West Dorset's Mapperton House will once again be coming to the small screen in December.

The stately home of the Earl and Countess of Sandwich near Melplash is being featured in An American Aristocrat's Guide to Great Estates.

The dates for the two special Mapperton episodes have been announced, the first of which features the Earl and Countess of Sandwich, Thanksgiving at Mapperton and a trip to Belgium. Episode two is Christmas at Mapperton with a Victorian Christmas feast prepared in the Mapperton kitchens, as well as a trip to the Christmas market at Highclere Castle, aka Downton Abbey.

UK viewers should set their reminders for 8pm on Tuesday, December 1 and Tuesday, December 8 for the same time on the Smithsonian Channel. It will also be aired in America at 9pm EST on Monday, December 7 and Monday, December 14.

Welcome to Mapperton – Tuesday, December 1 at 8pm

In the first of two special episodes, host Julie Montagu, Viscountess Hinchingboooke, welcomes us to her family's own great estate, Mapperton House, the ancestral seat of the Earl of Sandwich.

Mapperton has been named the Nation's Finest Manor House and was used as the backdrop for the recently released Netflix series based on Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca.

Now it's Julie's turn to show how she, her husband Luke and their four children meet the creative challenge of running a great estate, and how they are preserving it for generations to come.

Wellness programmes, yoga retreats and weddings are part of their plan, along with traditional pheasant-hunting parties.

The episode concludes with the family cooking a Thanksgiving dinner together and celebrating in Mapperton's dining room. While she may be a Viscountess, Julie will never forget her American roots.

Christmas at Mapperton – Tuesday, December 8 at 8pm

Julie Montagu, Viscountess Hinchingbrooke, opens the door to preparations for Christmas at her own family's great estate, Mapperton House.

One of the first tasks and traditions of the festive season is choosing the perfect Christmas tree. Julie visits a local farm to select a fine ten-foot Norwegian spruce. Back in Mapperton's drawing room the whole family comes together to decorate the tree – a scene that has been at the heart of Christmas for generations.

A highlight of Julie's Christmas preparations is a visit to Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey was filmed, to meet the Countess of Carnarvon. Julie marvels at the 23ft Christmas tree in the saloon and takes tea in the library – a room familiar to Downton fans as a place where Lady Mary and the Grantham family gather!

Julie joins the Countess in putting the finishing touches to a garland for the dining room mantelpiece, and then explores the annual Christmas market, ending her visit in true festive spirit with a gin toddy!

Back at Mapperton, Julie has invited chef and writer Darina Allen to find out more about festive feasting and how to make some quintessentially British Christmas dishes. In the country kitchen, Darina shows Julie a menu for Queen Victoria's 1894 Christmas feast, and they prepare plum puddings, mince pies and a huge organic roast goose.

Out on the estate, local farmers Sophie and Tom graze their cows to produce organic milk, which is perfect for the eggnog Julie will be serving at the carol service in the parish church.