Given the anticipation for this Sunday's series premier of the third season of Downton Abbey on Masterpiece Classic it's a given that most of our readers will be dining formally in the early evening. We'll leave the dinner planning up to you, but television, like the cinema, requires snacks.

Our suggestions for the Downton Abbey snack menu :

Cucumber Sandwiches. A must! Thinly sliced cucumber, perhaps some with super thin radish, some watercress, or just some finely chopped dill.