Anna is as true-blue as they come, Thomas is deliciously scheming, and Carson is, well, Carson. But for our money's worth, it's Mrs Patmore, the estate's cook, who is the real stand-out among the Downton Abbey servants. She can plan a dinner party on the fly, doesn't suffer fools, has some of the best lines on the show, and manages to make us modern-day gourmands salivate over the prospect of artery-clogging sauces and kidneys. (Heck, the woman deserves a medal just for not whacking Daisy over the head with a rolling pin.)
And now, those who long to get a taste of the lavish meals the Crawleys feast on while arguing about Irish politics and Bates' worthiness need look no further than Abbey Cooks Entertain, an e-book containing recipes inspired by the hit drama.
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Canadian "culinary historian" Pamela Foster created the e-book, which may soon be available in print form, too, after originally documenting the show's traditional British dishes on her blog, DowntonAbbeyCooks.com. Of course, there have been some alterations, with Foster nixing anything overly fried (so long, Scotch eggs) or simply too weird.
"Some of the food, people nowadays just wouldn't like it," Foster says, referring to dishes containing "parts of animals that most people aren't used to eating anymore."
Hey, if it's good enough for Lady Edith, it's good enough for us. All told, there are 220 recipes in the pub, including Mrs Patmore's roast chicken and Cora's beloved apple charlotte.
"I tried to give a flavor of the cuisine," Foster adds "It's nice to give British cuisine a boost in popularity and respect. They were known as the worst cooks in the world."
Yes, we know, we know. But try it anyway. (Business Insider)
Photos: Downton Abbey Cooks and Abbey Cooks Entertain
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