On Savories

Small, brightly flavored bites, savories were traditionally served at the end of a formal multicourse meal, after the entremets (sweets) and alongside fresh fruits and ices. But savories could also be snacks or even lunch, as we see on Christmas Day at Downton Abbey in season 2, episode 9. The servants have arranged an array of savories on the sideboard for the Crawley family, who will be helping themselves to them while the staff enjoys their holiday feast downstairs. This Christmas self-serve lunch would have been a rare occurrence in noble houses of the time, where servants had to bend to the needs of the family, rather than the family showing any accommodation toward the staff.