America’s Test Kitchen meets Downton Abbey as Chris Kimball takes on Mrs. Patmore.

Last year, Chris Kimball, host/founder/editor of public televisions signature culinary series, America’s Test Kitchen, and a card-carrying fan of Downton Abbey, created a menu inspired by the 1920s. He says the kitchen scenes in particular always catch his eye, as food was such an important part of Edwardian society. While declaring to being old enough to remember the first run of Upstairs, Downstairs as well as the incomparable The Duchess of Duke Street, he readily admits, in his own words, to “…the appeal of an enormous manor house with a kitchen harboring a coal stove the size of a small locomotive is undeniably appealing. Food was, indeed, the center of high-end Victorian and Edwardian living and a first-rate cook was in high demand.”

To get you ready for the premiere of series 4 on PBS, Kimball has put together a menu inspired by the time period of the series. Start the night off with Shrimp cocktail, followed by Crown Roast of Pork with Smashed Minty Peas and Parker House Rolls. Top it off with Tipsy Squire, a brilliant sponge cake trifle. Click here for the complete menu and accompanying recipes with traditional ATK tips and suggestions.
 

He promises that this menu is quite approachable, adding that you won’t need a staff of 10 to clarify stock, make elaborate pastries, or pull feathers from a pheasant! So, it’s time to channel your inner-most Mrs. Patmore and get to work planning that Downton Abbey season 4 premiere party. I’m betting you won’t hear Lady Grantham saying: “Oh, is her cooking so precisely timed? You couldn’t tell.”

If you need a few hints from the these are professionals, do not try this at home folks over at Downton Abbey, take a look behind-the-scenes at ‘dining at Downton’.