The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook (Downton Abbey Cookery)

Product Information

Sauté the stuffing mixture in a frying pan over medium heat until the sausage is no longer pink, for about 3–4 minutes. 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. There are tons of pictures. Very easy to follow recipes. Very clear on instructions and ingredients. Accessible to most skill levels, some recipes require a bit more effort than others or a special pan or two. The quintessential breakfast associated with the English upper classes, is of course, Kedgeree, a lightly spiced dish of rice, fish, and hard-boiled eggs.

Keeping the heat very low, add the egg mixture to the pan and cook very gently, turning occasionally, until the egg is just cooked through but remains slightly runny, 5–6 minutes.In this book, we are invited to take a seat at the holiday table of Downton Abbey, the fictional historic British estate at the heart of the popular television series with The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook. This elegant coffee table cookbook highlights the luxury and elegance of Christmas at Downton Abbey and features a collection of traditional British holiday recipes, from appetizers to desserts, that were popular during the Edwardian period.

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.” Let the fish cool until it can be handled, then remove and discard the skin and break up the flesh into large flakes, removing any errant bones. Set aside.

Table of Contents

Rather than being carefully moulded and garnished, the dishes are typically served in the vessel they were cooked in, and while some of them take a long time to simmer or bake, the effort and time involved in making them is minimal. 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. While corsets and body-shaping garments were by no means discarded completely, the prevailing shape was less sculpted and more apparently natural.

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. 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. Annie Gray's The Downton Abbey Cookbook is a fascinating food history read. Even if you didn't watch the show, which would certainly help, there's a great deal of interesting discussion of food shortages, availability, evolving cookery tools and technologies, and some statistics that may well amaze and confound you. The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook with a foreword by Gareth Neame, Downton Abbey Executive Producer, will be distributed in North America by Simon & Schuster.

Customer reviews

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.

The "Lunch and Supper" chapter was centered on recipes for the midday meal. Items like "Sardine Salad"(a lovely preparation), "Lobster Cutlets", "Ham with Red Wine and Almonds", "Cornish Pasties"(traditional meat pies), "Eggs A La St James" and "Vegetable Curry" A history of the midday meal as it is observed in England and has included as well as "Notes' for each recipe discussing how the dish is singular to the series or can be changed to suit tastes.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.