Lamb Stew with Semolina

Stews are a staple of the servants’ hall at Downton, as indeed they were in country houses more generally. They tend to be long cooked, use cheap cuts of meat, and are easy to make on the stove top or in the oven. In houses with several kitchen maids, the lowest maid would normally be in charge of making the servants’ food, which was one step up from doing all the peeling, chopping, gutting, and plucking that was the lot of the scullery maid. It was a way of learning to cook without too muc