As tens of thousands of her loyal subjects plan street parties to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June, food will once again take centre stage – with dishes of all shapes and sizes set to form part of the nationwide feast.
If you’re planning a street party this year, there are hundreds of Royal-inspired recipes to choose from, all with special significance for Her Majesty. From a chicken dish created for the Queen’s coronation to a regal recipe for homemade scones, here are some suggestions for your Jubilee spread.
Drop scones
When President Eisenhower visited the Queen at Balmoral in 1960, he was so impressed with her "homemade" drop scones that he asked for the recipe. Weeks later, Her Majesty sent the US President some neatly-typed instructions - and while we can't imagine the Queen beating eggs in the Buckingham Palace kitchens, this recipe is very much her own.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups flour
- 4 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 cups milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp bicarbonate soda
- 3 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 tbsp melted butter
Method: Beat eggs, sugar and about half the milk together, add flour, and mix well together, adding remainder of milk as required, also bicarbonate and cream of tartar. Fold in the melted butter. Enough for 16 people.
Mary Berry's scones recipe
Coronation chicken
This famous chicken recipe was created by Rosemary Hume, founder of Le Cordon Bleu cookery school, for the Queen’s coronation banquet in 1953. Originally called “Poulet Reine Elizabeth”, the dish was designed to be a compromise between exotic spices and inexpensive ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 2 medium chickens
- 1 carrot
- Thyme, bay leaf, parsley and 4 peppercorns to flavour
- 1 dessertspoon curry powder
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tsp tomato purée
- 1 glass red wine
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 450ml mayonnaise
- 1-2 tbsp apricot purée
- 2-3 tbsp whipped cream
Method: Poach two chickens for 40 minutes in water with the carrot, a splash of wine, thyme, bay leaf, parsley and four peppercorns. Cool in the liquid then remove the meat from the bones. To make the sauce, heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add two tablespoons of chopped onion. Cook gently for three minutes then add a dessertspoon of curry powder. Cook for a further two minutes. Add one teaspoon of tomato purée, a glass of red wine, ¾ wineglass of water, one bay leaf, and bring to the boil. Then add a pinch each of salt, sugar and pepper, the juice of ½ a lemon and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Strain and cool. Add slowly to 450ml mayonnaise, then stir in 1-2 tablespoons of apricot purée. Season again – the sauce must not be too sweet. Finish by adding 2-3 tablespoons of whipped cream. Add only enough sauce to coat the chicken lightly, then eat it with a rice salad or serve in sandwiches. Serves 6-8.
Beef Wellington
Reportedly named after the Duke of Wellington, this beef creation is a firm favourite at Buckingham Palace. According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, who worked for the Queen for 15 years until 1997, Her Majesty loves the dish, which combines meat with mushrooms and puff pastry. Here is his recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1.4kg beef tenderloin
- ½ tsp English mustard powder
- ¼ tsp celery seeds
- 230g liver paté
- 450g Portobello mushrooms, pureed
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup cream
- 60g butter
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 box readymade puff pastry
Method: In a large pan, add the butter, onion and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onion softens. Add mushrooms and sweat until the liquid evaporates. Add cream and Worcestershire sauce and reduce again to a smooth paste. Adjust the seasoning and set aside to cool. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and season the beef with the mixture of salt, pepper, mustard and celery seeds. Sear the beef on all sides and then remove to cool completely. Preheat the oven to 200C. Roll out the pastry to fit the size of the beef. Spread the mushroom mixture over the pastry, leaving at least three inches around the edges. Slice the paté, layer in the centre of the pastry and place the tenderloin on top. Fold the pastry and mushroom mix over the tenderloin and stick with the beaten egg. Neatly fold in the two ends and flip upside-down. Brush the top of the pastry with the remaining egg. Place the Wellington into the oven and cook for 10 minutes, before reducing the heat to 180C. Cook for a further 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Allow to rest for five minutes before slicing.
Royal chocolate biscuit cake
This chocolate cake was Prince William’s favourite childhood treat and was one of two specially-made cakes at his wedding to Kate Middleton last year. The unbaked three-tier dessert was made from 1,700 biscuits and nearly 20kg of chocolate. Here is a recipe for a smaller version.
Ingredients:
- 400g plain chocolate
- 1 packet (300g) Rich Tea biscuits
- 85g unsalted butter
- 170g golden syrup
- 15 glace cherries (chopped)
- 50g raisins
- Handful chopped nuts
Method: Crush the biscuits and add cherries, raisins and nuts. In a large saucepan, melt the margarine with the syrup and chocolate. Pour the chocolate mixture over the biscuits and stir. Pour into a lined 12x8 inch tin and press down well. Refrigerate for at least two hours before cutting into squares to serve.
