0:00:02 > 0:00:03Meet the Robshaws -
0:00:03 > 0:00:06Brandon, Rochelle, Miranda, Roz and Fred.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09They've been back in time before.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13And experienced the transformation
0:00:13 > 0:00:16in our diets from the 1950s to the 1990s.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18That is just amazing!
0:00:18 > 0:00:23- Look at them.- Now they're travelling further back in time,
0:00:23 > 0:00:24to the first half of the 20th century...
0:00:26 > 0:00:29..to discover how changes in the food we ate...
0:00:29 > 0:00:30Oh, my good God!
0:00:30 > 0:00:34- Is it brains?- ..the way it was served
0:00:34 > 0:00:35and how it was cooked...
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Yes, I'm cooking the pudding in a soup.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40- Why?- ..helped change the course of history.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Starting in the 1900s...
0:00:43 > 0:00:44Oh, my goodness!
0:00:45 > 0:00:48..they'll fast forward through a New Year each day.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50- 1929.- What is that?
0:00:50 > 0:00:52It looks like a giant hand grenade.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54From strict etiquette...
0:00:54 > 0:00:55I might practise my bowing.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01..to new fads and flavours...
0:01:01 > 0:01:02HE GROANS
0:01:02 > 0:01:06It's not that bad. Dad!
0:01:06 > 0:01:07..from far too much...
0:01:07 > 0:01:09I think I've got the meat sweats.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12- ..to not enough...- Doesn't look like a fried egg.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14- No!- Can we eat that?
0:01:14 > 0:01:16No.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19..as they discover how a revolution in our eating habits...
0:01:20 > 0:01:22..helped create the modern family.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34The Robshaw family is about to go
0:01:34 > 0:01:36back to the turn of the 20th century.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43Their time machine will be this ordinary house in Tooting, south London.
0:01:43 > 0:01:44It was built in the late 19th century
0:01:44 > 0:01:46when a rapidly growing economy was
0:01:46 > 0:01:50creating thousands of clerical jobs and new suburbs were springing up
0:01:50 > 0:01:53across the country to house the families of this new middle class.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59But before the Robshaws can move in,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02the house has to be returned to what it looked like in 1900.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11I'll be working with social historian Polly Russell to guide the
0:02:11 > 0:02:14family through their time-travelling adventure.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16In the first 50 years of the 20th century,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20middle-class family life was transformed from a world dominated
0:02:20 > 0:02:23by strict rules of etiquette, where children were seen and not heard,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25to a more relaxed existence of the kind we enjoy today.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29And I think food was fundamental to those changes.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32So by sending the Robshaws back to 1900 and then fast forwarding them
0:02:32 > 0:02:34through five decades and two world wars,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37I hope we'll discover how the food we ate and the way we ate it helped
0:02:37 > 0:02:39shape the modern British family.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46You see, I love this kitchen.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48It is sort of appealing to the modern eye,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52but this is a place where hard labour is going to take place
0:02:52 > 0:02:56with quite rudimentary equipment and no electricity.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59The person that's going to be working in here has got to be really
0:02:59 > 0:03:01quite skilled and quite knowledgeable.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04They're going to have to work very hard to produce the sort of
0:03:04 > 0:03:08meals that will be expected on an aspirational middle-class table.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10- They haven't got a fridge.- They don't but they do have a larder
0:03:10 > 0:03:13for making sure food is kept safely.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Lots of recognisable brands.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17The Atora Suet and the Rowntree's, the Typhoo Tea.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Yeah, this is the beginning of the birth of the brand.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Also, this is a period where we are
0:03:22 > 0:03:25importing food from around the world.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27We're very reliant on the rest of
0:03:27 > 0:03:29the world to feed this growing nation.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36In 1900, Britain was importing 60% of its food,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39using its wealth and power to ship in produce from across the globe.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Meat came from as far away as Argentina and New Zealand.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47It was a time when the upper classes displayed their wealth through the
0:03:47 > 0:03:48elaborate food they ate.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Britain's emerging middle classes were keen to do the same,
0:03:52 > 0:03:56imitating the diet and habits of the wealthy wherever possible.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59To guide the Robshaws' experience,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03we're using historical data that track what families spent on food
0:04:03 > 0:04:05across the decade.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Look at this. Fantastic survey,
0:04:07 > 0:04:12which tells us what it would cost to be a lower middle-class household.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Not ashamed to talk about class in pretty bold terms, then?
0:04:14 > 0:04:15No, absolutely not.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20Here's a person here who's earning £237 a year.
0:04:20 > 0:04:21That's sort of equivalent to what
0:04:21 > 0:04:24we think the Robshaws would be earning.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28The biggest part of their income is going on food at about sort of 30%.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32Compared to today, tiny, isn't it? It's less than 10%.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33Much less than 10%.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36They are spending a tremendous amount of money on meat.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Bread - 24 loaves a week.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42I can't help noticing that the potatoes are measured in pecks.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Three pecks of potatoes!
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Flour, half a stone, on top of 24 loaves of bread.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49The shape of these people, you can barely imagine.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53I really envy the Robshaws, they are going to eat and eat and eat.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59It's time for the family to step back to 1900.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04I'm fascinated to step back in time to over 100 years ago.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06It's an era I don't know much about.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09We're going to be like tourists in a foreign land.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14I'm a little bit anxious about what will be inside our new home.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17I'm worried I'm going to find myself, well, in the kitchen.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22I'm really worried about having to, like, sit and sew and cook because
0:05:22 > 0:05:26that would just drive me absolutely mad.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28I'm wearing a corset!
0:05:28 > 0:05:32And I think I'll find that difficult because I can't really move or breathe, either.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38This will be the first time the family see their new home.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45It's proper old.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46Oh, my goodness!
0:05:46 > 0:05:48THEY LAUGH
0:05:48 > 0:05:49It is totally wooden.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Wow! There's not much in the way of, sort of, decoration.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54I thought it would be smaller, though.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- Did you?- There's lots of wiry gadgets.
0:05:57 > 0:05:58That's a sieve.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01- You look like the Tin Man.- I thought that.- I was going to say that.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04- No light, is there?- Oh, no, of course not.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Actually, that'll be good cos no-one will see what I'm making.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08We'll taste it, though, won't we?
0:06:08 > 0:06:09Oh, yeah!
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Ooh, this is so pretty!
0:06:13 > 0:06:16We have a botanical gardens!
0:06:16 > 0:06:17- Oh, my God!- Wowzer!
0:06:17 > 0:06:19This is amazing!
0:06:19 > 0:06:22- This is fantastic!- And there's so many objects.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24The sheer amount of stuff...
0:06:24 > 0:06:26It's like being in a little museum.
0:06:26 > 0:06:27What do you think this is for, then?
0:06:27 > 0:06:29It's probably to call me, isn't it?
0:06:29 > 0:06:31A bell. Rochelle, some dusting to be done!
0:06:34 > 0:06:36I'm back to help the Robshaws
0:06:36 > 0:06:38understand the world they've stepped into.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40- It's Giles!- Don't look so surprised.
0:06:40 > 0:06:41THEY LAUGH
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Here at the end of the Victorian period,
0:06:44 > 0:06:45a time of all sorts of social rules
0:06:45 > 0:06:48about mobility and behaviour and appearances.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Your manual, I think, in this decade, is going to be very
0:06:50 > 0:06:52important. That's why it's so big.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55There's a lot you can do right and a lot you can do wrong.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58And there's one other thing which you would have not been without as a
0:06:58 > 0:07:02middle-class suburban family in 1900, which I'll just go and get.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03I hope it's a dog.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07This is Debbie.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09Oh, wow!
0:07:09 > 0:07:12This is Debbie and she's your maid.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15She's a maid of all works.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17- Nice to meet you.- You too.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21Brandon, you're going to be OK with the idea of having a maid living in?
0:07:21 > 0:07:23I think I'm going to find it a bit awkward, I think.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26I'm going to feel slightly embarrassed about being on a sort of
0:07:26 > 0:07:28higher level and being able to boss her about.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30I think I'm not going to really like that much.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33But that is the nature of the late Victorian class system.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36If you haven't got someone below you, how do you know where you are?
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Yes, I suppose so. It'll take some adjusting to, anyway.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41I'm sure you'll all find a way to make it work extremely well.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Now, Debbie, it's time to make their dinner, so
0:07:44 > 0:07:46- hop it, it's down the hall... - OK.- ..in the kitchen.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Right, you've got the manual, you know what to do,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50enjoy your life further back in time.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Oh, my goodness!
0:07:56 > 0:07:58This is going to be hard.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00It straight to work for 19-year-old Debbie.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Luckily, she's no stranger to the kitchen.
0:08:03 > 0:08:04In her modern life,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08she's just finished catering college and works as a part-time chef.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Service! I love cooking.
0:08:11 > 0:08:17I've been cooking since I was really little and it's just developed from there.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20I'm excited because I really want to find out what it would be like for a
0:08:20 > 0:08:24girl like me to cook how they did back then without any modern-day technology.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29I don't think that I'm going to miss being in the kitchen.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32But when I was introduced to Debbie,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35I actually felt a little bit shocked.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39I think it might take some time to actually get used to having somebody
0:08:39 > 0:08:43that you would be, sort of, telling, you know, what to do.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46But there would have been nothing shocking about this to Rochelle's
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Victorian counterparts.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Servants were seen as a necessity in any middle-class household and it
0:08:52 > 0:08:54was standard practice to employ a maid of all works
0:08:54 > 0:08:57to do all their cooking and cleaning.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03So thousands of young girls, just like Debbie, left their own homes to
0:09:03 > 0:09:06come and live and work in the service of another family.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11To give the Robshaws their first taste of Victorian cuisine...
0:09:13 > 0:09:15..Debbie's making a formal dinner from the
0:09:15 > 0:09:171900 Day By Day Cookery Book
0:09:17 > 0:09:19that featured recipes for breakfast,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22lunch and dinner for every single day of the year.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Today, it's mock turtle soup,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28ragout of grouse,
0:09:28 > 0:09:30devilled kidneys
0:09:30 > 0:09:31and Marlow pudding.
0:09:31 > 0:09:32Wow! Oh, no!
0:09:32 > 0:09:35What is all this?
0:09:35 > 0:09:36This may seem like a lavish feast
0:09:36 > 0:09:39but meals like this appear every single
0:09:39 > 0:09:41- day in the book.- Ooh! What are these?
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Opulent displays of food on the table were an attempt to ape the
0:09:45 > 0:09:49upper classes - a sure-fire way to proclaim your status.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51These must be kidneys.
0:09:51 > 0:09:52And in 1900,
0:09:52 > 0:09:56a typical middle-class family spent twice as much on meat as they did on
0:09:56 > 0:09:58their maid's salary.
0:09:58 > 0:09:59So that's in pounds.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03While Debbie finds her way around the kitchen...
0:10:03 > 0:10:05I really don't want to ring the bell.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08..the Robshaws are getting used to their new lives.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10I can't bring myself to ring it.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14I just feel uncomfortable sounding a bell to call upon someone.
0:10:14 > 0:10:15She expects us to, doesn't she?
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- Well, I'll ask her. I'll ask her if she'd like me to ring the bell. - No, no...
0:10:21 > 0:10:23It's only if you want them to ring the bell!
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Oh, my goodness!
0:10:28 > 0:10:31An hour into cooking and Debbie's busy preparing mock turtle soup,
0:10:31 > 0:10:33which is made from boiled calf's head -
0:10:33 > 0:10:35a substitute for real turtle meat.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41It's a bit gross. I've never had to, like, prep a head before.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Turtle meat was a popular Victorian delicacy but had been overeaten
0:10:44 > 0:10:46almost to the point of extinction.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Hi, Debbie. Just wondered how things were coming along.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53This is mock turtle soup.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56We're using calf's head.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57Calf's head?
0:10:59 > 0:11:03I'm a bit shocked to see it like that.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04So sort of, like...
0:11:06 > 0:11:07..heady...
0:11:07 > 0:11:10in its head-like way.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Do you think it's going to be tasty, Debbie?
0:11:12 > 0:11:14I'm going to try and make it tasty...
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- Right, yeah, you do your best, yeah. - ..with what I've got.- Yeah.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20- Leave the teeth out of it, won't you?- Yeah.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- Hello.- I've just been to see how Debbie's getting on with dinner.
0:11:26 > 0:11:27Oh, yeah. What's she got for us, then?
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Mock turtle soup.
0:11:29 > 0:11:30Oh. What is it?
0:11:30 > 0:11:32It's made of calf's head.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- Is it really?- Yes. She's having to, sort of, cut it up.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38It's quite a large head.
0:11:38 > 0:11:39Poor Debbie!
0:11:40 > 0:11:42Debbie may be used to cooking for
0:11:42 > 0:11:43customers in her professional life...
0:11:44 > 0:11:46It's warm!
0:11:46 > 0:11:48..but as a maid of all works,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52she'll have to produce three meals a day with antiquated equipment and do
0:11:52 > 0:11:54all the cleaning for the family.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I'm very hot right now and kind of uncomfortable.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00But I'm trying not to think about that. I just want to get on.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04While Debbie gets stuck in to the cooking...
0:12:05 > 0:12:09- Which ones do you think?- ..the Robshaws are trying to get to grips
0:12:09 > 0:12:11with the etiquette of table laying.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13We need dessert forks, don't we?
0:12:13 > 0:12:14- Nah!- We do.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17- We don't!- Look at the picture.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Even cutlery had its own rules.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24Also, you've got to check which way the forks are going.
0:12:24 > 0:12:25We've made a mistake.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27- What?- What is it?- Oh!- What?
0:12:27 > 0:12:30We didn't put this down, did we?
0:12:30 > 0:12:32- Ah!- Ah!
0:12:35 > 0:12:38THEY LAUGH
0:12:38 > 0:12:40You're not going to find a husband if you can't lay a table!
0:12:43 > 0:12:46I think it's a fairly mundane activity.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49It would probably be the highlight of day.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53You'd probably, sort, of store up all your excitement and go mad and
0:12:53 > 0:12:56just splurge on your evening table laying.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03I'm just waiting for the cream to boil.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09- That's hot!- After four hours slogging away in the kitchen,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11the first course is ready.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13As well as calf's head meat and stock,
0:13:13 > 0:13:15the other major ingredient of the soup is cream.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19Oh, my God, that's hot!
0:13:21 > 0:13:23With this one meal, each of them
0:13:23 > 0:13:26will consume more than 3,000 calories.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29- Your soup's ready.- Thank you.
0:13:29 > 0:13:30But I want to eat with you.
0:13:30 > 0:13:31You want to eat with us?
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- Yeah.- Oh, I'm afraid you can't.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39In the 1900s, a 12-year-old like Fred wouldn't join his family for a
0:13:39 > 0:13:44formal dinner. Instead, he would be expected to eat in the kitchen.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45Can I have some food now?
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Yeah.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48As well as eating separately,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51children weren't allowed to have the same food as their parents.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Theirs was often pureed.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56It's kind of secluded, being on my own
0:13:56 > 0:14:00but, if I had both my sisters in here with me with, like, the cook,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03I think I can imagine that being quite sort of fun.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Debbie, can I have a biscuit, please?
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Yeah, yeah, of course you can.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Spending so much time in the kitchen meant that some Victorian children
0:14:12 > 0:14:14saw more of the servant than their own parents.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20It's mock turtle soup.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22- All right.- Thank you.- Thank you very much, Debbie.
0:14:22 > 0:14:23- Thank you.- Shall I serve you?
0:14:23 > 0:14:24Yeah, thank you.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29While the upper classes would have had a butler, in a middle-class
0:14:29 > 0:14:33home, with only one servant, it was perfectly acceptable for the
0:14:33 > 0:14:35lady of the house to serve the dinner.
0:14:38 > 0:14:39That's quite nice.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41- It's quite nice.- I couldn't eat a lot of it, though.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43- It's good.- It's, like, really rich.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44I think it's very nice.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Maybe I should ring the bell and tell her it's nice.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48- No.- No.- Perhaps I'll ring the bell?
0:14:48 > 0:14:51No, no, no, no, no!
0:14:51 > 0:14:53- And tell her it's nice?- Yes!
0:14:53 > 0:14:57To tell her it's nice because I want to!
0:14:57 > 0:14:58SHE RINGS BELL
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Hi, I just wanted to say it's very, very nice.
0:15:02 > 0:15:03It's delicious.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05While you're here, could we get some pepper?
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Yeah, yeah, of course.
0:15:07 > 0:15:08You just spoilt that!
0:15:09 > 0:15:11Why?
0:15:11 > 0:15:13A hard first day, indeed.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16How people did this every day, I don't know.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Next on the menu, it's ragout of grouse.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Hunting game was a popular aristocratic pursuit,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26so having game on the table was a way of the
0:15:26 > 0:15:29middle classes displaying their upper-class tastes,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32even if it was just to their wives and daughters.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36It's, like, delicious.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38- It actually tastes like red meat, doesn't it?- Mm.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41If I went to a restaurant and got this,
0:15:41 > 0:15:45I would be recommending that restaurant to everyone I knew.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46These are devilled kidneys.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Although it may not seem very appealing to modern palates,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53offal was incredibly popular among Victorians.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55It's delicious but that's all I want.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Meaty meat, meat!
0:15:57 > 0:15:59It's a meat heavy meal, isn't it?
0:16:00 > 0:16:03I think I've got the meat sweats now.
0:16:03 > 0:16:04It's not over yet.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07This is Marlow pudding.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11- That's heavy.- It's made of suet, eggs, sugar...
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- Suet? Is that beef?- Yeah.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Even the dessert has got beef suet in it.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22How would you feel if you had to eat a meal like this every day?
0:16:22 > 0:16:25- How would you feel?- I think I'd feel ill.
0:16:26 > 0:16:27That's why they died so young.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32There's just so much meat.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Meat after meat after meat.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38There just seems to be an awful lot of it.
0:16:38 > 0:16:39Today has been really full-on.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43This is up there with one of the hardest days, hardest working days,
0:16:43 > 0:16:45of my life.
0:16:45 > 0:16:46I can't wait to go to bed.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of a servant.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58She's our age but she's clearly
0:16:58 > 0:17:01living a very, very different life to me.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05MUSIC PLAYS
0:17:09 > 0:17:11A new day means a New Year for the household.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12And Debbie is the first one up.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18In 1901, a maid's typical working day would start at 6am and end at
0:17:18 > 0:17:20ten at night.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24After yesterday, I'm quite tired, to be honest.
0:17:24 > 0:17:25I was kind of dreading...
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Oh, God, if it's going to be like this, I'll never get through it.
0:17:29 > 0:17:34Debbie is preparing the family breakfast and that means more meat.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38For breakfast today, there's lamb chops, which is really weird.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41I mean, I know a little bit of meat is good but this is a lot.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49The decade has only just begun but 1901 was to mark a turning point in
0:17:49 > 0:17:50British history.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55After 64 years on the throne, Queen Victoria died and thousands
0:17:55 > 0:17:58lined the streets for her state funeral.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Like many respectable families,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06the Robshaws have donned full mourning dress to mark the occasion.
0:18:06 > 0:18:07Are we ready for breakfast?
0:18:09 > 0:18:11For breakfast and less formal meals,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13children were allowed to dine with their families.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17- Morning.- Morning.- Morning.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20This is anchovies on toast.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21Thank you.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Lamb chops.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Lamb chops for breakfast?
0:18:26 > 0:18:28That's so weird.
0:18:28 > 0:18:29Thank you, it looks very nice.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Fred, this is your porridge.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Fred might be allowed at the dining table,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36but he still won't have to chew much on his food.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41- Let's get started, then.- Debbie would have had to have got up like
0:18:41 > 0:18:43really early to prepare this for a breakfast, wouldn't she?
0:18:43 > 0:18:45- Yeah.- Is there sugar?
0:18:45 > 0:18:46BELL RINGS
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Hello, Debbie. Can we have some sugar, please?
0:18:49 > 0:18:52- Yeah, course you can.- Thanks.
0:18:52 > 0:18:53Great, thanks a lot.
0:18:56 > 0:18:57- Why are you ringing it?- Need a tea strainer.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59BELL RINGS
0:18:59 > 0:19:01You were so unhappy about ringing the bell.
0:19:01 > 0:19:02Now we're bell happy.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06We'll have a toast, shall we? The Queen is dead, long live the King.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Queen Victoria was succeeded by her eldest son Edward,
0:19:13 > 0:19:14fondly known as Bertie.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20Unlike his strict mother, the new king was a renowned bon viveur,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23whose extravagant lifestyle was devoted to women, wine,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25hunting and good food.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27And like many of his aristocratic friends,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29the food he loved most was French.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37So, I'm sending Brandon and Rochelle to the Savoy to show them how the
0:19:37 > 0:19:40British love affair with French cuisine really took off.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42- Hello.- Hello.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45- How are you?- Very well, thank you. - You look amazing.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47It's Monica off MasterChef, isn't it?
0:19:47 > 0:19:51It is. So, welcome to the Savoy, the birthplace of haute cuisine.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- Are you ready for lunch?- Well, we're not sure, actually.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56We had quite a heavy breakfast, actually.
0:19:56 > 0:19:57We had grilled lamb chops.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59- For breakfast?- Yes.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01I don't know where you've put it all.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Stuffed it all down my corset!
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Monica Galetti was senior sous chef at top French restaurant Le Gavroche
0:20:09 > 0:20:12and learned her trade with many of the recipes and techniques first
0:20:12 > 0:20:14introduced to Britain here at the Savoy.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Wow! I like this dining room.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22This trailblazing restaurant was established by legendary
0:20:22 > 0:20:26French chef, Auguste Escoffier, and was patronised by aristocratic
0:20:26 > 0:20:29clientele, including King Edward himself.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34- Thank you.- So, what we have here's a Sole Walewska,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36which is sole with truffles.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40It's lovely. It's that sort of food that angels would eat.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Everything we've eaten has been brown because it's been meat.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48This is just sort of like pale and sort of pretty.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Escoffier was brought here to open the restaurant,
0:20:51 > 0:20:55literally to introduce this kind of dining to Britain.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59At that time, it was only available back in the Continent.
0:20:59 > 0:21:00Escoffier, when he came over,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03literally made this experience open to everyone.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07- It must have been a revelation. - I just find that absolutely amazing.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12It took one man to introduce this to Britain and it's just carried on.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Kind of have such a lot to thank the French for.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Oh, my goodness! That looks fantastic.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20What we have here is a peach melba,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22which is peaches with raspberries and Chantilly cream.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25This is very, very different from a suet pudding.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27I think this haute cuisine thing will really catch on.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Do you think we could get Debbie to have a go at it?
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Yes, I have high hautes for her.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36You've been working on that for a while, haven't you?
0:21:45 > 0:21:49It's 1902 and to give the Robshaws the chance to show off their new
0:21:49 > 0:21:51appreciation of fashionable French cuisine,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54I'm asking them to host a very special event.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55It's a letter.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00- A letter?- Dear, Brandon, Rochelle, Miranda, Rosalind and Frederick,
0:22:00 > 0:22:01for the aspiring middle classes,
0:22:01 > 0:22:06this decade is all about maintaining and improving your place in society.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Tonight, you'll be hosting a spectacular...
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Wait for it. ..eight course dinner party.
0:22:14 > 0:22:15- Eight?! Oh, my goodness me!- Oh, my goodness!
0:22:15 > 0:22:19- What?- So, make sure the evening is a roaring success.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Your reputation will depend on it for years to come.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25- That's a bit of a worry.- All we need to do is make sure that we give the
0:22:25 > 0:22:27guests a very entertaining evening.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29But eight courses?
0:22:29 > 0:22:31I can't even think of eight courses.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36- Hi, Debbie.- Hello.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40I've got some rather exciting news.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45- OK.- We're having an eight course dinner party this evening.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Eight people, eight courses...
0:22:47 > 0:22:49- Oh!- Yeah, yeah.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51This night is extremely important.
0:22:51 > 0:22:57- OK.- What hangs on this meal is Mr Robshaw's reputation.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00- OK.- I think I'll let you get on with it.- OK. Thanks.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Dinner parties were the perfect opportunity for an aspiring
0:23:05 > 0:23:10middle-class family to display their status and taste.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Although they weren't able to match the lavishness of the upper classes,
0:23:13 > 0:23:17showing off was still the name of the game and elaborate menus were
0:23:17 > 0:23:18all the rage.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21I'm kind of feeling a little bit overwhelmed at the moment.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24There's a lot... A lot to do for one person.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30I've taken tonight's menu from Britain's favourite cookery writer,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Mrs Beeton, who also embraced the fashion for all things French.
0:23:35 > 0:23:42In English, it's oysters, soup, cold salmon, cream of chicken,
0:23:42 > 0:23:47quail, saddle of mutton, cake, jelly and cheese.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57What a nightmare this is.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Debbie's starting with creme de volaille, a cold,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02savoury dish of chicken with cream sauce,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05that needs to be cooked and cooled in time to be served chilled.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08It all has to go right, really.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11I mean, for the family's sake as well because they just want it to be
0:24:11 > 0:24:13a good meal. They don't want me to cock up.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15But it matters for Debbie, as well.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19In 1902, a disastrous dinner could have led to instant dismissal for
0:24:19 > 0:24:20the servant responsible.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26As well as seven savoury courses, she'll also have to pull off a
0:24:26 > 0:24:29spectacular moulded jelly for dessert.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34In Debbie's modern life, making jelly is easy but without a fridge,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37it's another matter entirely.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40I'm kind of worried about this because I don't know if it'll
0:24:40 > 0:24:42actually all set in time.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44I'm going to actually have to get it out, so...
0:24:46 > 0:24:47It's a bit stressful.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52While Debbie single-handedly cooks up an eight course meal...
0:24:52 > 0:24:55OK... Shall we move these chairs out the way?
0:24:55 > 0:24:59..it's taking four members of the Robshaw family to lay the table.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01We need something for the oysters.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03An implement.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06A fork faux pas could spell disaster for a family's
0:25:06 > 0:25:09standing in the eyes of their guests.
0:25:09 > 0:25:10A little fork, an oyster fork.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13He's going to think we're really common if we don't have an oyster fork.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16- That could be a finger bowl.- Yes, but there's only one.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- No, it couldn't!- You can't have a communal finger bowl.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21- Yes, you can.- No, you can't. - It's ridiculous.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23We might have to do without finger bowls.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25But then what will they say about us?
0:25:25 > 0:25:28We can't let a finger bowl hold up your rise to the top.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33With the guests due any minute,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Debbie has been cooking solidly for eight hours.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Despite her professional training,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42she is finding the ostentatious menu a challenge.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45I've done the aspic jelly. I've done the mayonnaise.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48The chicken is in poaching.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49I need to do grain butter.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54Green beans, boiled potatoes, chicken sauce, roasted quail,
0:25:54 > 0:25:55and then gravy.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59In a one servant household, middle-class families often hired in
0:25:59 > 0:26:01extra help on special occasions,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03so tonight, I've arranged for Levitt,
0:26:03 > 0:26:04a butler who served the royal family,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07to help them make the night a success.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09The oysters, are they being served with a wedge of lemon?
0:26:09 > 0:26:10- Yeah...- Or half lemon?
0:26:10 > 0:26:12I'll do halves around the edges.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17And I've also arranged some rather special surprise guests,
0:26:17 > 0:26:21including the local mayor, just the sort of VIP a socially ambitious
0:26:21 > 0:26:22family might like to impress.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Thank you. Hello. Good evening.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38This is my wife, Rochelle.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42- Rochelle.- These are our two daughters, Miranda and Rosalind.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44- Madame.- Thank you so much.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Thank you.
0:26:46 > 0:26:47Cheers.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49And you must be Mr Ford?
0:26:49 > 0:26:50- I am indeed.- Pleased to meet you.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55With Fred not invited to dinner, he's making himself useful behind the scenes.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Ladies and gentlemen, would you please take your places
0:27:00 > 0:27:02for the service of supper?
0:27:02 > 0:27:03Thank you very much.
0:27:06 > 0:27:07Are we ready to go then, cook?
0:27:07 > 0:27:09- Yes.- The first course going now.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Previously a poor man's food, oysters became scarce in
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Edwardian England and were increasingly seen as a luxury.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Now, Mr Robshaw, do you have a regular supply of oysters
0:27:21 > 0:27:24- delivered to you, or...?- Well, I wish that I did.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Next up is consomme, a light French vegetable soup.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32- I'm sure that's a turnip. - A vastly underrated vegetable.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34I totally agree.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38The soup might be finished, but the next course is far from ready.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41I'm kind of hoping that the butler gives them a lot of wine,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44so that they don't realise how long the wait is.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46And then the food will taste nicer, as well.
0:27:51 > 0:27:5320 minutes later...
0:27:53 > 0:27:54Oh!
0:27:54 > 0:27:57..the whole poached salmon with prawns and home-made salmon mousse
0:27:57 > 0:28:01that's taken Debbie three hours to make is ready to serve.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03Such beautiful colours.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Do you wish to be addressed as your worship?
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Mr Mayor is good enough.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Next up is another Edwardian favourite,
0:28:14 > 0:28:18cold chicken in cream on a bed of salty meat jelly.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21This is aspic jelly.
0:28:21 > 0:28:22This looks gross.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24I can't believe they ate this.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Every picture I've seen, they have
0:28:26 > 0:28:28these mounds and mounds of sort of...
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Great wobbly puddings.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33They must have been working very hard in the kitchen.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38How the hell are they eating all of this?
0:28:38 > 0:28:39Quail, sir.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41The courses just keep and coming.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43I'll have the sauce to follow.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46I thought you said a horse to follow.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Wouldn't surprise me.
0:28:51 > 0:28:52Looks OK.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Ladies and gentlemen, mutton.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58- Another course.- Blimey.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00Couldn't have eaten like this every night, could they?
0:29:00 > 0:29:01Surely not.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Can you leave the jelly to the last minute?
0:29:04 > 0:29:05Yeah, will do.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07For dessert, Debbie's made two puddings.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10One, two, three...
0:29:10 > 0:29:13But it's the moment of truth for the multicoloured jelly.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Oh, no!
0:29:19 > 0:29:22LAUGHTER
0:29:24 > 0:29:25Oh, man!
0:29:28 > 0:29:29Oh, my goodness me!
0:29:29 > 0:29:31She must have been devastated.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Her jelly didn't stay upright.
0:29:34 > 0:29:35For an Edwardian servant,
0:29:35 > 0:29:39a mistake like this might have meant the sack, but luckily for Debbie,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42the modern guests are more forgiving.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45I've read lots about wanting to steal somebody else's cook and I can
0:29:45 > 0:29:46understand that now.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49I think I'd keep Debbie in the kitchen so no-one
0:29:49 > 0:29:51could see her and poach her.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55But the Mayor has other ideas and has asked to meet her himself.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58Ladies and gentlemen, Debbie, come in.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Debbie. Are you completely done in?
0:30:03 > 0:30:06- Erm... Yeah.- Yes.- It was delicious.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08- Fit for a king.- Thank you.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13I've got to say I just think that was a triumph.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16I think that was a brilliant, brilliant dinner party.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23And I truly believe that our social standing in the neighbourhood has
0:30:23 > 0:30:25gone right up into the sky.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30Any time you have strange people in your house that you have to make
0:30:30 > 0:30:33conversation with, obviously it's stressful.
0:30:33 > 0:30:34So I'm very relieved that it's over.
0:30:37 > 0:30:38Today was a big day.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41A lot of food to cook in a short period of time
0:30:41 > 0:30:43with hardly any equipment.
0:30:43 > 0:30:44I am proud, though.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50Morning.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54It's 1903 and following the success of their dinner party,
0:30:54 > 0:30:58the Robshaws are starting to feel the consequences of Edwardian excess.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02I feel like I'll never be hungry again after last night.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04It was about eight dinners in a row.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08To get some much-needed fresh air,
0:31:08 > 0:31:11they're off to the local common for a promenade.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14MUSIC PLAYS
0:31:25 > 0:31:29A walk in the park was not just a way to while away a Sunday afternoon,
0:31:29 > 0:31:33it was also the perfect opportunity for image obsessed Edwardians to
0:31:33 > 0:31:37parade their immaculately dressed families for all to see.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40How are people feeling? Are you feeling all stodged out?
0:31:40 > 0:31:41- The thing is...- Yeah.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44..if this is all the exercise you had,
0:31:44 > 0:31:47like a slow little promenade to feed the ducks.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50Maybe this is what the Edwardians did was chuck bread at them because
0:31:50 > 0:31:51they had so much food.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54They had so much food left over, they had to get rid of it somehow.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Give them a couple of meat chops in there.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08Back home and with Debbie hard at work cooking yet another meal...
0:32:08 > 0:32:09- Can you see?- No.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12..it's the perfect time to enjoy an Edwardian parlour game.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14Spin the player round...
0:32:14 > 0:32:15Dress the Dandy.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19The player must attempt to pin various items on the Dandy.
0:32:19 > 0:32:20She's going for the hat.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24She's got the moustache on the nose.
0:32:24 > 0:32:29- They all have moustaches on their nose?- It's under my nose.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32BELL RINGS
0:32:32 > 0:32:35I haven't got very many peas because of you, Fred.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38- No.- I found peas on the floor from you earlier.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43Not only did the culture of excess means lots of leftovers...
0:32:43 > 0:32:47These are mutton rissoles from last night's dinner, so I hope they're OK.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Thank you.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52..it also increased interest in digestive health.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56I'll start with two rissoles, I can always come back for more.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59Luckily for the Robshaws, there's a new drink on the market,
0:32:59 > 0:33:01perfect for the morning after.
0:33:01 > 0:33:02Some drinks for you.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Oh, I say.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06- Well, I never.- Perrier?
0:33:06 > 0:33:08In 1903, Perrier water was launched.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13Combining the Edwardians love for all things French with a promise of
0:33:13 > 0:33:18goodness, Perrier was French mineral water ingeniously rebranded
0:33:18 > 0:33:20by Englishman, William St John Harmsworth.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24He put it in distinctive green bottles and sold it to the British
0:33:24 > 0:33:26middle classes at a premium price.
0:33:26 > 0:33:27Bottled water!
0:33:28 > 0:33:32Marketed as the champagne of table waters, Perrier would become the
0:33:32 > 0:33:34biggest selling bottled water in the country.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36- I like it.- I like it.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39It feels like a sort of antidote to all this kind of heavy meat we've been eating.
0:33:39 > 0:33:45It's interesting because the bottle shape is how I feel my figure is going.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48- How is it going, Fred? - That's really, really runny.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51- Really, really runny? - Yeah.- Let's have a look.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55Definitely needs more icing sugar.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Fred may be banished from formal meals but he's feeling increasingly
0:33:58 > 0:34:01- at home in the kitchen...- Will you help me...?
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Yeah, I'm definitely going to help you.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06..and today, he's assisting Debbie to make a birthday cake for his dad.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11Swirl... Lift it up as you're doing it. Yeah.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16I think you're a very good cook.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18That's nice. Thanks, Fred.
0:34:18 > 0:34:19Oh, wow!
0:34:19 > 0:34:21That's beautiful.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23That's absolutely stunning.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28- Look at it.- Look at it.- What a great cake.- Thank you.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31I like having Fred in the kitchen, actually.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34And, in fact, he was quite helpful.
0:34:34 > 0:34:41The relationship between Debbie and me is almost like a hidden friendship.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45As far as Fred eating out of the kitchen,
0:34:45 > 0:34:48I sort of kind of felt a bit sorry for him.
0:34:48 > 0:34:53But now I can see that if he establishes a very close relationship with
0:34:53 > 0:34:58Debbie, then, actually, it might be quite pleasant and fun for him.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10It's 1904 and while the rest of the family stays at home...
0:35:10 > 0:35:13I've got to try and make a patterned handkerchief.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16..Brandon is heading out to work as a clerk in a city bank.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22In the early 1900s, middle-class white collar workers used the newly
0:35:22 > 0:35:25expanding railway system to commute from the suburbs to work in the city.
0:35:27 > 0:35:32And a whole new wave of restaurants opened to cater to these men at lunchtime.
0:35:32 > 0:35:33- After you.- Thank you.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36So today, breadwinner Brandon is going out for lunch with his
0:35:36 > 0:35:38workmate Chris.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41- Capital.- Cheers, Chris.- Cheers.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45Chop houses were relaxed, male only environments where men could enjoy
0:35:45 > 0:35:47good food and beer together...
0:35:47 > 0:35:48Very nice flavour.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51..away from the stiffness of more formal dining.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53I think if you're having a working lunch,
0:35:53 > 0:35:55you want a nice pint of ale with it, don't you?
0:35:55 > 0:35:56Oh, yes.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01According to one survey, it was perfectly normal for a gentleman to
0:36:01 > 0:36:05spend as much as an eighth of his income on lunches with the boys.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09I think if I were to make a regular habit of this, eating out
0:36:09 > 0:36:11all the time with my mates,
0:36:11 > 0:36:15spending a huge proportion of the household budget on meat and ale,
0:36:15 > 0:36:17I don't think Rochelle would stand for that.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Although, I could get used to this.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23I can actually see how this became a habit.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25Our blokes went out and did this every single day.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29- Of course they did.- Yeah.- It's more fun than embroidery, isn't it?
0:36:29 > 0:36:30It is.
0:36:34 > 0:36:35In the 1900s,
0:36:35 > 0:36:39it would've been unthinkable for a married middle-class woman like
0:36:39 > 0:36:40Rochelle to go out to work.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42So, she and her daughters are getting to grips
0:36:42 > 0:36:44with more ladylike pursuits.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48Just about the worst thing,
0:36:48 > 0:36:52sitting here for a whole hour and just producing this,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55this one knotty mess.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57LAUGHTER
0:37:00 > 0:37:03I've got to say, it was a very pleasant experience for me,
0:37:03 > 0:37:05sitting in a dining room with Chris,
0:37:05 > 0:37:10but I think women had the short end of the straw there, day after day,
0:37:10 > 0:37:13if they were at home doing embroidery and I'm out in a dining
0:37:13 > 0:37:15room, spending my money on steak and ale,
0:37:15 > 0:37:17it just doesn't seem quite fair, does it?
0:37:24 > 0:37:25It's 1905.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28After the success of Brandon's dinner party earlier in the week...
0:37:28 > 0:37:30So, what do we need to set-up?
0:37:30 > 0:37:33..it's Rochelle's turn to see if she can further cement the family's
0:37:33 > 0:37:36standing by hosting a tea party for the ladies of Wandsworth.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42An institution at the heart of an Edwardian lady's social life,
0:37:42 > 0:37:46afternoon tea provided the perfect opportunity for women to network
0:37:46 > 0:37:48with others of the same class in their local area.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54So, I've sent Polly round to give Rochelle and the girls a crash
0:37:54 > 0:37:56course in tea party protocol.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58Hello, Polly. Welcome.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02The tea you're about to host is a specifically, sort of, middle class
0:38:02 > 0:38:03and upper class activity.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07If you're working class, you're working, you have to be at leisure
0:38:07 > 0:38:10to have afternoon tea in the way that you're about to.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14And you are, sort of, establishing yourself within your social
0:38:14 > 0:38:18community because being middle classes isn't so much about your
0:38:18 > 0:38:21income, as it is about your attitudes, your behaviour,
0:38:21 > 0:38:23the people that you socialise with.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25It wasn't, like, a casual thing,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27just like pop round to, like, have a little chat and a sandwich.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Casual is not really a word I think we can associate with the Edwardians
0:38:31 > 0:38:33very often.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36Probably a lot of pressure if you've got it wrong,
0:38:36 > 0:38:41you might be kicked out of the sort of local ladies' tea group.
0:38:41 > 0:38:46You're right. The three of you are responsible for making sure that the
0:38:46 > 0:38:52Robshaw family are presented in a way that would do Brandon proud.
0:38:52 > 0:38:53Thank you very much.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55- Good luck.- Are you off to another tea, then?
0:38:59 > 0:39:01Today, Debbie is making a selection
0:39:01 > 0:39:03of Edwardian favourites to go with tea.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07Sandwiches, scones, and Battenberg cake...
0:39:07 > 0:39:08I think that looks OK.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11..named in honour of the marriage of Princess Victoria,
0:39:11 > 0:39:13the granddaughter of Queen Victoria,
0:39:13 > 0:39:15to Prince Louis of Battenberg in Germany.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20We need this little table.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26A woman hosting tea in the early 1900s would open her door to receive
0:39:26 > 0:39:30guests between the hours of 3pm and 6pm precisely.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32Oh, wait!
0:39:33 > 0:39:36A good catch, Rosalind.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40Visitors could drop by unannounced at any point within those times but
0:39:40 > 0:39:43were only expected to stay for around 15 minutes.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45I think I might practice my bowing.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48I think they might think you're a bit silly if you bow.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56It's time for tea and as the Robshaws are new to the area,
0:39:56 > 0:39:58Polly's arranged for some local ladies to drop by.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01KNOCK AT THE DOOR
0:40:01 > 0:40:02Oh!
0:40:02 > 0:40:04I'm not getting it. You have to get it.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06- No, Debbie's getting it.- What name is it, ma'am?
0:40:06 > 0:40:08- It's Anna Blair. - Anna Blair.- Anna Blair.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12- Who's that?- I don't know. - Anna Blair, ma'am.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14- Hello.- Hello. Welcome.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Edwardians really would open their doors to strangers,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22so mastering the art of polite conversation was an essential skill
0:40:22 > 0:40:24for any aspiring middle-class lady.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26Have you come far?
0:40:26 > 0:40:28- Tooting, actually.- Oh, nice.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30Have you been here long?
0:40:30 > 0:40:31For a few years.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34- Would you like a cup of tea?- I'd love a cup of tea.
0:40:34 > 0:40:35I am feeling slightly hungry.
0:40:35 > 0:40:36Oh, I'm so sorry.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Would you like a piece of Battenberg?
0:40:38 > 0:40:40That's quite a substantial Battenberg, isn't it?
0:40:40 > 0:40:42It is, isn't it?
0:40:42 > 0:40:45KNOCK AT THE DOOR
0:40:45 > 0:40:46- Libby and Annie.- Hello.
0:40:47 > 0:40:48- Goodbye.- Goodbye.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53As well as genteel chitchat, it was essential to serve your
0:40:53 > 0:40:55guests with etiquette and refinement.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59I can't get a grip on it.
0:40:59 > 0:41:00Sorry.
0:41:05 > 0:41:06Where have you come from?
0:41:07 > 0:41:09We came from Tooting.
0:41:09 > 0:41:10It's very nice round here.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13Is it you're maid that made all the...?
0:41:13 > 0:41:15- Yes.- ..things.- Yes.
0:41:18 > 0:41:19- Hello.- Hello.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23- Have you come far?- Tooting.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25Oh, nice. Would you like a sandwich?
0:41:25 > 0:41:28Yes, that looks nice, I'll have one of those to start with.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31Thank you. Has this been decorated?
0:41:31 > 0:41:32Yes. Yes. Do you like it?
0:41:32 > 0:41:35- Yes, I love it.- It's quite chintzy, isn't it?
0:41:35 > 0:41:37It might be a bit overwhelming after a while.
0:41:37 > 0:41:39- Yes.- Yes.- Yeah, yeah.
0:41:39 > 0:41:40Yes.
0:41:44 > 0:41:45Thank you for coming.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52I did find the afternoon tea quite difficult.
0:41:52 > 0:41:57It was a bit like speed dating because you've got people in your
0:41:57 > 0:42:01house for 15 minutes and then they move on and each time,
0:42:01 > 0:42:05they make a judgment on you, it was a... It was a...
0:42:05 > 0:42:06a sort of...
0:42:07 > 0:42:10..benignly stressful experience.
0:42:18 > 0:42:19It's a new day in south London.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25We're over halfway through the decade and new technologies like the
0:42:25 > 0:42:29motorcar, aeroplanes and electricity are hinting at a way of life
0:42:29 > 0:42:31previously unimaginable.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Britain is moving into a new era...
0:42:35 > 0:42:39..which is even reflected in the food products that have become available.
0:42:40 > 0:42:45Up until now, chocolate had been an expensive imported luxury,
0:42:45 > 0:42:47out of reach of most families.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51The launch of Cadbury's Dairy Milk in 1906 made it much more affordable
0:42:51 > 0:42:54and a nation of chocoholics was born.
0:42:54 > 0:42:55I've got something.
0:42:56 > 0:42:57Wow!
0:42:59 > 0:43:00- Fantastic!- Yay!
0:43:00 > 0:43:02Actual chocolate!
0:43:02 > 0:43:04Shall we try some? This is so tantalising.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06My mouth is watering.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09- What do you think of it, Brandon? - I really like it.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12I wonder how long we'll have to wait for Fruit and Nut.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15Debbie's being given a rare evening off,
0:43:15 > 0:43:18so she's writing home to her family in Yorkshire, 200 miles away.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23I miss the dogs. And the family, of course.
0:43:23 > 0:43:24It's hard for me now,
0:43:24 > 0:43:28so it must have been even harder for a servant in the 1900s.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33In the Edwardian era, servants had no legal right to time off or paid holiday.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37It was all at their employers' discretion and many worked seven
0:43:37 > 0:43:39days a week with just one day off a month.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47Luckily for the Robshaws, there's a new innovation which means
0:43:47 > 0:43:50they won't have to find their way around the Edwardian kitchen.
0:43:50 > 0:43:51What have we got?
0:43:53 > 0:43:55What is this? Is this called a chafing dish?
0:43:56 > 0:44:00The chafing dish was an early precursor to the 1970s fondue set
0:44:00 > 0:44:04and reflected a relaxation of the formal rules around food
0:44:04 > 0:44:07making it acceptable for families to cook for themselves
0:44:07 > 0:44:09in the dining room.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11'I am a festive chafing dish.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15'I foam and froth and bubble.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18'I sing the song of meat and fish...'
0:44:18 > 0:44:21- That's a good song.- '..and I'm a great deal of trouble.'
0:44:21 > 0:44:24- Save.- 'I'll save a great deal of trouble.'
0:44:24 > 0:44:25Oh, it's like a magic pot.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29- So, what you do with it? - Obviously, you light it.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32You put food in there and you cook it at the table.
0:44:32 > 0:44:33It sounds jolly good fun.
0:44:35 > 0:44:39With Debbie off work, keen cook, Brandon, can't resist breaking
0:44:39 > 0:44:41Edwardian etiquette to get into
0:44:41 > 0:44:43the kitchen himself for the first time in a week.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46I'll bring in the rest of the stuff now.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49Tonight, they'll be eating a recipe from the chafing dish and casserole
0:44:49 > 0:44:53cookery book, cervelle de veau aux oeufs.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55I haven't actually had a look at this meat...
0:44:55 > 0:44:57Oh, my good God!
0:44:57 > 0:45:00That's calves brains with eggs to you and me.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02Is it brains?
0:45:02 > 0:45:03Good heavens!
0:45:05 > 0:45:07I don't know what to say.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10I'm losing my appetite, just looking at that.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13Maybe it'll look better when it's cooked.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18Well, I didn't actually do two whole brains.
0:45:18 > 0:45:22- Brain?- Yeah.- That looks absolutely horrible.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25Sort of scrambled eggs and scrambled brains.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28With cream and salt-and-pepper. It'll probably be good.
0:45:29 > 0:45:30Eggs go in.
0:45:31 > 0:45:32Brains go in.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37Brains may turn the stomach of some modern diners but they were actually
0:45:37 > 0:45:39very popular among Edwardians,
0:45:39 > 0:45:41who ate every bit of the animal from head to hoof.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46I want you to stop stirring it so much.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49In fact, in one popular cookbook of the decade,
0:45:49 > 0:45:53there were no fewer than 22 different recipes featuring brains.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57It just doesn't look...
0:45:58 > 0:46:01It doesn't look fit for human consumption.
0:46:01 > 0:46:02It seems to be starting to solidify a bit.
0:46:04 > 0:46:05Do you think we should let it rest?
0:46:10 > 0:46:13So, I'm now going to eat the brain.
0:46:23 > 0:46:24I'd say that isn't bad.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26Yeah, good stuff.
0:46:26 > 0:46:28Shall I serve you a dollop of brain?
0:46:28 > 0:46:29Thank you.
0:46:29 > 0:46:30- Is that OK?- Yeah, thanks.
0:46:30 > 0:46:32Is that enough?
0:46:32 > 0:46:34That's more than enough, thanks.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36- Are you going to taste any?- I just can't do it.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48It's fine. It's absolutely fine.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50It's nice.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52I actually don't like it, but just
0:46:52 > 0:46:54cos it's not the sort of thing I like.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56I don't really like scrambled eggs anyway.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58That's true. Is it the eggs that's putting you off?
0:46:58 > 0:46:59I think it is.
0:47:01 > 0:47:07I am very, very pleased with myself that I managed to try some brains
0:47:07 > 0:47:09because I didn't think I would.
0:47:09 > 0:47:14You think, the brain can process so much and we're here just, like,
0:47:14 > 0:47:16eating it.
0:47:16 > 0:47:20Of all the meals to cook in front of people,
0:47:20 > 0:47:23brain is properly not the first choice.
0:47:23 > 0:47:24You'd choose something like...
0:47:26 > 0:47:30..some kind of steak or just anything...
0:47:32 > 0:47:33..apart from brain.
0:47:40 > 0:47:411907, everyone.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45Debbie's putting together an informal Edwardian spread,
0:47:45 > 0:47:48a platter of cold cuts and cheese,
0:47:48 > 0:47:51the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon of musical entertainment.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56The musical taste of the upper and middle classes had always revolved
0:47:56 > 0:47:57around classical and opera.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04But by 1907, things were changing.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07The popularity of music hall was seeping into middle-class life,
0:48:07 > 0:48:12as revealed by rocketing sales of sheet music for the popular hits of the day.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15But this was an indulgence families like the Robshaws would
0:48:15 > 0:48:18only dare enjoy in the privacy of their own home.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21Go on, after you.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25So I've arranged for a surprise visit from '80s pop sensations,
0:48:25 > 0:48:27Chas and Dave.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30- Good afternoon, everybody. - Hello.- Pleased to meet you.
0:48:30 > 0:48:31Hello. I'm Brandon.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35Celebrated for their unique style of Cockney rock music, or Rockney,
0:48:35 > 0:48:38Chas and Dave took a lot of their inspiration from the old music hall
0:48:38 > 0:48:40style of song writing.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43So there's nobody better equipped to lead a traditional sing-along.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46- What do you think of the parlour? - In need of a singsong, I would say.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48We thought you might know this one.
0:48:48 > 0:48:49# Daisy, Daisy... #
0:48:49 > 0:48:52That was one of my great-grandfather's favourite songs.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54Right, OK.
0:48:54 > 0:49:02# Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do
0:49:02 > 0:49:10# I'm half crazy all for the love of you
0:49:10 > 0:49:14# It won't be a stylish marriage
0:49:14 > 0:49:17# I can't afford a carriage
0:49:17 > 0:49:21# But you'd look sweet upon the seat
0:49:21 > 0:49:26# Of a bicycle made for two. #
0:49:29 > 0:49:31- We love it.- Good singing, girls and boys.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34- We love that one.- So, what do you think of the music hall songs,
0:49:34 > 0:49:36- Frederick?- They're good.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39Great. They've got such great rhymes.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42So catchy. You can still, like, really enjoy singing them now
0:49:42 > 0:49:45because they just make you feel quite good.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47I know when they tried out a new song,
0:49:47 > 0:49:50if the audience didn't join in on the second chorus,
0:49:50 > 0:49:52she'd never sing it again.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54So it had to be a song that they could...
0:49:54 > 0:49:55Catch on straightaway.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57- Hello, Debbie.- Tea for you all.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59- Hello.- This is Debbie, our maid.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01- Hello, Debbie.- And these are our guests, Chas and Dave.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03- Nice to meet you.- Pleased to meet you. Do they look after you?
0:50:03 > 0:50:05Yeah. Of course they do.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07They don't beat you or nothing?
0:50:07 > 0:50:08- No, no.- That's good.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12- The tea is all here and ready. - OK, thank you very much, Debbie.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14- Shall we get some tea, then?- Lovely.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Yes, sounds good to me.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19While the family enjoy their first informal meal of the decade,
0:50:19 > 0:50:23I've sent Debbie a classic working-class London treat to try.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32I don't like the texture.
0:50:32 > 0:50:34The family are just in the parlour having a good old singsong and I'm
0:50:34 > 0:50:36here having jellied eels.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40Sometimes, it is quite hard to be, like, alone in the kitchen all of
0:50:40 > 0:50:43the time, when they're doing something that does genuinely seem fun.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46I do feel a little bit left out.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48Cheers, Brandon. Lovely.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50I had a really, really good afternoon.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53To sit and sing and play instruments with your family is something that
0:50:53 > 0:50:55people don't tend to do any more.
0:50:55 > 0:51:00It's really weird not having Debbie as part of the whole thing.
0:51:00 > 0:51:04Sometimes I am tempted to kind of break the rules of Edwardian society
0:51:04 > 0:51:07and ask her to join us, but that wouldn't have been done and we're
0:51:07 > 0:51:10trying to live a life of a middle-class family of the era.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23Your morning paper, Mr Robshaw.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25Oh, my goodness! The Olympic Games.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30In 1908, London hosted its first ever Olympic Games.
0:51:30 > 0:51:35The fourth modern Olympiad included 24 sports, ranging from gymnastics
0:51:35 > 0:51:38and athletics to aquatics and tug-of-war.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40While it was largely a male dominated occasion,
0:51:40 > 0:51:43women competed in more events than ever before.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48Great Britain cemented its status as the global number one superpower by
0:51:48 > 0:51:52topping the medals table for the first and only time in history.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55Although that might have had something to do with all the judges
0:51:55 > 0:51:56being British.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58Throwing the hammer,
0:51:58 > 0:52:01high jump, the two mile walk...
0:52:03 > 0:52:04I could do that.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08Our sporting prowess was put down to a diet rich in meat,
0:52:08 > 0:52:12so, today, Brandon and Fred are trying out the same breakfast
0:52:12 > 0:52:15enjoyed by competitors in the 1908 Olympic marathon,
0:52:15 > 0:52:17before heading out for their own training.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22- Your Olympic breakfast, Mr Robshaw. - Whoa!
0:52:22 > 0:52:23Get out of here!
0:52:25 > 0:52:27That is just... Incredible.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29- It's steak?- It's a whole cow.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33Olympians chomped down on enormous steaks, as well as raw eggs before
0:52:33 > 0:52:35exercise, in the belief that meat makes muscle.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39- Thank you.- Anything else?
0:52:39 > 0:52:42And an ambulance, please.
0:52:42 > 0:52:43Are you ready?
0:52:48 > 0:52:50Urgh! Urgh!
0:52:52 > 0:52:53Urgh!
0:52:55 > 0:52:58Actually, now, I feel quite good.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00Do you? How far do you think you could run?
0:53:00 > 0:53:02I could run a marathon now.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09It's not just breakfast that features meat.
0:53:09 > 0:53:10Smells of beef dripping.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14Beef fat was also used by marathon runners to prevent blisters.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17Typical Edwardians, they think you can solve every problem with beef,
0:53:17 > 0:53:19don't they?
0:53:25 > 0:53:27Brandon's also going to sample the
0:53:27 > 0:53:29most popular sports drink of the era.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32- What's this? This is what they used to have?- Champagne.- Is it?
0:53:32 > 0:53:34- Did they used to have this at the end of races?- No, during.- Really?
0:53:34 > 0:53:36Yes. To give you a bit more energy.
0:53:36 > 0:53:37That's so funny.
0:53:40 > 0:53:41That bucks you up a bit.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43- Brandy.- Brandy?- Brandy, as well.
0:53:50 > 0:53:51In the 1908 marathon,
0:53:51 > 0:53:54many runners drank cognac in the belief it would enhance performance.
0:53:56 > 0:53:57Gold medal favourite,
0:53:57 > 0:54:00Canadian Tom Longboat, drank so much champagne
0:54:00 > 0:54:03along the route that he collapsed 19 miles into the race and failed to
0:54:03 > 0:54:05cross the finish line.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19In 1909, Britain suddenly got closer to its European neighbours
0:54:19 > 0:54:21when Louis Bleriot became the first
0:54:21 > 0:54:24man to fly across the English Channel.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29Taking just 36 minutes and 36 seconds to complete the journey,
0:54:29 > 0:54:32he became world famous in an instant.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34- How do you make a paper aeroplane? - I want a go.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37To celebrate our growing allegiance with France and the end of
0:54:37 > 0:54:41this momentous decade, the Robshaws are serving their friends an
0:54:41 > 0:54:45Anglo-French themed feast of sandwiches and eclairs.
0:54:48 > 0:54:49Hello.
0:54:50 > 0:54:51- Hello.- Welcome.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58Would everybody like to help themselves? Tuck in.
0:55:01 > 0:55:06Polly's back to find out how the family have coped with life in the 1900s.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08- Hello.- How are you?- I'm all right, thank you.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12- This is Dr Polly Russell. - Dr Polly Russell.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15I'd like you to try this drink.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17It's called strawberry shrub.
0:55:20 > 0:55:22That's lovely. That is really... That is strong.
0:55:22 > 0:55:23- Cheers.- Cheers.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30The food itself that you've eaten in this decade,
0:55:30 > 0:55:33is it what you imagined it would be?
0:55:33 > 0:55:37The amount of meat and offal has been staggering.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40I've enjoyed the food a lot but I...
0:55:40 > 0:55:42You know, you can have too much of a good thing.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45I feel like I'm looking forward to a nice simple salad or something now.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49Can we talk a bit about Debbie and having a servant?
0:55:49 > 0:55:51Particularly because, of course,
0:55:51 > 0:55:53she's the same age almost as your daughters.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56And the life expectation is so different, isn't it?
0:55:56 > 0:55:59- Yes.- I found that an extremely complicated
0:55:59 > 0:56:01relationship to negotiate.
0:56:01 > 0:56:06Because I feel quite motherly towards her and I want to, sort of
0:56:06 > 0:56:09like, look after her and I want to make sure she's safe and I want to
0:56:09 > 0:56:11make sure she's not working too hard.
0:56:11 > 0:56:16But at the same time, I know that her role is distinct.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19Do you think you're going to be seeing Debbie in the next decade?
0:56:19 > 0:56:22I'm hoping very much we'll see Debbie in the next decade.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27Fred, how has it been, being an
0:56:27 > 0:56:30Edwardian boy in a middle-class home?
0:56:30 > 0:56:34Being away from my family with, sort of, Debbie became, sort of,
0:56:34 > 0:56:35quite nice and freeing.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38Obviously, there were certain rules and I did miss out on
0:56:38 > 0:56:40a lot of stuff, but over time, me
0:56:40 > 0:56:43and Debbie became, like, almost friends.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52- Hi, Debbie. - Hello.- What are you making now?
0:56:52 > 0:56:54- Ice cream.- Is your arm aching? - Yeah.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58How hard has the physical work of cooking in an Edwardian kitchen been?
0:56:58 > 0:57:01It's been really hard and you get really, really tired.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05And day in, day out, for months on end, it would get very lonely.
0:57:05 > 0:57:09That's why I'm happy when Fred comes in, even though he can be annoying,
0:57:09 > 0:57:12but even though I've got to know the family, you're still not part of
0:57:12 > 0:57:18their family and you still don't do what they do. So, it is hard.
0:57:18 > 0:57:22It has been a pleasurable experience, living as an Edwardian.
0:57:22 > 0:57:26Having fantastic, lavish feasts everyday and wearing a lot of really
0:57:26 > 0:57:28posh clothes. What's not to like?
0:57:29 > 0:57:32I haven't reviewed my opinion on the class system because I still don't
0:57:32 > 0:57:35particularly like it, but I do understand it a lot better and
0:57:35 > 0:57:37I understand now why back in the 1900s,
0:57:37 > 0:57:40people were really proud to be middle-class.
0:57:41 > 0:57:46I think it's been a challenge to be lady of an Edwardian house because
0:57:46 > 0:57:50you're not in the kitchen, you're not outside the house,
0:57:50 > 0:57:53but you are in the parlour and all
0:57:53 > 0:57:56you can do in the parlour is entertain.
0:57:56 > 0:57:57It's a curious experience.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02I don't think I could live like this forever.
0:58:02 > 0:58:06But to taste this sample of this life of luxury has been really,
0:58:06 > 0:58:07really fun.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23Next time, the Robshaws experience the feast...
0:58:23 > 0:58:25That's amazing!
0:58:25 > 0:58:26..and famine...
0:58:26 > 0:58:28You probably need a hacksaw.
0:58:28 > 0:58:30..of the turbulent 1910s.
0:58:30 > 0:58:33It feels like the war is really hitting home now.
0:58:33 > 0:58:35It feels like it's starting to bite.