Poached Gammon with Parsley Sauce

When the pigs arrive in season 4, creating mild havoc as Mary and Charles Blake, in full evening dress, wade in mud to save their lives, it’s a moment to savor. The hogs’ arrival heralds a new direction for Downton and a determination by Mary to move the estate management into the future, in an effort to keep it financially viable when so many others are going bankrupt. One of the most expensive cuts of a pig was the gammon, made from the back leg. The leg was salted, smoked, and sold whole