Upstairs Dinner

DINNER WAS THE MAIN MEAL OF THE DAY, served for the upper classes around 8:00 p .m, and was the focus of the cook’s time and attention. While there may have been guests present for lunch, tea, and even breakfast if they were staying with the family, it was always a dinner to which the most prestigious invitations were given, and dinners were the best opportunity for both families and individuals to impress. Ralph Waldo Emerson once commented that in England, trial by dinner, not by jury, was the capital institution.