The romance. The intrigue. The big, beautiful country house.

We can analyze the recipe for success of "Downton Abbey," the British television import that returned to PBS on Sunday for Season 3, until our cups of tea go cold.

But one element that can't be overlooked, especially for those of a culinary bent, is the food.

Rather than letting it serve as mere eye candy, creator and writer Julian Fellowes has worked crepes, puddings, roast chicken and other edible props into some of the series' most memorable plots.

Who can forget Mrs. Patmore's disastrously salty raspberry meringue pudding? How many fans fell hook, line and sinker for the implication that Branson the chauffeur would off the famous British general with a poison-laden soup?

The lavish spreads enjoyed by the aristocratic Crawley family in early 20th century England are enough to inspire envy in those who might be watching with a microwave dinner in their laps.

The show has revived an interest in British food, particularly that of the 1910s and 1920s, that could easily fall prey to stereotypes: Aspic! Haggis! Puddings!

Instead, viewers have embraced the comestibles they've seen on the small screen, with spinoffs including Pinterest boards, blogs and a recently released unofficial cookbook.

"Because they love the show, it makes them more interested in the history of the food that was on the show," said Pamela Foster, a Toronto marketing professional who has put her history degree to good use on her "Downton Abbey" Cooks blog. "It's sort of a teaching point to connect people to history."

There's no getting around the fact that there were lots of jellied molds, some of which were very attractive, and, we dare say, tasty. The cuisine received an extra surge of elegance thanks to the influence of King Edward VII, who had an affinity for French food.

"He loved a good time and a good laugh and a good meal," said Foster, who just released a self-published e-cookbook, "Abbey Cooks Entertain," with plenty of dishes inspired by France.

Some noble families employed French cooks on the weekend – "What is a weekend?" as the Dowager Countess of Grantham might say – when they did a lot of entertaining, according to the Countess of Carnarvon, who, with her husband, the Earl of Carnarvon, lives at the 50-plus-bedroom Highclere Castle where "Downton Abbey" is filmed.

"There might be a Mrs. Patmore perhaps, but over the top of her there might be a more highly paid chef to impress the guests," the countess said. Even without today's technology, "they produced absolutely beautiful food, beautifully set up."

At Highclere Castle, the downstairs area once included marble tops in a pastry area and separate preparation spaces for different foods to avoid cross- contamination, said the countess, who is also addressed as Lady Carnarvon.

Because the downstairs portion of Highclere couldn't stand in for the servants' quarters on "Downton Abbey," the production team built a kitchen set at London's Ealing Studios, about 60 miles from the castle.

Production designer Donal Woods said research conducted through visits to nearly 40 English country houses helped inform what the kitchen should look like.

The cast-iron range, which in its heyday would have run on coal, is modeled after one in a home in Leeds.

"You can actually cook on top of the range," Woods said. "It can sizzle and steam."

Thanks in large part to inventory available on eBay, Woods helped acquire original tools such as copper molds, bowls, mixing and mincing machines, and stone-glazed sinks.

"Probably about 60 to 70 percent of the stuff in there is from that period," he said.

Food economist Lisa Heathcote consults her library of historical cookbooks as well as her own knowledge of period food to decide which dishes will appear.

"Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management" (Empire Books, $29.99, 590 pagess) is an important guide for her, as it is for Foster. Handwritten menus in French from grand country homes, similar to what Lady Carnarvon has collected at Highclere, are other good references.

Of course, the food has to be cooked and plated – twice, in some instances. A dish may be shown in the kitchen in one scene, then in the dining room in the next scene. Making the transition seamless requires that Heathcote defy the space-time continuum, because filming on each set occurs miles and weeks apart. She takes many photographs and tries not to make the dishes so overly complicated that they would be impossible to reproduce.

For scenes in the dining room, Heathcote prepares food off-site and then warms and plates it in a field kitchen. She tries to steer clear of too many foods that need to be served hot, though, because it's difficult to keep them that way. Filming a dining scene can take 10 to 12 hours, and multiple takes mean plates are constantly being cleared and refreshed.

"It's a bit like running a restaurant," Heathcote said, no easy feat since she's essentially a food department of one.

Long shoots can wreak havoc on prepared food, so certain ingredients, particularly fish, are off-limits.

"We don't use fish, ever, although Julian seems to have written a lot of fish courses," Heathcote said.

"I won't name any names, but a couple of the actors didn't feel brilliant with the smell of fish and mentioned it," Adams said.

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