Upstairs, Downstairs: Mrs Bridges 'Win the War Pie'



Award-winning 1970s British television series. Set in a large townhouse in Edwardian, First World War London, the series depicted the lives of the servants "downstairs" and their masters "upstairs". It stands as a document of the social and technological changes that occurred between 1903 and 1930. The show features Richard Bellamy (David Langton) as the head of the upstairs household, with Scottish butler Hudson (Gordon Jackson) in charge of all things below stairs. Starring Angela Baddeley as the talented cook Mrs Bridges. Scene: Mrs Bridges and Ruby go to a "War Cooking" lecture after pressure from Mr Hudson. Mrs Bridges starts to make meals from leftovers, including "Win the War Pie", much to everyone's distaste.

Angela Baddeley (Mrs. Bridges) received the C.B.E. (Commander of the British Empire), awarded in the Queen's 1975 New Year's Honours List. According to Queen Elizabeth II, Upstairs, Downstairs was her favorite program in 1975 and Mrs. Bridges her favorite character. 



Mrs Bridges 'Upstairs Downstairs Cookery Book'
Recipes that Mrs Bridges might have cooked

This 1975 cookbook is made up of a possibly fictitous number of excerpts for the modern day cook from the famous 1905 book 'Practical Household Cookery' by Mrs. Bridges. The book is supposed to have been written at 165 Eaton Place London, the London home of the Bellamys', the original book was supposedly over 1000 pages long. It is said in the introduction that ''very few copies of the original book survive, so it is very pleasing to have these excerpts to get an idea of the original'. Of interest to those who like cooking as well as those who loved the TV series.