Take a seat at the holiday table of Downton Abbey, the historic British estate at the heart of the popular PBS series with The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook. This elegant coffee table cookbook highlights the luxury and elegance of Christmas at Downton Abbey and features a collection of traditional British holiday recipes, from appetizers to desserts, that were popular during the Edwardian period.

In addition to festive food and drink, The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook also includes the fascinating history of English Christmas traditions, and a guide to hosting a Christmas dinner in Downton Abbey style.

Tradition Edwardian Christmas dishes, including:

• Palestine Soup
• Sole à la Dorchester
• Duck with Orange, Lemon and Olives  
• Boar’s Head Pie
• Spinach Balls à l’Italienne
• Angels on Horseback
• Nesselrode Ice Pudding
• Whitby Yule Cake
• Cambridge Milk Punch

Tips for Hosting a Downton Abbey-style Christmas Dinner:

• Arrange an abundance of winter greens down the middle of the dining table, on side tables, and even in a fireplace that will remain unlit.
• Put your tree in the dining room or in the area where you will be serving drinks before the meal to add to the festive ambience of your holiday dinner.
• Arrange flowers and greens with a bit of height in tall vases.
• Serve drinks in another room before going through to dinner. For an authentic feel of the period serve mulled cider from a large punch bowl. Cocktails should be already prepared and on a tray when the guests arrive.
• Set the table with a crisp, white tablecloth and starched white napkins. Provide guests with a set of cutlery for each course and four glasses: footed glass for water, white wine, red wine, and dessert wine.
• Place a handwritten menu in a menu-card holder positioned above the dinner plate and next to the glasses.
• While a Christmas dinner at Downton Abbey would include 8 courses, a modern table can have four or five: a soup; a fish starter; a showstopper roast; and a choice of two or three vegetable dishes.
• After dessert, offer a choice of two or three savories, small dishes much like the amuse-bouches served today at the beginning of a meal.

Woven throughout the book are evocative narratives about Christmas traditions, seasonal anecdotes from the award-winning series, colorful photographs of finished dishes, fan-favorite moments from the Christmas episodes, and character quotes bring the spirit of the holidays to life.