This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

High Tea with 'Below Stairs: A Servants Life in Early 20th-Century England'

On Sunday February 10 at 1 PM, Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance is hosting a High Tea with a presentation of ‘Below Stairs: A Servant’s Life in Early 20th-Century England.’   This four-course tea, catered by High Tea by Gerri, will feature open face sandwiches, homemade raisin scones with jam and clotted cream, homemade apple-rhubarb pie and assorted petits fours with tea poured freely all afternoon.  Historian and actress Leslie Goddard in character as British domestic servant Margaret Powell.


What was life really like for the servants who worked below stairs in the era of Downton Abbey?  Who were the people who toiled around the clock to ensure the smooth running of these glamorous households.  This program gives a lively look at the work it took to run a wealthy household in this ear and eccentricities often found among employers.


While we enjoy an ‘upstairs’ tea, literary dramatist Leslie Goddard will take us ‘downstairs’ to experience life below stairs in the stately homes of early 20th century England.   Goddard will portray British domestic servant Margaret Powell whose 1968 book Below Stairs was among the inspirations for the popular television series Downton Abbey and directly inspired the 1970s series Upstairs, Downstairs. 

Find out what's happening in Highland Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Leslie Goddard earned a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, specializing in U.S. cultural history, American studies, and women's history.  She also holds both a bachelor's and a master's degree in theater.  An award winning scholar, Leslie Goddard is executive director of the Graue Mill and Museum.  Goddard authored Remembering Marshall Fields and Chicago’s Sweet Candy History.



This High Tea will be at the Highland Park Community House, 1991 Sheridan Road , Highland Park, Illinois .  For further information, please contact Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance: 312-380-1665  Admission is $55. ($65. at the door) paid to Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance, 280 Laurel Avenue, Highland Park , IL 60035 or by credit card online at GreaterMidwestTea2013.eventbrite.com/ or 1-800-838-3006. There will be a boutique of vintage hats, jewelry and accessories available for sale.

Find out what's happening in Highland Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.



Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance is dedicated to celebrating, exploring and preserving unique food traditions and their cultural contexts in the American Midwest. By hosting public events, developing archival resources and generating publications, the GMFA uncovers the distinctiveness of a region that is as varied in tastes and traditions as it is in its geography from the Great Lakes to the Great Plains . Whether indigenous foods like Wisconsin cranberries and Minnesota walleye, iconographic flavors like the wheat and corn from across the prairies, immigrant cuisines from early Europeans to 21st century newcomers, or fish boils and fine dining in small towns and big cities, the Greater Midwest Foodways promotes and chronicles the diversity of the region’s culinary character.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?