A Year in the Life of Downton Abbey: Seasonal Celebrations, Traditions, and Recipes (27 page)

‘They’ve earned our respect and they deserve a clean death.’
NIELD (GAMEKEEPER)

Before the sport begins, the family is awoken by the strains of a bagpipe drifting in at the windows – melodious or not, depending on your particular point of view. With several guests staying in the house party and a long day of stalking ahead, a magnificent breakfast would always be laid on. One guest remembered, years later, a repast that still seemed to make her mouth water: ‘porridge with the thickest cream and eggs and bacon and sausages, and herrings in oatmeal, and heather honey spread on baps’.

After a hearty breakfast, the men would travel on the wagonette (an open horse car with springs) to the first hill. Accompanied by the ghillie, they’d spend several hours crawling through the heather in search of a stag. The sport was largely born out of a need to cull the deer population, which would otherwise damage crops and gardens. There is strict emphasis on the need for a clean kill – the aim is always to kill the animal with a single shot, so accuracy is paramount. If you are unable to aim precisely, thanks to an obstruction or because the deer is moving too fast, then you may not fire your rifle. This can, of course, lead to many hours of no action at all.

As well as stalking, the men would go fly-fishing too. To partake in field sports was seen as the mark of a gentleman and although most sport enjoyed by the upper classes seemed to involve hunting and killing mammals, birds and fish, a new, rather more harmless leisure pursuit was beginning to gain ground amongst the upper classes: golf (which they pronounced ‘goff’).

Train travel, in the late Victorian age, meant people could travel to Scotland – birthplace of golf – more easily than ever before and so the pastime spread. Gleneagles Hotel, now famed worldwide for being one of the best examples of a golf hotel and course, opened in June 1924.

After a morning at the castle, the women would perhaps have a ladies’ luncheon by the loch, riding in a rather bumpy trap through the glen to get there. As Mary says: ‘We were shaken around in that trap like dice in a cup.’ Usually the men wouldn’t join them, but if they were having a particularly miserable sporting day, then they could, of course.

Anna and Bates, beholden though they are to the needs of their master and mistress, are able to sneak off for a picnic by a river. It’s a rare delight and should be savoured. Except for the fact that one of the real difficulties with picnicking in Scotland is the presence of midges – swarms of tiny, biting insects that come out with the sunshine. But there are moments in the day when the midges aren’t too terrible, the rainclouds have drifted elsewhere and the sun warms one’s face. Anna packs a couple of beers, simple sandwiches, cheese and fruit, cadged from the cook. They only want a little sustenance to be enjoyed al fresco, away from the formalities of the servants’ hall table. The servants know well how to cherish such small moments of pleasure at Downton Abbey throughout the year.

Shortbread is said to have originated in Scotland and may well have formed part of Anna and Bates’s picnic. It is delicious with creamy English puddings such as fruit fools or simply with a cup of tea.

MAKES 8 WEDGES

Preheat the oven to 325°F. You will need an 8 inch round, shallow cake tin.

Sift the flour, semolina and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir in the superfine sugar. Crumble the butter into the bowl and rub into the dry mixture with your fingertips to make fine crumbs.

Knead the mixture together with your hands until you have a smooth, dough-like texture. Place in the middle of the cake tin. Using your hands, press the mixture out to fill the tin in an even layer.

Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes, until the shortbread is slightly coloured. Remove from the oven and leave to stand in the tin for 10 minutes until the shortbread has firmed up a little but is still warm. Cut into wedges, sprinkle with superfine sugar and leave to cool and harden in the tin.

Also known as huntsman’s beef, this is sliced thinly and eaten cold – just the thing for picnics, sandwiches and shooting lunches.

SERVES 8–10

Place the beef in an ovenproof lidded dish that fits it as snugly as possible.

Grind the peppercorns, allspice and juniper berries in a spice grinder. Mix with the saltpetre, sea salt and sugar. Rub this mixture all over the beef. Cover and leave in the fridge for 7–10 days, turning once a day.

When this time has passed, preheat the oven to 275°F. Remove the beef from the dish and wipe off the spices and juices. Rinse out the dish and place the beef back in it. Cover tightly with two layers of aluminium foil, place the lid on top and cook in the oven for 3 hours.

Remove the beef from the oven and leave it to cool for 3 hours in the dish. Then drain the fat and wipe the beef with kitchen paper. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place on a board. Put another board on top of the beef and place heavy weights on top. Refrigerate for 24 hours. After this time, remove the board and weights, rewrap the beef in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate until needed. It will keep for up to 2 weeks.

For the Downton young, the highlight of the Scottish trip is the Ghillies Ball. Attended by the family and their senior servants, it’s a lively night. Violet remembers going to her first Ghillies Ball, at Balmoral, in 1860: ‘All the men were as tight as ticks!’ Today, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh still hold a Ghillies Ball during their summer stay at Balmoral, inviting the castle staff and the local community and traditionally kick off proceedings by dancing an eightsome reel with three other couples.

The dances are not always easy to learn, but are huge fun. The names of the reels alone are enticing: Dashing White Sergeant, Gay Gordons, Robertson Rant, Hooper’s Jig, to name but a very few. Lady Rose, who would have been reeling as soon as she could walk, teaches Anna one or two of the dances, so that she may impress her husband, Bates. And so she duly does.

SPOTLIGHT ON