We are counting down the hours to the last episode of Downton Abbey with heavy hearts. What will we do on Sunday nights?? A few years ago we hosted a lovely dinner party (costumes encouraged) for a small group of friends, to kick off Season 5.

This year we’re planning a fabulous Downton Send Off Dinner for 9, and thought we’d encourage you to do the same!

We Googled “Downton Abbey Dinner Party Menus” and found the first menu we used, on epicurious. Every epicurious recipe was awesome, but this year we wanted to try some new recipes, and found some delish-sounding picks at RecipeGirl.com, Martha Stewart, my recipes.com and bigoven.com.

Our first course – Cocktails – will start at 7 pm. Like Lord & Lady Grantham we want all our guests to enjoy a hearty meal, so we’ll be adjusting some recipes to accommodate carnivores, lactose intolerance and one vegetarian. Fun!

While our Season Finale Downton Dinner Party won’t be as fancy as in the series, we’re sure to have a fabulous evening enjoying the company of friends – and a delicious dinner! Let’s hope all the loose ends come together, including Edith marrying her beau, Anna having a healthy baby and Mrs. Patmore finding love too!