-shows-part-i.html

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    1. Hi Carole, My Aunt and Uncle lived in a "small" English stately home. They had no money or servants and actually lived in the servants' quarters. As kids my cousins and I had great fun running wild in the empty grand rooms at the front of the house. There was a large kitchen garden steps from the back door which had been there as long as the house.

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  2. I believe the government basically co-op'd any arable land to help feed all of the citizenry, all of whom had a meat, egg and flour ration (and perhaps others). Some houses and estates were entirely taken over for use during the war.

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    1. Hello Jess, I know this was the case for WW2. I remember my grandparents talking about the sweeping lawns of the stately homes being dug up for food production. I guess Downton Abbey didn't get the memo.

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  3. I talk to my grandpa about the American depression in the 30's, I know that's different than what you are talking about, but what he has told me is that farmers had it very different during the depression than the rest of the population. Simply because a farm family could supply it's own food. I asked if he ever had to eat a lard sandwich. He laughed at me.

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    1. Hi Farmwife, My grandparents were farmers in England during WW2 and ate well. In fact my grandmother had airmen from the nearby base at her house much of the time, giving them a good meal. Rationing was so strict this must have come from farm produce.

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    2. I'm not a history buff but my Great Grandparents were farmers in England during WW1 and my Great Grandma was a maid in a Country Home. I believe that the rural folks had it easier than the city dwellers purely because they were fairly self sufficient... the upper classes could obtain a lot of things through the black market but obviously luxury was no longer standard for them and many servants would have left for the trenches. Everybody suffered, especially the poor, but the upper classes probably felt like they suffered the most!!

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    3. I think you have probably hit the nail on the head PJ Girl.

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