The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook (Downton Abbey Cookery)

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I’m a girl reared in southern Philadelphia area in a neighborhood of working class blue collar families so... I’d definitely be in the Downstairs grouping. While the meals/recipes presented for the upper class look good, I found more “comfort food” with the likings of Toad in the Hole or Cauliflower Cheese. Look at this,doesn't it resemble mac and cheese? There's a bit of mental disconnect when you get a forkful. If I were to have a party in the future, I might make mini versions and serve them as appetizers. I think some kind of seafood-y dip would go well with these.

Let’s not forget the photography and mouthwatering visions of meals, separated by the Upstairs and Downstairs menus. Food historian Dr Annie Gray is familiar to British audiences as a regular on the BBC Radio 4 panel show ‘ The Kitchen Cabinet.’ She is also the author of several historically inspired cookbooks, including English Heritage’s How to Cook the Victorian Way with Mrs Crocombe. Each of the sections that discuss the series "Downton Abbey" in various ways are informative and educational, but are never "over-done" There are multiple discussions of the Grantham Family as well as the servants, but there is also a greater discussion of British Society and history as well. As Downton Abbey is a snapshot of British Class and the way the people of England interacted and lived together. The research and historic work that went into this cookbook is clear. I believe the TV show is a great window into this time in history and the author proves this successfully.The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook with a foreword by Gareth Neame, Downton Abbey Executive Producer, will be distributed in North America by Simon & Schuster. During the food shortages of WWI, one author suggested adding chopped tomatoes and onions to bulk out the ‘minced meat of any kind’. In addition to festive food and drink, The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook also includes the fascinating history of English Christmas traditions and a guide to hosting a Christmas dinner in Downton Abbey style. Do not cross Violet, matriarch of the Crawley family, whose skill at disarming opponents and getting what she wants is supreme.

None of the recipes were exceptionally difficult, and if I had been making these individually (not on the same day), I think I would have felt they were extremely manageable. With a foreword by Gareth Neame, executive producer and co-creator of Downton Abbey, and featuring over 100 stunning color photographs, The Downton Abbey Cookbook also includes a special section on hosting Downton-themed dinner parties and presents stills from across the TV series as well as the latest film. Notes on the etiquette and customs of the times, quotes from the characters, and descriptions of the scenes in which the foods appear provide vivid context for the dishes.

Customer reviews

Categories — Cooking/Baking, TV/Pop Culture, Historical - British, Edwardian/Victorian, Visually Driven, Educational

Food is a constant presence at Downton Abbey and the focus of daily life and festive occasions. The enticing recipes in The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook provide an evocative and fascinating portrait of life, upstairs and downstairs, during the Edwardian era and in to the 1920s.

Table of Contents

Recipe Note from the book: This is an English classic, and done badly, it remains the source of nightmares for many people forced to prepare and cook at school. ( where it was often done with the whole cauliflower, serve soggy on the outside and raw in the middle) Others found the need to flatten one’s bust and disguise protruding stomachs took just as much effort, but with more strong elastic and slightly less whalebone. I have only seen two episodes but I think if you are a die hard fan of Downton Abbey you will love this cookbook. It’s treasure of information, snippets about the show including dialogue and episode notes, recipes and the historical story about the meals presented. Combine the veal, butter, pistachios, almonds, apple, lemon zest, coriander, allspice, salt, pepper, and eggs in a bowl and mix well.