I know, I know. Christmas just happened. But, you know, you should start planning for Christmas early so that you will be ready for next year. And what better way to do that than browse through this Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook.
Seriously. It is absolutely gorgeous – from the front cover, to the photos of food, to the scenes of Downton Abbey.
I was so inspired when I saw this book (I do love Downton Abbey) that I thought I should plan a Downton Abbey Christmas Feast for my friends.
And then I read through it and realized many of these recipes are beyond my skills and, even more importantly, beyond my tastes.
Many of the recipes were adapted from authentic cookbooks during the time of Downton Abbey and before. So the things they used to eat are just not my cup of tea.
I did learn a few things:
Suet is fat from the kidney – I did know it was fat, just didn’t realize from what. But, the good thing is you can substitute shredded butter for suet. Phew!
Christmas trees used to be dug up, not chopped down, and replanted at the end of the season.
The English love their puddings – there is Christmas Pudding, Plum Pudding, Figgy Pudding, Chestnut Pudding, and Wartime Christmas Pudding (sugar, flour, eggs were hard to find during the war so potato and carrot were substituted.)
The crowning point of this book though, is the picture of Matthew proposing to Mary on Christmas Eve with the snow falling magically around them. It’s just beautiful. And one of my favorites scenes from the show.
I do highly recommend you pick this up. And, I will make some recipes out of this book. I may even hold that Christmas Feast for my friends. I have 11 months to make it happen. All I need is a week or two vacation to make the food.
-Kelley