Fortnum & Mason’s Holiday Cookbook Is Finally Available in the U.S.
Fortnum & Mason—also known as one of London’s most iconic department stores—first graced the world with a cookbook in 2016, when author and food critic Tom Parker Bowles gathered recipes from Fortnum’s kitchens to create a glorious collection of dishes, including the store’s famous Guinness-Spiked Welsh Rarebit.
Now, another Fortnum cookbook has arrived in the form of Fortnum & Mason: Christmas & Other Winter Feasts, which became available to Americans on September 24. Parker Bowles describes Christmas & Other Winter Feasts as full of warm and comforting food that brings people together—and from what I've seen so far, it would make a great addition to your holiday cookbook library. In addition to recipes, the book also includes essays providing historical context to the holidays and traditions, with illustrations from the Fortnum & Mason archives.
As you flip through, you’ll find the cookbook organized into distinct sections: Guy Fawkes (November), Glorious Game, Skating, Christmas Baking, Christmas Drinking, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, “Waste Not, Want Not,” New Year’s Eve, and January Eating. A spin on the coveted Welsh Rarebit recipe (adding smoked haddock) lives in Christmas Eve, while Black Pudding on Fried Bread with Duck Eggs and Tomato Jam is in the “Waste Not, Want Not” section; however, there’s also departures from the classic British recipes you’d expect, such as the green smoothie in the January section. (A healthier section, in the spirit of the new year.) Parker Bowles told me that the book is meant to be enjoyed all over the world and thus, isn’t entirely British for that reason, with recipes that can be made with or without access to Fortnum’s products. (For the record, he really recommends the rarebit.)
The book is available to order on Amazon now for $35, and you can also grab it at Williams-Sonoma, alongside several other Fortnum & Mason products—salted caramels and afternoon tea, anyone? Parker Bowles and Ewan Venters (Fortnum's CEO) told me that a third cookbook all about tea is on the way, which is fitting, as the department store offers customers over 150 varieties. In the meantime, there are plenty of other fall cookbook releases to get excited about too, from Angie Mar’s Butcher + Beast, to a long-awaited ninth edition of Joy of Cooking, which features over 600 new recipes. Good luck picking which one to buy first.
Fortnum & Mason: Christmas & Other Winter Feasts, $35.00 at amazon.com
