It’s Sunday, which means it’s a Downton Abbey night!
It’s also January 20, which means it’s National Cheese Lover’s Day.
So, in honor of both events, let’s take a few minutes to talk through some Downton Abbey-themed cheese-focused loveliness across the interwebs, shall we?
This [paraphrased] quote stuck out to me during the indoor picnic scene when the ovens broke and the house workers were eating their mish-mosh of a dinner. New footman, Alfred, kept bringing up cheese. Over, and over…. He’s a bit of an odd bird, don’t you think?
And speaking of cheese….
These Crunchy Fig and Blue Cheese Tarts are just one recipe from a book called The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook, and I’ll warn you – the process does not look for the faint of heart. My guess, however, is mixing the sweet of the fig with the salty tartness of the blue cheese, and adding the crunch of the puff pastry would make an absolutely delightful appetizer or even a savory dessert.
And a Downton Abbey evening wouldn’t be complete without the popular-in-Edwardian-times Cheese Pasties. These flaky dough crusts were filled with onions and leeks and cheddar cheese (the Grantham estate, after all, is situated in Hampshire which is known as “Cheddar country“), among other fun combinations. Looking for a fun Downton Abbey themed hors d’oeuvres? Cheese Pasties might be the perfect answer.
Or, perhaps for your next viewing party keep things simple by paying homage to Downton Abbey by constructing an appropriate cheese plate. Cheddar, of course, should be the star, but accompaniments like a good blue or Gruyere-blend would accent it accent perfectly.
Have you tried making any Downton Abbey influenced recipes?
This is AWESOME!