Winter is Coming: Stay warm with these Game of Thrones cookbooks

The world of George R.R. Martin’s book series A Song of Ice and Fire (adapted by HBO as Game of Thrones) is both complex and unique. Throughout the books and TV series, there are a variety of delectable, delicious foods and drinks. Just in time for the holiday season, I have curated a list of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire cookbooks that contain a wealth of recipes and cocktails. From these books, I convinced my husband (who is a far better cook than I) to make a full feast! We can’t accurately assess the quality of these recipes unless we give them a try, right? Let me break down these titles and let you know how they hold up.

A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook

The protein for our meal came from A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook (Bantam 2012), by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel and Sariann Lehrer. The book has a lot of incredible recipes that feel more likely to be enjoyed by the inhabitants of the various kingdoms in Westeros, rather than by those of us in the real world. Each entry had clear directions, cook and prep times, as well as serving sizes, which was great. There were pictures for each recipe, most of which were rather appetizing.

As I looked through the pages, the honeyed chicken stood out as one of the best options for a main course as it felt like it would actually come from that world. The result was that the taste and smell were a bit vinegar-forward (from the apple cider vinegar) with the dried berries, honey, and mint being more subtle in the background. It was a mix of relatively complex flavors for such few ingredients. Overall, the instructions were simple, the ingredients were all easy to find at a typical store, and it turned out moist and rather tasty.

The Official Game of Thrones Cookbook: Recipes from King's Landing to the Dothraki Sea

The Official Game of Thrones Cookbook: Recipes from King's Landing to the Dothraki Sea (Random House Worlds, 2024), also by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel, is a follow up to A Feast of Ice and Fire. The book builds nicely on its predecessor yet has its own look and feel with new recipes, not a copycat that only slightly modifies previous work. There is a good mix of ideas that take inspiration from the material but appeal to more modern tastes.

For example, from this publication we found one of our sides: Creamy chestnut soup. I have never tried anything with chestnuts before, but this soup stole the show. Considering the ingredients included chestnuts, shallots, chickpeas, milk, nutmeg, and chicken broth, it absolutely exceeded what I had thought it might taste like. The result was an earthy, savory, silky, and salty soup with a hint of spice from the fresh grated nutmeg. This is a dish dressed to impress. (And it did!)

The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook: From Direwolf Ale to Auroch Stew

Our other side dish, Benjen's roasted onions dipped in gravy, came from Alan Kistler’s The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook: From Direwolf Ale to Auroch Stew - More Than 150 Recipes from Westeros and Beyond (Adams Media, 2012). This book has a lot of good recipes that produce diverse, exploratory dishes, taking influence from the characters, cultures, and lands of George R. R. Martin’s world. There's a healthy mix of simple, straightforward meals that come complete with tie-ins like book quotes or paraphrased scenes and ideas.

Serving sizes or expected cook/prep times were not included, which is a bit of a downside for those who might like such information. However, the recipe we took from this book was very simple yet tasty. Along with the chicken drippings and substituting half of the cream with half of the stock, the gravy was very flavorful, thick, and unctuous. I, more the bartender than the cook, also used this tome to prepare Stark Spiced Wine, which we drank throughout the evening. The wine turned out spectacularly and was a perfect compliment to the evening’s meal.

The Official Westeros Cookbook: Recipes from Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon

For dessert, we turned to Cassandra Reeder and Joanne Bourne’s The Official Westeros Cookbook: Recipes from Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon (Insight Editions, 2024), where we got the recipe for lemon cakes. This book was probably my favorite because it included dietary considerations and substitutions to be inclusive of all types of diet restrictions and preferences. There was also detailed information for servings, prep times, cooking times, and difficulty (which is good for less experienced home cooks like me or even experts that want to plan their meal for guests).

This cookbook has a diverse choice of drinks, meals, and desserts, with images and quotes to accompany them. Although there were a variety of options for lemon cakes amongst the cookbooks (some of which are in the “honorable mentions” below), this author’s interpretation was the most appealing. The cakes were soft, spongy, and had a bright flavor. Topped with homemade lemon curd, we had a very lemony tart and sweet treat.

Overall, I would highly recommend you look into the cookbooks reviewed above. If you’re looking for an interesting dish to add to your upcoming gatherings, these books have an awesome variety. The dishes I mentioned, having been tested by a dinner party, can be confirmed as delicious. Seeing as how winter is coming (for us up north), these recipes will certainly keep you warm!

Honorable mentions:

Many of the books I found were themed around a variety of nerd/geek fandoms instead of specializing in just one. Although I did not choose recipes from these titles, I would still recommend checking them out!

Cioletti, Jeff. Drink Like a Geek: Cocktails, Brews, and Spirits for the Nerd in All of Us. TMA Press, 2019. 

This had a lot of background information about limited release alcohols that were released for Game of Thrones, book references, and even real-world historical comparisons and context for the universe/setting. Interesting drinks inspired by the series as well.

Fisher, Nick. Cocktail Chemistry: The Art and Science of Drinks from Iconic TV Shows and Movies. Simon Element, 2023.

This book has a great premise, but the cocktails for Game of Thrones were more themed around the show, not actually replicating anything seen on it. Understandably, most of the recipes for the show involved fire, but they were more complex than I was going to attempt. He had really cool ideas, though (and clearly demonstrated instructions for ice ball cocktails).

James, Thea and Pamela Wiznitzer. Drinking with Wizards, Warriors and Dragons: 85 unofficial drink recipes inspired by The Lord of the Rings, A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Stormlight Archive and other fantasy favorites. Media Lab Books, 2023. 

Consisted of several good, easy concepts with simple instructions. I liked that the author gave explanations as to the rationale behind the choices for their recipes. I liked the variety of drinks in this as well.

Lannister, Jammy. Game of Scones: All Men Must Dine: A Parody. Harper, 2015.

Overall, this book was a cute idea but I didn’t love the execution. There are some interesting ideas, but unless you’re a diehard fan, you’ll get a little lost since you aren’t given much context. The recipe names are funny, but they seemed more complex than needed. It’s still worth a look, though!

Lecomte, Liguori. The Geek's Cookbook: Easy Recipes Inspired by Pokémon, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and More! Skyhorse, 2018.

My favorite part of the Game of Thrones section was the trio of rather tasty-sounding desserts.

Reeder, Cassandra. The Geeky Chef Cookbook: Real-Life Recipes for Your Favorite Fantasy Foods - Unofficial Recipes from Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and more. Race Point Publishing, 2015.

Tasty-sounding recipes from a variety of fandoms. I liked that it also mentioned the official Feast of Ice and Fire book.

Reeder, Cassandra. The Geeky Chef Drinks: Unofficial Cocktail Recipes from Game of Thrones, Legend of Zelda, Star Trek, and More. Race Point Publishing, 2018.

I was disappointed that Game of Thrones (despite being mentioned in the title) only had one recipe in this book (mulled wine) which was similar to the drink recipe mentioned in the first cookbook (hot spiced wine). Other recipes seemed good, though, and nothing seemed overly complicated.

Reeder, Cassandra. The Geeky Chef Strikes Back!: Even More Unofficial Recipes from Minecraft, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Twin Peaks, and More! Race Point Publishing, 2017.

The recipes in this book were, like in the first volume, tasty-sounding and not too difficult to make. Nothing seemed to require ingredients that would be hard to find and the pictures of the finished products were appealing.

Wong, Jimmy, and Ashley Adams. The Feast of Fiction Kitchen: Recipes Inspired by TV, Movies, Games & Books. Countryman Press, 2020.

I liked that this work attempted to replicate recipes we’d see in the show or read about in the books. Milk of the poppy variations came up throughout several books, but I liked this author’s version best.

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