Dinner with Branson



Allen Leech as Branson in Downton Abbey



 

Any of you following this blog will know by now that ITV series Downton Abbey has been top of my list for Sunday night viewing. The final episode aired yesterday and the series is out today on DVD. I caught up with Dubliner Allen Leech, who plays the role of chauffeur and Irish socialist Tom Branson. We chatted food fancies and his perfect dinner guests!

Grazing with...Allen Leech

GFG: What’s your earliest food memory?

AL: My mum’s coffee mousse, she used to make it for dinner parties when I was a kid.

GFG: What’s the most unusual thing you’ve eaten?

AL: Kangaroo! I did an around-the-world trip in 1998 and ate kangaroo whilst I was staying in Australia.

GFG: Steak – well done, medium or rare?

AL: Rare, definitely rare.



Bacon wrapped scallops



GFG: Describe your perfect meal.

Frank Sinatra

AL: Starter would be scallops, followed by Lobster ravioli and Chocolate fudge cake for dessert. I’d have it in a farmhouse in the Tuscan hills, with Oliver Reed and Richard Harris for pure entertainment, JFK for political stimulation, Sinatra for some tunes and Natalie Portman for the view! 

GFG: What’s your favourite restaurant?

AL: The Fat Duck in Bray. I love Heston Blumenthal’s passion for food and the innovative and unique way he presents it. The atmosphere there is just intoxicating- the whole thing is a total sensory experience, and the surrounding area is absolutely enchanting.