One of the first dishes we see featured on Downton Abbey is Kedgeree. This Indian dish traditionally consists of smoked haddock, rice, hard boiled eggs, and curry. This dish is particular popular in the UK and is served as a breakfast dish.
Everyone had breakfast: There were scrambled eggs, bacon, and kedgeree for the family, and this meal was eaten in the breakfast room rather than the dining room. Married ladies took breakfast on a tray in bed.
And I actually thought that's what the man was like. I'm like him now!" At eight o'clock each morning, your Lady's Maid or Valet will wake you with your Early Morning Breakfast Tray. Full Breakfast will be served at half-past nine in the Dining Room.
The family dresses formally for dinner, every night, guests or not. Meals are multi-course, including soup, meat and fish entrees, a “savory” (appetizer), fresh vegetables and a dessert called “pudding,” no matter how fancy.
Some enterprising writer must do a book titled “The Downton Diet.” It would explain how to get and stay slim without moving a muscle, as the aristocratic women in the wildly popular British drama series demonstrate. Furthermore, they appear to eat three square meals a day, plus tea with nibbles.
In the UK the heyday of dinner was in the Middle Ages. It was known as "cena", Latin for dinner. The aristocracy ate formal, outrageously lavish dinners around noon. Despite their reputation for being unruly affairs, they were actually very sophisticated, with strict table manners.
Not only did they “dress for dinner” – they dressed for everything. It wasn't uncommon for women of the aristocracy (think Lady Mary of Downton Abbey) to change into multiple dresses a day. That's why having a lady's maid was somewhat non-negotiable: have you ever attempted to get in and out of a corset on your own?
He'd have homemade bread, a bowl of fresh fruit, and fresh fruit juices. "Wherever the Prince goes in the world, the breakfast box goes with him. He has six different types of honey, some special mueslis, his dried fruit and anything that's a bit special that he is a bit fussy about."
Queen Elizabeth adhered to a daily teatime meal; her preference for delicate sandwiches with the crusts cut off was well-publicized. Her favorite version was reported to be smoked salmon with cream cheese. If the old adage is true, one should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper.
Queen Elizabeth prefered to keep it simple when it came to breakfast. A bowl of Special K with some assorted fruits was apparently her go-to meal to get the day started the right way. On special occasions, she allegedly treated herself to some scrambled eggs and smoked salmon if she felt like it!
Fortunately for the cast, many food items are the real deal, seasonings and all. "I got caught eating something like cake because I'm always eating on set," says McShera.
The basement is buzzing again: the servants eat supper at 6 pm - a smaller meal than at midday. A five-course dinner is to be served upstairs at 8 pm, so everyone is hard at work. Dinner is served upstairs. Five courses, with wine, and a footman or two and a butler in attendance.
Most households served three meals a day, although breakfast, if eaten at all, was not substantial, consisting of bread, perhaps with butter and sage, washed down by small ale. The main meal of the day was dinner.
Her Majesty favoured brown eggs
Dinner at Buckingham Palace revealed: "Kippers, in a number of uncomplicated variations, have remained a favourite with the Queen ever since – for breakfast, as a savoury or a late-night supper.
Barley bread, porridge, gruel and pasta, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The main constituent of breakfast was bread or toast and butter, with tea and coffee to drink. This could be served with marmalade and other preserves. François de la Rochefoucauld wrote in 1784: Breakfast consists of tea and bread and butter in various forms.
Does the Queen ever cook for herself? McGrady says that while Prince Philip was an “amazing chef” and regularly enjoyed cooking on the grill and having family BBQs on the Balmoral estate, and the younger royals like William, Kate, Meghan and Harry, all enjoy cooking, the Queen herself stays out of the kitchen.
Apparently, she heads to bed at 10.30pm each evening in order to get a good night's sleep. The bling is stunning, obviously. Regular exercise is also said to help with sleep and Kate leads an active lifestyle, often talking about how she loves to get outdoors – it's thought that she runs or walks every day.
Breakfast
Leading nutritionist Signe Svanfeldt says that King Charles' has fresh home-baked bread, fruits and fresh juices in breakfast. He also has muesli and cereal, different varieties of honey and teas.
Kellogg's, Quaker Oats, and Weetabix all hold royal warrants. However, she likes her cereal to be served from Tupperware, which she believes keeps it fresh.
Harry and William love fast food, especially McDonald's
Former royal family personal chef Darren McGrady told Marie Claire, “I remember Princess [Diana] came into the kitchen one day and said, 'Cancel lunch for the boys I'm taking them out, we're going to McDonald's.
Henry VIII
With so many mouths to feed, the great kitchen featured six open fires with spits constantly roasting pig and venison. It was estimated they burned six to eight tons of oak in the fireplaces daily. For breakfast, he often ate pike, plaice, roach, butter and eggs.
The main meal, still usually called dinner, was pushed to the evening hours after work, when they could get home for a full meal. So, many people in the middle and lower class began to eat dinner in the evening as the nobles and gentry did.
6 am – the indoor servants are all up and about their duties, cleaning, laying fires and preparing clothes etc. 8 am – the family begin to rise. Most people rise early in the country.
Kate Middleton loves jeans and sneakers while Princess Charlene of Monaco makes a t-shirt and leather jacket look as good as a gown. The late Princess Diana even favored orange biker shorts, which had a come-back moment last season.