Cast Cooks

Heathcote laughed heartily when asked whether the actors, after four seasons of playing cooks on Downton Abbey, had become skilled chefs. But she conceded, "I think they're getting better at chopping! And they're getting better at handling all types of food. They're very good because they're not squeamish. And they're getting better at handling pastry and kneading things. But most of the time I set up. For example, I had Daisy making big pastry boats and putting leaves all over it. So I made the pastry boats, I stamped out leaves and them all over it, and then Daisy's just putting the last one on. So for all the world we believe that Daisy's done it and she looks like she's very talented and clever!"

Bag of Tricks

How does Heathcote make the food look so edible and delicious, yet able to withstand the hours of filming, the hot lights on the set, and the numerous takes? "They'll do a few takes, and then we think it looks a bit sad, so we reset the plates. It's like running a restaurant." Making wise choices of ingredients is essential. "For instance, certain leaves will wilt. Good old-fashioned watercress is great, but you've got to have a lot of it, and keep resetting it."

But not everything on the plate is edible. She makes aspic and jellies, very much in fashion at the time, much firmer than they should be, "so that they will be able to stand and do a little bit of a world tour." Because jelly would melt if she made it palatable, she decorates fruit-based dishes with jelly so the cast can eat around it.
 


Heathcote describes Season 4 as the season of savories and fish mousse. To accommodate numerous script references to "delicious fish mousse," and "delicious salmon mousse," she used tinted cream cheese set in molds to create the fish dishes. "Last season seemed to have endless fish, which was really made of chicken, so we had chicken-fish, and this season we've had cheesey-fish. Otherwise with actual fish it would get a bit smelly and unpleasant."

Tucking In

Think the actors get hungry sitting around the food hour after hour? While they usually only eat the foods like watercress or cucumber, Heathcote notes, "They do occasionally tuck in [eat heartily], depending upon how peckish [hungry] they are, and where we are in the day. If it's just before lunch, they'll tuck in." 

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