Call me Lady Auntie Grantham
The Official Downtown Abbey Cookbook by Annie Gray
Cookbook Type: British, Historical (Edwardian)
Favourite Recipe: Beef Stew with Dumplings (pgs 220-221)
Favourite Page: The Still Room (pgs 250-251)
Favourite Quote: “Lamb became the meat to aspire to, bred for the purpose of eating, and cheap imports of lamb dealt a final blow to Britain as a mutton-loving nations” (pg. 164)
Rating: 4/5 Larousse Gastronomiques (📕📕📕📕)
Review:
Auntie isn’t even going to pretend that she isn’t a massive Downton Abbey fan. I remember watching it with my little sister, eating popcorn, crying at every sad moment. Very fond memories. This book is like re-watching all my favourite episodes, and instead of popcorn, I’m eating scones with jam and earl grey tea.
There is a sense of Luxury in these pages, and rightfully so, as we’re cooking for aristocracy. Recipes like “Pikelets” (pg 43), “Simnel Cake” (pg 116) and “Veal Chops Périgourdine” (pg 162) take you to Edwardian England, and straight into the estate of the Crawley family. Little bits of history are sprinkled throughout, and quotes from the show add additional flavour.
Broken up into “Upstairs” (the family) and “Downstairs” (the help) you get a wild collection of accessible, delicious, and fun recipes.
As a cookbook, and one based on a fictional tv show at that, this book is a big win for me. Auntie loves it, she does.
