Chefs and party planners across the country are drawing up their menus for the ‘Big Lunch’ celebration for Coronation Day in a few weeks - but Coronation chicken is not on official menu as Buckingham Palace released three inspirational recipes. With a weekend of festivities planned where thousands are expected to take to the streets, plates will be piled high and tables festooned with bunting to mark the occasion.
The Palace recipes are a far cry from the simple Coronation chicken which took centre stage at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. The menus sound scrumptious and include: Ken Hom’s Coronation Roast Rack of Lamb with Asian-style Marinade, Nadiya Hussain’s Coronation Aubergine and Adam Handling’s Strawberry and Ginger Trifle.
Be prepared however for a day or two in the kitchen as the trifle alone has over 20 ingredients which includes 16 egg yolks. If the sun is shining, the aubergine will do well on the barbecue for outdoor parties, while the rack of lamb is described as “the hallmark of modern Great Britain” and can be served with roast potatoes and a fresh green salad.
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King Charles is said to be partial to wild mushroom risotto with organic lamb as well as enjoying cheesy baked eggs or coddled eggs, while Queen Consort, Camilla enjoys homegrown asparagus with lots of butter and for dessert, a bitter chocolate ice-cream. She did reveal last year that she doesn’t enjoy ‘fiddly’ dishes and that “beans on toast” was a favourite, but that it has to be Heinz Baked Beans.
For the street parties however, Coronation chicken may get a peek in with Wales Online reporting that stores such as Iceland are already selling Coronation Chicken Yorkshire puddings. A favourite dish of the nation, Coronation chicken made its appearance 70 years ago.
For Queen Elizabeth II coronation, cordon bleu chef Rosemary Hume and florist Constance Spry created ‘Poulet Reine Elizabeth’ or as it became to be commonly known - Coronation Chicken - which was served at the Coronation luncheon. It is a chicken dish made from a creamy curry sauce and served with a dressed salad of rice, green peas and mixed herbs, or it quickly became popular as a sandwich filling.
Coronation chicken may also have been inspired by Jubilee Chicken which was prepared for the silver jubilee of George V which was chicken mixed with a mayonnaise and curry. But with celebrations lasting for three days, there is going to be picnic food galore from savoury cheesy muffins, tarts and toasties topped with scatterings of fresh herbs to scones with lashings of clotted cream and home-made berry jam, as well as slices of delicate Victorian sponge.
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Any royal celebration is likely to serve sausage rolls and finger sandwiches, cucumber please. Being summer, recipes for cocktails and mocktails served with fresh ingredients such as elderflower, mint, strawberries and apple with crushed ice will be a must, while the perfect Pimms will traditionally make an appearance.
Across the three days of the Coronation weekend, which takes place from Saturday, May 6 to Monday, May 8, there will be a special Coronation Concert staged at Windsor Castle which will be broadcast live, while the Coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey. In 1953 an estimated three million supporters camped out along The Mall to catch a glimpse of Queen and an estimated 27 million watched on television.
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