The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook (Downton Abbey Cookery)

Product Information

Food historian Annie Gray in The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook offers up not only a feast for the eyes and the palette, but a marvelous historical journey through the lives, the country homes, the foods, the kitchens, and the people who populated such places as the fictional Downton Abbey. 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.

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)

Customer reviews

In her introduction, Annie Gray notes that the Edwardian era “was the key period for the codification of French haute cuisine, and many of the dishes and techniques that we still regard as intrinsic to classical French cooking today were developed at this time. Auguste Escoffier, one of the most important figures in French cuisine, was working in London at the Carlton Hotel, having published his immensely influential Le Guide Culinaire in 1903.”

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. As the book is reflecting the divided class of Downton Abbey, and the cookbook likewise is divided (mostly) into two parts. There are in this book recipes for the gentry and the recipes for the servant class respectively separated. The introduction gives an excellent overview of the way food was important in British society and also how the dishes served were different for the various classes. As history (and science) moved forward, the availability of food and access to foodstuffs, electricity, refrigeration also changed the way the classes ate. No breakfast at Downton would be complete without a dish of kedgeree, kept warm on a burner on the sideboard. The six series of ‘Downton Abbey’ spanned the period from 1912–1926, and the recipes in this cookbook include a number of dishes which featured in particular episodes, along with additional recipes from cookbooks that were popular during the period, providing a real sense of English cooking at the time. Starting the day the Downton way The layout of the book delves into the various meals of the day, including the British "tea" and what exactly they ate during these different repasts. What I loved about the book is that nothing is taken for granted but given real consideration.The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook presents over 100 recipes that showcase the cookery and customs of the Crawley household—from upstairs dinner party centerpieces to downstairs puddings and pies—and bring an authentic slice of Downton Abbey to modern kitchens and Downton fans.