FORWARD
FEED IT
Mary Pursell is the
founder of Linens of
Love (linensofloveinc
.org), a nonprofit
based in New Haven,
Connecticut, that
provides fresh linens
and toiletries to
community shelters
and organizations
dedicated to helping
the homeless,
veterans, and families.
What inspired
Linens of Love?
When my daughter
was in high school,
we participated in a
community-service
project feeding the
homeless on a weekly
basis. I noticed that there
were no sheets, pillows,
or blankets on the
beds at the shelters.
Basic toiletries were also
a common request from
the guests. The gratitude
expressed for these basic
necessities inspired us to
do more. In 2015 Linens
of Love was established
to provide necessities
to the homeless and
those transitioning out
of homelessness.
How do you see Linens
of Love growing in
the next few years?
I’d like to see Linens of
Love purchase its own
delivery-and-pickup
vehicle, open an online
retail store for additional
financial support, secure
an additional storage
facility, and increase the
number of organizations
and shelters we service.
What is your ultimate
goal for the nonprofit?
I would love for Linens
of Love to expand
nationally. Our goal is
that we can be a reliable
resource for those
in homelessness and
those transitioning to
independent living.
As they move into their
own homes, basic items
may seem trivial, but
they help make for a new
beginning. —CI
DON’T RUSH IT
If an hour-long sprint of
a meal is what you’re
after, a Downton dinner
won’t be your jam.
“It’s very much a tasting
menu,” says Lisa
Heathcote, the home
economist and food
stylist on the Downton
Abbey series and
upcoming film, who
notes that dinner can
stretch for more than
three hours. “You might
have oysters as an
hors d’oeuvres. You’d
have soup, a fish course,
a small roast bird, and
a main dish with sauces
and vegetables. Then
you’d have dessert, then
fruit and cheese, and
then you could possibly
have another savory.”
Save room!
HELP YOURSELF
The serving style at
any Downton shindig
would be butler service,
Heathcote explains:
“The member of staff
would stand with the
food, and the diner would
help themselves off the
tray that is offered to
them. The servant does
not dictate to the diner
how much or what they’re
going to eat—it’s entirely
up to the individual.
And there’s no such thing
as seconds.”
DRESS TO IMPRESS
Not you—the food!
While the post-
Edwardian era in which
Downton Abbey is set
is slightly less decorated
than its Victorian
forebearer, Heathcote
notes that the Abbey’s
cook, Mrs. Patmore,
would still be taken
with over-the-top
presentation because
she’s in the countryside.
“It was quite formal and
structured,” she explains.
To replicate it at your
next dinner, Heathcote
suggests presenting
your food on platters,
keeping color in
mind—“red always pings
out”—and serving “lots
of watercress, always.”
GET JIGGLY WITH IT
“This is the world of
aspic,” a savory gelatin
made from a meat
stock or consommé,
says Heathcote. But if
a dinner mold is too
adventurous for your
party, there are plenty
of period-true dishes
that appeal to modern
palates. According to
Heathcote, you can’t go
wrong with a charlotte
russe cake (layers of
mousse, ladyfingers, and
fruit), a boiled ham, or
cucumber sandwiches.
“I’ve made acres of
cucumber sandwiches
over the years,” she says.
FOLLOW THE LEADER
“Every time you’d sit
down at a dining room
table in a proper house,
you’d look to see which
way the hostess turns
to start talking,” explains
Alastair Bruce, the
historical adviser for
the Downton Abbey
series and film. “If she’s
gone to the right, all
the women turn to the
right and all the men
turn to the left. After the
first course, they turn
the other way. After
the second course, they
go back.”
MIND YOUR POSTURE
(AND YOUR GLOVES!)
“What always surprised
the actors is how upright
they’d have to be,” says
Bruce of the Downton
cast. “They couldn’t lean
back in their chairs. And
if they weren’t holding
their knives and forks,
they’d have to leave
them on the plates and
place their hands in their
laps.” And if you really
want to have yourself
an accurate party, wear
gloves. “Women had
to take them off to eat
and put them back on
afterward,” says Bruce.
“If they wanted to play
bridge, the gloves were
off again.” —CI
DOWNTON
When it comes to
appropriate dinner-party
topics, Downton rules
still hold: Avoid politics,
sex, and religion, says
the show’s etiquette
expert, Alastair Bruce.
dine like
The Downton Abbey movie hits theaters on
September 20, and we’re celebrating with some
dinner-party rules from the film’s etiquette pros.
PHOTO: JAAP BUITENDIJK (© 2019 BY FOCUS FEATURES LLC.)
RACHAELRAYMAG.COM | SEPTEMBER 2019 15
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