Your Online Guide to Hosting A Downton Abbey Themed Party

20 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by downtonabbeycooks in *About the Show, Afternoon Tea, Appetizers, Book Reviews, Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Drinks, Main Course, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4, Season 4, Special Occasion

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Here’s a fun party game: who in this picture is no longer with us? (photo ITV)

Downton Abbey fans love to share the show with their friends and family. The fabulous food lends itself to themed parties. In this post, I include a few specific ideas for planning a Downton party. Whether you are serving 2 or 200 there are plenty of recipe ideas to make in your own Abbey.

In 200 posts over three years, I have posted over 250 recipes for foods which would have been served upstairs and down at Downton Abbey and other great English country houses from the Edwardian era through to the early 1920s. All for the love of Downton and those who love the show. For a full list of dishes by meal or occasion, check out my Recipe Index.

Entertaining is Much Simpler in Season 5

We are now in the 1920s and if you are planning to host a Downton Dinner, you will be relieved to know that family dinners during this period are now only 3 courses…unless of course you are entertaining your fellow aristocrats. And the cocktail party finally comes to Downton. Carson finally gets with the times!

Check my Press Clippings

Don’t just take my word for It: I have given a number of interviews in the national press,and my recipes have been posted in papers around the world. I even prepared Afternoon Tea for national TV. Check out my Press Page.

Why not buy the Book?

Want it all and more in a pretty package? My ebook, Abbey Cooks Entertain, is available for download here (click on the image in the right column), or you can order from Amazon. I also include a cocktail section with authentic cocktails from the era. My 2nd Edition is now available with recipes from Season 1 – 5 with both imperial and metric measurements.

I hope to provide inspiration for fans of all cooking ability who want to take a Downton twist on casual or formal gatherings. It is pretty rare to get rich selling books, but every penny helps offset my food costs so I can continue to share new recipes with you throughout the year.

Final Days until Historic Vote & Downton S5 in the UK

17 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by downtonabbeycooks in *About the Show, Main Course

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Abbey Cooks Entertain, afternoon tea, Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey Food, Downton Abbey Party Food, Downton Abbey Spoilers, Downton Abbey viewing party, Healthy Cooking, leftovers, pork stew, Scottish vote, Season 5, What's Cooking Bracebridge

It is a historic week in the UK. While American Downton Abbey fans might be envious about the launch of Season 5 on ITV this Sunday, it is the Scottish Referendum which has the captured the world’s attention. This Thursday, September 18th, Scots will vote on a simple question “Should Scotland be an independent country? To keep up to date, follow BBC coverage at Scotland Decides.

In this last week of Downton Downtime in the UK, today’s dish is Made Over Pork Stew. I prefer to use the term “made over” over “left over” when creating a downstairs dish from the remainders of an upstairs meal.

Ease into Summer with Grilled Salmon & Boozy Rhubarb Sauce

31 Saturday May 2014

Posted by downtonabbeycooks in *About the Show, Main Course, Season 4

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Abbey Cooks Entertain, Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey casting news, Downton Abbey Cookbook, Downton Abbey Food, Edwardian cooking, Grilled Rhubarb with Sherry Sauce, Healthy Cooking, healthy eating, rhubarb main dish recipes, rhubarb recipes

Even Mr. Bates takes time to kick back and relax

Now that the US, UK and Canada have enjoyed long weekends this month (and other countries in hot pursuit) we can all in the mood for taking it a little easier at work and enjoying life outdoors. Less time looking for missing files, more time searching for gardening tools. Your accounting skills now are put to use calculating your golf index and how much food to buy per person for the camping trip. Organizational talents range from BBQ grill management to pulling together details for your neighborhood street party. Forecasting is all about looking up at the clouds. And then there is freezer inventory.

Our annual family”Fishing Like A Crawley” fishing trip is a month away. We still have salmon and a bit of ling cod left in our freezer from last year (thanks to vacuum packing) so we have been gifting to friends and colleagues what we can’t eat ourselves. In keeping with my rhubarb series, today we are making Grilled Salmon with Sherry Rhubarb Sauce using rhubarb in a main course dish, in a wonderful boozy sherry sauce.

Carry on Birthday Traditions Despite Downton Downtime

02 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by downtonabbeycooks in *About the Show, Main Course

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Abbey Cooks Entertain, angel hair pasta with lobster, Downton Abbey casting news, Downton Abbey Costumes at Spadina Museum, Downton Abbey entertaining, Downton Abbey Party Food, Downton Abbey recipes, Downton Abbey viewing party, Downton Costumes, Downton Downtime, food history, piebirds, Spadina House, Toronto

Mrs. Patmore Birthday card on Etsy

While the cold weather is not helping to boost our collective spirits after the end of Downton’s Season 4, at least I have my birthday month celebrations to look forward to. My birthday was yesterday but it has become a tradition for me to reach out to friends and colleagues I haven’t socialized with for some time to gather to collectively grumble about how long winter has lasted. This year we really mean it.

In Season 3 The Dowager famously scolded Martha about the need to “understand the importance of tradition”. Birthdays are a great time to enjoy traditions, like our favorite foods. Sadly, we never learned this season Robert’s favorite food which was served birthday, but mine is fish and seafood. We have made a number of fish dishes here (many from fish I caught myself), but this week we travel to the Continent for Italian. This week’s dish is Angel Hair Pasta with Lobster, a dish Lord D introduced to me. The Granthams might have travelled to Italy for such birthday delights, but we can quickly and easily make this own dish in our kitchens for special occasions.

Downton Downtime Comfort Food: Mince and Tatties

19 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by downtonabbeycooks in *About the Show, Main Course, Season 4

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Abbey Cooks Entertain, Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey casting news, Downton Abbey Food, Downton Abbey recipes, Edwardian recipes, Mince and Tatties recipe, Servant's Hall Dishes

To all the UK fans

All around the world, Downton Abbey fans are longing for more, driving each other mad in anticipation of new episodes. In the UK the taste of Season 4 is still lingering on the palate and there is great anticipation for the annual gathering of family and friends to watch the Christmas episode. Of course in North America fans are craving for Season 4 on PBS. Some affiliates are rebroadcasting previous seasons while others are gathering fans for preview shows.

To help settle everyone’s nerves and for those who enjoy cheering for the downstairs staff, this week’s dish is servants hall comfort food: mince and tatties. Simple and satisfying.

Halloween Downton Dining Upstairs with Squash Risotto

29 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by downtonabbeycooks in *About the Show, Afternoon Tea, Main Course, Season 4, Side Dish

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Branson barmbrack, Clearview Tea Company, Colcannon, Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey casting news, Downton Abbey entertaining, Downton Abbey Food, Downton Abbey Party Food, Downton Abbey recipes, Edwardian cooking, Healthy Cooking, Season 4 Launch Party, squash risotto, Vermont Public Television

Turnips were the first jack o lanterns

We are a few days from Halloween. Did you know that Halloween has ancient origins in Ireland? It was originally called Samhain, and the day marked the end of the harvest season for Celtic farmers. Irish immigrants brought their traditions to America and adapted to their new surroundings. Originally, turnips served as Jack o Lanterns, but pumpkins are so much easier to carve.

This week we recap a couple of traditional Irish served at recipes which would have been enjoyed by Branson’s family, but if you like Lady Mary who really doesn’t really do Halloween, your cook can quickly create a quick and lovely orange squash risotto. Continue reading »

Tea Tuesday: Celebrate with Chamomile Tea Salmon

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by downtonabbeycooks in *About the Show, Main Course

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afternoon tea, baking salmon with chamomile tea, Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey casting news, Downton Abbey Cookbook, Downton Abbey recipes, Edwardian cooking, fish farms, food history, fundraising over tea, Prince Rupert Environmental Society, Royal birth, salmon, Save our Salmon, The Salmon Recipes cookbook

Raise a cup of tea to toast the new Prince.

Raise your cup to toast the new Prince.

Happy days as anglophiles around the world celebrate a royal birth with scones and clotted cream and pots of tea. Today is also a special day for Lord D and myself as we celebrate another year of wedded bliss.

I am safely back at home after an eventful visit with my family out in Western Canada. While the memories and bug bites will fade, there is much fish in our freezer to remind me of our fishing adventures. Not too many women would bring a box of fish as carry on luggage, but cooks will go to great lengths to bring home the best for their families and friends, and colleagues. I had some of the salmon smoked for me at Billingsgate (in Calgary) while it was still fresh, and already shared a taste with my work colleagues (served up with bagels and cream cheese). Nothing beats wild salmon. Read on to learn more about efforts to protect the wild fish of the West Coast.

As you may know, Tea Tuesday is a weekly tradition I started, dishing about Downon Abbey, featuring a new “Downton” era recipe. Refer to my Online Guide to Afternoon Tea, helpful in understanding traditions and recipes to help you host your own tea party with family and friends. During Downton Downtime I only post once a week so not all the dishes here will be served at tea, but we can still put the kettle on and share Downton gossip over a nice cup of tea.

Today’s savoury dish is Camomile Tea Salmon. A wonderful recipe from The Salmon Recipes, a cookbook I discovered on our fishing adventure to Prince Rupert.

Tea Tuesday: Downton Downtime Downstairs Dining and Fundraising

16 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by downtonabbeycooks in *About the Show, Main Course

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Abbey Cooks Entertain, afternoon tea, beef rolls, Calgary Stampede, Downton Abbey casting news, Downton Abbey Cookbook, Downton Abbey entertaining, Downton Abbey Food, Downton Abbey Spoilers, Edwardian cooking, using up leftover roast dinner

Afternoon tea at any Fairmont hotel is delightful, including the Palliser Hotel in Calgary.

I am jetting back today from my “surf and turf” holiday with my family out in Calgary, Alberta. I spent week one salmon fishing with Dad and my brothers on the west coast, and week two on the family estate (farm), complete with horses and hay, dogs and other working animals. In our travels we did see the devastation the floods did to the Calgary area, but with help of volunteers come “hell or high water” the Calgary Stampede went ahead, attracting over one million visitors this year.

Going home certainly reminds you of what made you the person today. Growing up I often found myself in the kitchen preparing family meals, freeing up mom and the others to tend to outside chores. The result was an early love of cooking. This week was no different, and I reveled in cooking again in my original test kitchen for the family that I love dearly. Yup, I baked up a couple of pies before heading out into the fields to help bring in the hay.

As you may know, Tea Tuesday is a weekly tradition I started, dishing about Downton Abbey, featuring a new “Downton” era recipe. Refer to my Online Guide to Afternoon Tea, helpful in understanding traditions and recipes to help you host your own tea party with family and friends. During Downton Downtime I only post once a week so not all the dishes here will be served at tea, but we can still put the kettle on and share Downton gossip over a nice cup of tea.

Today’s savoury dish is beef rolls. A great dish made from your Sunday night beef dinner leftovers.

Downton Valentine’s Day Man’s Meal: Steamed Lobster Tails in Beer

11 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by downtonabbeycooks in *About the Show, Main Course, Special Occasion

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Benares Historic House, Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey Cookbook, Downton Abbey entertaining, Downton Abbey recipes, Downton Abbey viewing party, Edwardian cooking, food history, Steamed Lobster tails in beer

Mary and Matthew: the happy couple (Carnival Films)

Happy Days. American viewers were treated to another double dose of Downton last night on PBS, showing two episodes, S3E7 and 8. With Valentine’s Day coming up this week, it was lovely to see love in the air. Cora and Robert are back on track, Matthew and Mary are settling into married bliss, and (spoiler alert) Anna and Bates can finally cherish each other now that his name has been cleared.

Its Burnt Toast for Downton Abbey Characters

21 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by downtonabbeycooks in *About the Show, Main Course, Season 3

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Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey Cookbook, Downton Abbey entertaining, Downton Abbey Food, Downton Abbey recipes, Downton Abbey Soundtrack, Downton Abbey viewing party, Downton S3E4, Downton Spoons, lean pork dish, pork tenderloin, stuffed pork tenderloin

No family is what is seems from the outside.

No family is what it seems from the outside.

America is settling in nicely to Season 3 of Downton Abbey. I freely admit that I am an avid Downton fan, and even during the frantic stress of finishing my cookbook, the opening theme for the show never, ever ceases to give me peace and calm. Thank you John Lunn for your brilliant contribution to TV soundtracks. I could actually manage to play “Damaged”, but generally love listening to the music. I am not sure I can get used to the theme song with lyrics, but buy it and judge for yourself. I haven’t gone so far as to download the Downton Abbey ring tone- I am afraid I would jump for a TV remote and not my cell phone.

Downton Abbey Cooks

~ Great food has a history

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