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In the world of Bridgerton, food isn't just for eating. It's also used as extravagant decor. With four seasons under its belt, the hit Netflix original is familiar with opulent edible arrangements. In any given episode, audiences can see a lavish backdrop of colourful jellies, ornate cakes, and more, sitting on tables during balls, garden fêtes, afternoon teas, and intimate soirées. With a Cinderella storyline for romantic lead Sophie Baek (played by Yerin Ha), this season in particular, with its focus on an elite Regency home's staff, invites viewers into the bustling world of the kitchen and, in concert, gives a glimpse into the creation of some beautiful delicacies.
Bridgerton Goes Gourmet
Food has been used throughout history to signal taste, wealth, and social capital. In Regency era England, dessert displays often doubled as high art long before anyone uttered the refrain "phone eats first." As such, it demonstrated one's status, Bridgerton production designer Alison Gartshore tells ELLE Decor USA. “It's an important part of social conversation,” she says.
To prepare the set displays and ensure period-accuracy, Gartshore consulted historical images of Regency banqueting and worked alongside a set decorating team led by Natalie Papageorgiadis, as well as freelance home economists who specialise in period food and drink. Sparing no detail, the team considered everything: the produce that would have been available at various times of year, the amount of food needed, and when they should use real food versus the more practical prop food. The results audiences see strike a balance between historical accuracy and creative liberties taken to enhance the story on screen.
“I wanted to make sure we captured the joy and creativity the Georgians put into creating food for events like the balls,” Papageorgiadis tells ELLE Decor. “If needed, we would push the design a bit further from what's expected, to give it a Bridgerton flavour.”
Papageorgiadis goes on to explain that food on screen, in any context, helps to humanise people. Showing how characters eat brings “the human story more to the fore,” adds Gartshore. “You believe that these are real people living in real spaces—presenting their food as they would have done back in the day.”
Food also adds dynamic texture and colour to any scene. This rings especially true in a show like Bridgerton, where class is paramount and what is laid out for high tea can speak volumes about one's station. In production, creativity flourished.“It gives us an insight into the quirky creations produced in the Regency era,” Papageorgiadis says. “They really did have a lot of imagination.”
For the Queen's farewell ball to Lady Danbury (played by Adjoa Andoh) at the end of the season finale, Papageorgiadis and her team crafted a massive seafood display, complete with intricate details steeped in symbolism. The ambitious piece consisted of prop-made mussels, crayfish, herring, scallops, and octopus. Putting it together required a robust team of metaphorical and literal cooks in the kitchen: home economists, prop makers, sculptors, drapesmasters, and special effects engineers all came together to bring the tableau to life. Staged in a model ship called the "Queen Charlotte," Papageorgiadis says the meal and its presentation represented sending “Lady Danbury on her way, ensuring her safe passage” as she departs the 'Ton and her court in favour of travel.
Bridgerton strike a balance between period accuracy and the show's characteristic imagination."
What viewers won't be able to see is the imagination used to link Regency-era set pieces to 21st-century needs. For instance, when Lady Danbury eats a bonbon plucked from the top of a fruity tower, she's actually eating a protein ball. “Adjoa understandably didn't want to eat a sugary sweet, take after take,” says Papageorgiadis. “So the tower was [actually] stacked protein balls made to look like bonbons.”
There is a certain timelessness to the Regency era's love of dramatic edible displays. Not unlike today's appreciation of maximalism, the Regency era was known for opulence, though it was just expressed in a different manner.
“Creativity [in the Regency era] was celebrated in beautifully detailed figures and forms carved out of sugar, and hugely elaborate cakes and jellies,” says Papageorgiadis. “It appeals to us still in the 21st century as we appreciate the artistry and effort involved in making these foods. In a world flooded with convenience and fast foods, it's fascinating to us to see how these beautiful pieces were created.”
Read the original article in ELLE Decor USA.