The Cookbook Downton Abbey Fans Need To Know About

With "Downton Abbey: A New Era" hitting movie screens across the country, long-devoted fans of the celebrated British series are finally able to revisit their favorite upstairs aristocrats and downstairs common folk once again. Whether you've been missing the recently wedded Carson couple, the now redeemed Barrow, the oftentimes tragic Anna and Mr. Bates, or the bickering Lady Mary and Lady Edith, there is nothing equal to spending an hour or two in the company of the irrepressible Crawleys and those that exist in their shadows. 

If you are able to catch the new flick, you will likely bask in your recently acquired "Downton Abbey" fix for a few weeks to come. But what happens when this temporary sense of satisfaction wears off and you are thrust into a Crawley family void once again? One can only watch the series on DVD or through streaming so many times, after all. 

Thankfully, there is another way to immerse yourself in the world of Downton. It comes in the form of "The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook" and you'll never believe all the goodies it has to offer, including some of the British foods you need to try before you die. 

This dazzling cookbook invites readers to not only step into the apron of the capable Mrs. Patmore, but it also features photos from the original small screen series and the first film; quotes from your favorite characters; references to the "etiquette and customs of the times;" and the context for which these recipes appeared on the show (via Simon & Schuster). Food historian and author of this cookbook, Annie Gray, specializes in historical cuisine and cleverly adapts the recipes of yore to suit modern ingredients and equipment (via ckbk). Yes, Mrs. Patmore's rustic dishes can be prepared in your twenty-first century home. And you can customize this book's fare to match what tea time is really like in England for ordinary people in the modern day. 

Another interesting feature of this book is the way that its over 100 recipes are arranged. Simon & Schuster explain that the sections are divided by occasion, time of day, and upstairs vs. downstairs. The headings include: "breakfast, luncheons and suppers; afternoon tea and garden parties; picnics, shoots and race meets; festivities; upstairs dinner; downstairs dinner; downstairs supper and tea; and the still room." This makes finding the right meal for just the right occasion very easy. 

But what sort of recipes will one find in this cookbook? 

Based on authentic recipes from 1912 to 1926 (via The Cooking World), this collection boasts a wide variety of classic British meals and fare such as Kedgeree, sardine salad, potted cheese, sausage rolls, chicken stuffed with pistachios, toad-in-the-hole, beef stew with dumplings, and seed cake. And factual asides abound. According to ckbk, Gray points out that oysters au gratin is hardly common fare today, but that during the Edwardian era, oysters were affordable; that Kedgeree is based on an Indian dish that was adapted to appeal to the English; and that macaroni cheese has been loved by the UK's palates since the 1700s, long before it was adopted by America. It is these small lessons in history that truly make this cookbook unique. 

The only major downside is that many of the recipes do not come with a photo of the actual dish. Instead, they have either a picture of the cast or no image at all (per Cookbook Divas). 

Whether you want to create your own lavish "Downton Abbey"-inspired spread, learn about the history of the era, or re-visit some of the show's most memorable moments, this cookbook is the perfect way to ensure you can spend ongoing time with the Crawley clan — long after the newest movie is a distant memory.