Annie Gray

I have only seen two episodes but I think if you are a die hard fan of Downton Abbey you will love this cookbook. It’s treasure of information, snippets about the show including dialogue and episode notes, recipes and the historical story about the meals presented.

Let’s not forget the photography and mouthwatering visions of meals, separated by the Upstairs and Downstairs menus.

I’m a girl reared in southern Philadelphia area in a neighborhood of working class blue collar families so... show more 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.

As I am a fan of cauliflower I liked the dish fine but it was an ordinary veg with cheese sauce, in spite of me following directions to the letter. Served with rosemary roasted chicken and tomatoes. (Photos on my blog)

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)

The basic reaction, which happens when food is browned, gives much-needed depth of flavor and nuttiness to both the sauce and the cauliflower. If you want the authentic taste of how bad British cookery can be, don’t brown the cauliflower first.

Well, I did brown the cauliflower and I think that part made a difference. However I needed to add additional milk to make a smooth cheese sauce.

Magnificent book for a true fan. show less

I liked this book, but I did find that I struggled to form a strong emotional connection to Naomi and Killian. In addition, that personally for me I found that I did not become engaged with the story until about a third of the way in.

I did think that Naomi and Killian shared some good spicy chemistry. Killian was the one that did feel it first with Naomi. She took longer but I can't blame her as she was taken by Killian and found herself in a forced proximity situation. The last third of the show more story is the strongest. show less

I loved this book. Thought it was so fascinating to see how Christmas food has evolved (and stayed the same) over the centuries. Some great recipes to try as well. Full of historical information without being academic, fantastic read!